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This motor has a different type of steering system than my old one, the steering tube goes through the "Tilt tube" (old system had a "steering Knuckle"), this newer system must be cleaned and greased every year. WELL, I DIDN'T KNOW THIS! The steering tube and the tilt tube became great friends and are now "ONE" with some help from corrosion. The result is a broken steering cable and a stuck steering tube in a tilt tube. 14 cans of "Kroil" penetrating oil, torched, heated, greased, and every other known "Space age" lubricant have been applied, as well as beaten with a maul, result: No joy, busted knuckles, blood (you know the drill).
I removed the tilt pin and the machine shop at work popped out the steering tube from the tilt tube with a "Hydraulic press" and it still took about an hour. They cleaned the tilt tube out with a furnace brush and re-greased it for me, I put the tilt tube back in.
When I went to put in the new cable steering end through the tilt tube, it would not clear the transom on the 15' Sport. It was too long to clear the transom and fit in the hole. It's at an angle, so it's NOT straight to go in the tilt tube. It's the right cable. I had to cut the old one, so it was not a clearance issue to remove the steering tube WITH the tilt tube, I think I have to remove the tilt pin (again), then put it over the steering tube, AND THEN put it through the engine.
If anyone knows any tricks to do this please let me know as I am still "Boating" from my driveway (gonna be 90 degrees F today, yea). I think that from a maintenance point of view (which would be "MY" view) the old system was much better (it used to be a 15 minute job to change out a cable), the engineer who thought up this system should be fired, then dragged out into the parking lot and shot. I noticed that the new engine's have a re-designed steering system with a separate tube. Hmmm no wonder why?
The through tilt tube steering on the Sport 15 models is very easy to remove and reinstall if you use this one trick:
Loosen the engine mounting bolts, especially the ones to port, and the motor will back off the transom at an angle that will allow easy insertion or removal of the mechanical steering cable.
You can also get away without the annual removal/reinstallation of the steering cable by correctly installing and using a Steersman Nut that will help keep water out the the tilt tube and allow grease to be pumped into the tube.
I spun the tilt tube around, the 1.25" nut was closer to the hole, so I had more "swing" room and walked it in over the steering tube (I could get it through the tilt tube "accepting" hole on starboard, it was bigger, then slid the "tilt tube" in from port side), I did a quick "Victory dance" only to find out the cable the marine place gave me was the wrong size, (a foot too short) , no biggie, they said they'd "Exchange" it if there was a problem, only problem is they're closed till Tues , so I get to do this again, at least I'm gettin good at it. Thank's again for the "trick".
I did learn from this experiance ( I learned that this designed steering system is rotten). The "Tolerance" is too tight between the steering tube and the tilt tube, and as you mentioned very low to the salt water environment ( definately NOT a good place for tight tolerance). Perhap's this system work's better on other boat's that are higher out of the water than mine. I figured that the dealer slid the motor over while it was on the hoist to fit the newer steering sys. on the hull. It's just a "Poor" design that was rushed into production by a "Pushy" engineer ( and if I had my way, he'd be hanging from the "Yard arm"), anytime you see something like a "Return steering arm" coming back from another direction to correct a movement, it's a "BAD" design with a "Band Aid" on it to "MAKE" it work, They KNEW their would be trouble with this sys., perhap's they did it for "dealer support". After this year I'm switching back to the other steering sys. (support knuckle) and putting this sys. where it belong's "IN THE GARBAGE" !
Thank's again for the great support on "W/C".
mw
When I had a similar problem (stiff but not frozen) with our '87 Johnson, was told there's a replacement tilt tube made of stainless that handles the salt environment better. Not sure if that's already been incorporated into your engine or not, but is something to consider. Plus you could use the old one as a present when you track down the design engineer!
As Tom said, the steersman nut is the key to preventing the steering cable from freezing up. It installs on the port side (assuming the cable enters from starboard) and replaces the existing nut.
On the "Teleflex" box it suggest's NOT to use the "Grease fitting" as it will trap dirt, I'm wondering if they say this because, it makes the cable last longer and NOT break or freeze up. Another boater I know has the "Steersman" system on the cable but, he does NOT grease it, he uses it to only keep the dirt out. Does it work ? The Stainless Steel tilt tube sound's like a good idea, as the stock tube on my engine looks like regular plain old "black iron" that was ment to rust, it could be aluminum (not sure), anyway as mentioned I try and do as much work as I can in the "Driveway", and this system is NOT gonna work if I have to move the engine to hook up the steering cable or even take it out to clean and grease it (although a great suggestion to help me out, Thank you "Tom", and everyone else), I found that I can insert the steering tube from the starboard side, then slide the "Tilt tube" over the "steering tube" from the port side, now I have to get the right sized cable on Tues. (need a foot longer). The pics around Manhattan were "Killin" me as everyone was out on the water having a good time, I hope to splash this weekend, thank's again to everyone, at "W/C" for helping me out.
mw
Some online companies sell stainless steel replacement tilt tubes. The Steersman Nut mentioned earlier works great. There's also a rubber boot that you can put over that and the shaft. Search online.
Jim
I installed (for the 3rd time) the "Tilt Tube" and "steering tube", this time the Outboard shop did'nt have the 11' teleflex cable that I needed, so I had to use a 12' steering cable. This time the port nylon bushing kept coming out when I installed the "Tilt tube" from the port side, to meet the "Steering tube" coming in from the "Starboard side" (I had to make them meet in the middle of the tilt tube tunnel due to "clearance issues" with the steering tube and the starboard side transom). I wiggled and danced it all in (invented new curse words too). I tried to find the suggested "steersman" protective nut but, could only find a "Davis" Lube 2 steering rod protector (similar to steersman nut). There is an oil port threaded hole for a bottle of lubricant to be appled on the "Rod Protector" or a "Zerc" fitting for periodic lubrication on the Davis Lube 2. I was wondering if a small stanless steel can or plexiglass Oiling bulb with a small oil reservoir could be threaded into the "Oil Port" on the protecting nut (such as the kind used to automatically and constantly "oil/Lube" industrial machinery), I've been trying to redesign a better system, does this already exist and I missed it ? should I attempt to make one up ? any thought's from the "Think Tank" at "Whaler Central" ????
Thank's again for everyone's help on this.
mw
, no biggie, they said they'd "Exchange" it if there was a problem, only problem is they're closed till Tues 
, so I get to do this again, at least I'm gettin good at it. Thank's again for the "trick".
