| Title: | Powerboats |
| Notice: | Introductions 2 /Classifieds 3 / '97 Ski Season 1267 |
| Moderator: | KWLITY::SUTER |
| Created: | Thu May 12 1988 |
| Last Modified: | Wed Jun 04 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 1275 |
| Total number of notes: | 18109 |
Hello, I have a Merc 110 on a 16' Bonito. The orignial steering cable and pulley system was replaced with a TeleFlex (sp?) push-pull mechanism. It looks like the push rod that goes through the motor mount bracket got bent slightly, causing the steering to be very stiff. This caused the ~20 year old cable to finally break. (how I got the boat/pastors wife/somebody elses' kids back to the church picnic after it broke on the other side of the lake is another story :-) Now I cant figure out how to remove the cable and push rod assembly from the motor mounting bracket. Let me see if I can envision what the thing looks like: There appears to be a hollow threaded rod which goes through the motor mounting bracket and is held in place with a 1.25" nut on either end. The steering pushrod protrudes from one end of the hollow threaded rod and the steering cable exits from the other end. I have removed the steering cable sheath from its end of the mechanism and I have removed both nuts from the hollow threaded rod. I can still only move the push-rod/cable back and forth only to a certain extent until it hits some kind of stop. What else do I need to do to get the silly thing off? Also if anyone would like to tell me the real names of the thingies described above or any advice on replacement brands that would be much appreciated also. Thanks Jeff
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 735.1 | Lift the motor | GOLF::WILSON | Because the Earth is 2/3 water | Tue Aug 14 1990 12:32 | 34 |
I ran into a similar problem with one of my previous boats. My boat had an OMC motor, but I ass-u-me the Teleflex setup is similar to your's. My Teleflex steering cable wasn't bent, but had just enough rust that it was completely frozen inside the pivot tube. Nothing we tried would free it up, so I finally ended up cutting the steering cable where it enters the pivot tube. Then I removed the large nuts from both ends of the pivot tube and slid it out of the motor. The entire weight of the motor hangs on this pivot tube, so my guess is that's why your tube is stuck and will not come out all the way. Try having someone (or 2) lift and wiggle the motor a bit while you try to slide the tube out. Once the tube is out you'll have to support the motor or it will fall off. The easiest way is to take a similar sized pipe or wooden dowel and slide it into the holes where the pivot tube was. Now with the pivot tube removed and the steering cable cut, you'll be able to work on the assembly on a workbench and tap the steering cable out of the tube. Since mine was rusted it required heat and quite a bit of hammering to remove it. If your cable is stuck be VERY careful to support the tube with blocks of wood in a vice and not to damage the threads on the tube while hammering on the remains of the cable. When I did mine, no local OMC dealer had a replacement tube in stock. You can remove the cable from either end of the tube, which way your's comes out will probably be determined by where the cable is bent. When you install the new cable, be sure it slides easily through the pivot tube before assembling everything. Mine required a bit of work on the inside of the tube with a round file and some sandpaper to remove the rust. Then just before final assembly, goop up the tube and cable with grease real well, and regrease it least a couple times each season afterward. Hope this helps. Rick W. | |||||
| 735.2 | ...Just to follow up. | PEACHS::GILBERT | ...You say why, I say I dont know | Wed Sep 05 1990 18:08 | 16 |
re .1 Thanks for the advice. I tried doing as you suggested but still could not get the push rod out of the tube or the tube out of the motor mount. I then figured out the key to the process: Let somebody else mess with it! I took it to the local boat place and a couple of them wacked on it for a while with large metal objects while useing hoists and winches and other boat-place stuff and they finally got the pivot tube/pushrod fragment out of the motor mount which we cheerfully dropped in the trash and replaced with a new pivot tube (alias tilt tube)(the $25 aluminium kind, not the $120 stainless steel one they tried to sell me the first time)and now everything works fine and I'm out skiing again. Jeff | |||||