Removing steering cable from stringer sterndrive 800

i am trying to replace the tra

i am trying to replace the transom seal but i cant get the STEERING CABLE off of outdrive i was planning on removing outdrive to do so and put a water impeller kit in while i had the drive off of the boat

"What kind of steering do You

"What kind of steering do You have?
Normally this drive has a 'True Course' steering and the whole system is inside the transom. No need to remove anything on the outside to remove the drive.

The shift cable however, must be disconnected on the inside and pulled out.
Please post a pic."

i may not be trying to take it

i may not be trying to take it off right i took the 13 or so small nuts off of the bellhousing i thought it would be easier that way i need to put the transom seal in my seal has 22 holes if that tells you anything and while i had it off i was going to put a impeller kit in it

will try to post pics tom. tha

will try to post pics tom. thanks for help

"You need to take off the driv

"You need to take off the drive first.
Un-hook the shift-cables on the inside, and pull out the cable.
The impeller is in the upper housing of the drive, and You will not be able to split the drive with the cable attached and the drive attached to the intermediate housing.
Suggest You order a manual for the unit, as the shift cable removal/installation might need a better explanation than what this page might be able to do."

"Holy make work project....
Y

"Holy make work project....
You dont need to remove the steering cable to change the transom seal. In fact, with a lot of soap and water on a hot sunny day, all you really need to remove is the propeller."

"Sounds like he might have the

"Sounds like he might have the old thru-transom steering, brass ball SS plates style. Just undue the cable on the outside of the drive and take the prop off. That's all that's needed. Done it a hundred times."

"He said 22 holes in the seal,

"He said 22 holes in the seal, so has to be 78 and up with tru-course. It's like he's trying to change it from the inside or something.... hope the boat isn't in the water... "

"No im not trying to remove it

"No im not trying to remove it from the inside, and no it is not in the water im not completely stupid, I just have never had any experience with outdrives. I am looking for a service manual but have had no luck finding one for my boat if anyone knows of a source i would appreciate it, (My boat is a 1986 citation with a 305 5.0L stringer 800 omc). I took the 22 screws out and took the clamp off from the outside. I thought i could seperate it where it pivots so i took the two covers off of the side where i thought a pin was, where the unit pivots to go up and down but had no luck there so i took the small nuts off of the back of the bell housing im told it is the intermediate to remove it and the steering cable mounts to the(IM). I was told i could put the seal on without removing the outdrive, but im also going to install a water impeller and i was told that the outdrive had to come off for that so i thought i would do both at the same time. Thanks for any info."

"You are on the right track. S

"You are on the right track. See the 2 rubber steering bumpers beside the water deflector plates you removed? Pull them off with a tug. Voila - 4 bolts - those are holding the drive on.
A word of caution with the removal of the shift cable: Take the battery right out of the boat! There are hot terminals (12V) all over the place atop the engine- if one of the little cable ends touches B+ it will fry to the tune of $400. To pull the cable from the hole in the intermediate it's best to use 2 people (1 pushing, 1 pulling) make sure you remove the clamp on the out side holding that cable and use lots of lube like PB Blaster or similar to soak the cable before pulling it through.
Ebay is the best place to get a used OMC manual. Seloc makes one that is pretty good and can probably be purchased right here at marineengine.com, avoid Clymer manual- not very good."

Top right of this page -look t

Top right of this page -look to the right and scroll UP- click that where it says "Online Repair manuals" - you can get them online...