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Tight Steering

zee_man

New member
"I have a 1990 175 hp Johnson

"I have a 1990 175 hp Johnson on a 20 ft Stratos boat. Steering is getting tighter each year. Disconnected the motor from the cables and the motor moves freely. Indicates the cables and steering unit. This is a dual cable system - Teleflex rack and pinion unit, seems that cables and rack are all one unit . Couple of questions:

Can you replace a dual cable with a single cable? Expect the answer is no - Don't drive the boat in excess of 50 MPH very often. Cost difference is significant.

Can I replace with out pulling the motor off? It seems the latest Teleflex units the cable are removable at the wheel.

Can you cut the old cables to remove them? I was thinking with a sawzall. There is an access point in the back well of the boat that may give me enough clearance to remove the rods.

Thanks for your help."
 
"Cables and rack are not all o

"Cables and rack are not all one unit, the cables are removable.

Yes you can replace dual with single but it's recommended i think that over 150hp you use a dual cable.

Replace without removeing engine, that would depend on the amount of movement you have to remove the cable from the engine and if you can pull it out away from the engine.

Cur the old, sure, but if you dont have enough room to remove then you'll still need to remove the engine to install."
 
"I can see how the cables remo

"I can see how the cables remove at the engine side, but not on the wheel side. When you say the cables are removable does that include removing the H shaped bracket that attaches to the steering wheel? I don't see how the cables connect to that bracket on their own.

I don't run the motor WOT very much. More speed than I need. What is the down side of 1 vs 2 cables.

If I was able to disconnect the cables at the wheel and pull the slack through, I might have enough room. Not sure the rods will make the corner, but maybe.

Brian, thanks for your response."
 
"np, this is what the Rack sys

"np, this is what the Rack system looks like in peices, sorry I forgot the cable was part of the rack peice but unbolts from the helm.
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Rack Steering
 
"I try to stay away from the r

"I try to stay away from the racks, use up to much under helm space..

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dual cable"">

dual-cable systems are suitable for most single-station boats with a single non-power assisted outboard engine up to V-6 in which engine flutter or steering instability is present."
 
"It's amazing how the pric

"It's amazing how the price jumps on a single vs dual cable system. About $150.

Any other suggestions on how to loosen the steering up? I can pull the rods about halfway out, the one through the tilt tube has some rust in it. The other is very clean. The motor itself when disconnected from the steering unit moves freely.

I will try to clean that out and grease it. Not sure what type of grease to use.

Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks for your prior responses."
 
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