Teleflex or SeaStar??

Wandering Sagebrush

Wandering Sagebrush

Free Range Human
OK, I realize that when you spill a bucket of worms, the only way to get them back in is to get a bigger bucket... That said, here come the worms.

I went out to the boat this morning to get some stuff off for an upcoming Death Valley trip, and as I usually do... I turned the wheel to keep the steering rod free and lubed. This time it was locked up to the point that I am sure that I will strip the gears of the rack and pinion if I force it. I think this is the third time it has happened, but never this tight.

So the question is... Should I replace it with another Teleflex no-feedback system, or should I bite the bullet and go with either a SeaStar or BayStar hydraulic system? I have seen both the no-feedback and the hydraulic systems fail, so I realize there is no silver bullet here.

My inclination is to just go with another no-feedback system, and be more diligent about maintenance on it. This is probably another way of saying I am being penurious (cheap)!

Your thoughts????
 
I'm concerned that a 2005 boat is having a steering system failure.

I finally had to repace the rack and cables on a 1986 Bayliner last year, and they were the original cables.

I suspect there is another issue here causing the system to lock up. It is possible a change to hydraulic (Baystar is fine) will solve the problem, but the rack system shouldn't be failing in 5 years.

Have you disconnected the steering arm at the motor and checked it for free movement?
 
Matt, I have not, but I can do that easy enough... Report to follow.

On Edit: Matt, the motor turns freely on the steering tube. The wheel is still locked in a death grip...
 
So after inspection, the motor rurns freely- so I replied with the following. I'm adding it here to add to the knowledge base.

Try this-

Undo the nut that holds the cable to the outboard steering tube. Try moving the wheel. If you get some movement, then the problem is in the steering tube in the motor. The end of the cable will still be in the tube, and the cable housing will be moving away from the steering tube.

If still no movement then it's a bad cable. Salt water can get into the end of the cable over time and cause the steel jacket to oxidize and expand, pinching the core, and restricting movement.

If it's the motor steering tube, remove the cable from the motor (you may need to have a metal rod to drive the cable out, then clean out the inside of the motor's steering tube, relubricate and reinstall.
 
It's probably in the steering tube. I was doing a little work on my boat yesterday and same deal. It has happened before. I think it happens a lot on Hondas for some reason. I have a friend with a 130 that has had it happen several times. At first I thought leaving it in the sun was baking the grease in the tube (fat chance in oregon) so I keep it covered all the time. That prolonged its' working but it is frozen again. You have to take all the nuts off both sides of the tube and try to jar it out of the tube. I thought I remembered a detailed explanation of the "unsticking" here on the site last year. My friend puts a shotgun cleaning brush on a drill and runs it in a few times to clean it up then greases it well but it will still bind in a couple months. Guaranteed, if you turn the wheel hard enough you will ruin it. There has to be a long term fix. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and get a suzuki.
 
The steering tube can be steel, which expands as it corrodes, causing the stiff steering.

Evinrude's Saltwater series uses a stainless steel steering tube to eliminate this issue.
 
Our experience is that grease will just about overnight catalyze into something akin to glue .We had an Arima with the same issue in here today and the story is it worked fine last time we used it . Many a vacationer or second homeowner has come to the shop with their boat that didnt check the steering before they left and had us try to fix it on a weekend . A heatgun and some PB Blaster can help .
Marc
 
Well, I got the sucker moving again, but have not been able to get the steering cable out of the tilt tube by myself. Looks like this will have to wait until Diana is available to assist.

I did find a great VIDEO on maintenance of the steering. For any of you who like me still have Teleflex No Feedback Steering, this is worth watching. Only about three minutes. Click on the red video tab. The first video is on maintenance.
 
Steve, can you get the steering cable out of the tilt tube without unbolting your engine or engines? I have the same steering and so far it hasn't given me any problems. I have twin Honda 40's and I don't think I would be able to get the steering cable out without removing one engine. The Teleflex video is great if you have easy access to the cable. I would hate to remove mine twice a year to regrease it. The steel tilt tube has always been a cheap Honda part on an otherwise quality motor. It couldn't possibly cost them more than 10-15 bucks to put in a stainless steel tilt tube and save customers a lot of hassle.
 
We just installed the Baystar hydraulic steering and it works great. It is true, you cannot remove the cable from the tilt tube as we also have the twin 40 Hondas on our 2000 Cruiser.

I didn't remove starboard motor, instead took the subtle approach of hacksawing through the cable to remove. After that, it was a pretty straightforward project with great directions from Teleflex.

I would have kept the NFB system, but will be adding the Raymarine s1000 autopilot in the next year so we needed the hydraulic system.

After 10 years of previous low usage, the tilt tube on the starboard motor was nice and clean, so I guess I got a good one judging from other posts.
 
CAVU":2tdnpwdt said:
Steve, can you get the steering cable out of the tilt tube without unbolting your engine or engines? I have the same steering and so far it hasn't given me any problems. I have twin Honda 40's and I don't think I would be able to get the steering cable out without removing one engine. The Teleflex video is great if you have easy access to the cable. I would hate to remove mine twice a year to regrease it. The steel tilt tube has always been a cheap Honda part on an otherwise quality motor. It couldn't possibly cost them more than 10-15 bucks to put in a stainless steel tilt tube and save customers a lot of hassle.
Click to expand...

Ken, other than the kicker being in the way, it came apart and went back together just like the video described. I did replace the small o-ring where the rod exits the pivot tube, and still need to replace the nylok nut for the steering arm. Probably the two toughest parts of the job were breaking things loose, then getting the cable back into the pivot tube. I used a block of soft wood to get things free, then a dowel to push the cable through the tube. I was warned that it is very easy to mush the end of the cable, making it too big to go back into the pivot tube.

The problem with getting it back in was due to the stiffness of the cable, plus the inconvenience of the kicker being in the way.

I am going to make this a semi annual event, as I do not want to have to replace the cable. No idea on my part how tough the twins would be.
 
About ten years ago after spending several months boating on the gulf coast, we returned to Oregon in the early spring and then went on to Idaho at the beginning of summer. We launched at Lake Pend Oreille a day before Memorial Day only to find the steering frozen. Of course it was at a crowded launch site, and I hadn't checked the steering while on the trailer. We were stuck for four days before any service could be done.

Shortly thereafter, we installed the Sea Star. Our second C-Dory
has the Bay Star. Zero problems since.
John
 
There used to be a lubrication system for the push pull cable system of the Teleflex. I could not find it when looking a few months ago. Some folks have made their own. Basically hook up a grease gun and pump new lube thru the outer sheath.
 
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