Rack and pinion steering issues on 95 Bayliner capri 1750 i/o

[kpkeller88]

I have a rack and pinion steering system on my boat. The steering went from stiff to almost unable to move. I removed both the rack and pinion end and the end connecting the the i/o unit. The cable runs back to a nut and a threaded shaft with a rod that runs out of it. Does this threaded shaft seperate from the cable? My hopes are to spray some lube into the cable and work it back in forth to try to free it up. I have the rack side elevated and I sprayed some lube into the unit but I'm unsure if it would travel into the cable casing.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Rack and pinion steering issues on 95 Bayliner capri 1750 i/o

Have you checked for any abrasions, kinks, damage of any kind that you can detect? Has the boat been sitting for an extended period of time? Very difficult to re-lube the cables.

 

[kpkeller88]

Re: Rack and pinion steering issues on 95 Bayliner capri 1750 i/o

I haven't checked for any kinks. When I bought the boat a few years ago I noticed the steering was hard, and it continued to get worse every year. Last year it didn't get any use so it has been sitting for a while without use. I sprayed some lubricant on the rod that goes into the threaded shaft and I saw that it was taking it in. Im thinking of spraying it again when I get home from work and hooking the rack back up to the pinion tomorrow and seeing if it will budge atall. Previously I couldn't get it to move.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Rack and pinion steering issues on 95 Bayliner capri 1750 i/o

If you don't find any damage an old trick is to use some Power Steering fluid and hang the cable from the rafters in the garage. Form a funnel from some stiff plastic and duct tape it around the tube. Pour some Power Steering Fluid in the funnel and let it sit over night. Since the oil is so light weight it can seep down into the cable and lube it. Some people even use some Mineral Spirits to thin it even more. Just something else you might consider.

 

[kpkeller88]

Re: Rack and pinion steering issues on 95 Bayliner capri 1750 i/o


That sounds like a good idea. Is there any way to remove the cable from the threaded shaft in the pictures or from the rack on the other end? I just want to make sure the stuff gets down in the tube. From the pictures I've looked at for replacement cables none of them have this threaded shaft. Is this part seperate from the steering cable?

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Rack and pinion steering issues on 95 Bayliner capri 1750 i/o

In the top picture....... pull the cotter pin and pin on your transom arm.....then loosen that big nut at the end of the plastic cable...then the cable with the shaft on it will pull out of the long threaded piece at your transom end.

Get up under the dash and there should be 4 bolts holding the rack to your steering shaft.

Id say yours is all corroded up...my be time for a new one!

Good luck!

 

[kpkeller88]

Re: Rack and pinion steering issues on 95 Bayliner capri 1750 i/o

Thanks guys! I'll give this a shot.

 

[kpkeller88]

Re: Rack and pinion steering issues on 95 Bayliner capri 1750 i/o

Successfully removed the old cable and replaced it with a new one. Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Rack and pinion steering issues on 95 Bayliner capri 1750 i/o

Thats what the iBoats forum is All about!!!