steering cable broken?

gallen · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:15 pm Post subject: steering cable broken?

Perhaps this knowledgeable group can help.

I have twin Honda 50s on my CD 22, 700 hours on the motors, 2004 versions.

Went to the Rosy B today, ready for salmon fishing. My steering had been stubborn lately, so I decided to test before pulling out of my slip at the marina. Steering seemed almost frozen, and while cranking I heard something give way--no steering at all. In looking at the steering mechanism behind the steering wheel, I could see the cable had given way, and had pulled out of where it enters the steering box. No steering at all.

Did the cable break? A connection somewhere? I've never seen the inside of the Telestar steering box, so I don't know how it connects. New cable necessary? Any advice about what I should expect from the mobile mechanic coming to the boat?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Gary

Captains Cat · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:54 am Post subject:

Never had cable steering, always hydraulic. I'll tell you what to expect though....

A Big Bill!! Shocked

Sorry for your troubles!!

Matt Gurnsey · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 11:41 am Post subject:

Probably time for a new cable, and we've found that the entire kit (cable and helm) is about the same price as just the cable, so that's all we stock. A little more work to swap out the helm, but then you know everything is new and working.

It's possible that forcing the frozen cable broke something in the helm. Be sure to note whether you have rack and pinion or rotary steering. Rotary will have a round mechanism behind the das, rack and pinion will have a bar about 18" long behind the dash.

Chester · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 12:23 pm Post subject:

Might be a good time to consider converting to hydraulic steering.

gallen · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:44 pm Post subject:

Just an update--with the help of the mobile mechanic and a sledge hammer, we were able to "unfreeze" the steering at the the motors, reattach the cable in the Teleflex box, and detach, clean, and agressively lube the steering "bar" that attaches to the cable. (Not sure of the correct term for that part.)

What I learned is that I need to regularly detach and lube that area, something that I had not been doing. This is especially important if you keep your boat in the marina, as I do.

It seems to be working fine for the time being at least. Whew!

thataway · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:53 pm Post subject:

It is not very expensive to replace the whole works (cable, end fitting and steering box/gear) with "non feed back" unit. There used to be fittings for greasing the cable, but these are hard to find, if available. You can clean it--and get it going temporally, but there is a good chance of failure down the line.