95 speedster steering cable question

[rolando14]

hey guys, I completely took the steering cables out because they are seized up.. I figured the best way would be to get them out, straighten them (gently), snake the cable out of the sheath and clean everything up and put back together.

is there a solvent i can use to help bust up the corrosion? there isn't much rust but it is very stiff. also what lube would I use to pack back into the cable?

the helm is in great shape, evidently. I had a plan to slowly crank the cable out of the sheath but idk if maybe this needs to be done super gently?

i mean not out of the sheath but to loosen this sh*$ up!?

any advice appreciated!

 

[rolando14]

well i wouldn't have posted the question if i couldn't find the answer but i dug deep in older posts and found the pb blaster concept. which was really on my mind but I wasn't completely sure.. sprayed a whole bunch down the cable they're standing straight up! MAYBE an overnight soak will do the trick... i mean this vessel was run within the past 1.5 years so these cables can't be that seized... i mean, i hope!

 

[rolando14]

in case anyone has problems with freeing up a steering cable.. here is what i did..

FIRST I sprayed PBlaster penetrating catalyst into the cable (hard squeeze) and elevated the cables over night.

use about a 6-8 inch piece of conduit and a large washer w/ nut on end to keep in place.

we put a vice grip on the other end so that we could hold onto the cable/sleeve somehow.. next we just cranked on the nut that snugs the cable up against the transom and then on the nut at the other end (helm receiving end). We were careful not to be too aggressive with the cranking!

Afterwords, we just dripped 3-1 oil into the cable, again, @ an elevated position and worked the cable back and forth until we assume the oil had gone all the way back down the other side of the cable.

these were seized up worse than I had thought, and the PBlaster DEFINITELY put us where we needed to be. There is no doubt about that. Ready to be reinstalled. Unfortunately my dad busted a pivot on the right side jet so that's being shipped now.


can anyone tell me what sealant to use to seal the cable up after re-mounted to the transom? black rtv silicone maybe?

 

[parrothd]

I use a long(1' to 2') piece of clear tubing that will fit over each end, thats small enough to make a seal seal where the cable inner and outter pieces meet, then I hang the cable in a u shape and add gear oil to one of the empty tubes. Gravity will slowly cause the gear lube to seeks it's own level on the other side lubing the cables. You can also add a little air pressure to help push it along. I use this to keep my reverse cables in good shape...You can use RTV or silicon for the reinstall, just make sure it's marine grade for below the water line.

 

[rolando14]

that's not a bad idea you got about air pressure that probably will help speed the oil along, although by now they are like butter

I assume I need to clean the transom port up real well before applying any sealant? I was hoping to use some high end rtv from home depot..

"
is the forward/reverse/neutral controlled by one cable? I see "reverse cable" being talked about a lot here.. I plan to grease that up as well, it's not so bad but it's tight..