Sailed the boat back home yesterday, about 6 hours in the steering cable snapped. Cable separated right from the turnbuckle. (Will post picture later). Had to handle the boat for the next 4 hours on the emergency tiller.
Does any one have experience with installing new cables. Mine seem to be seivsed on the rudder shaft connection side.
Pictures always help. There usually is a quadrant bolted to the rudder shaft. It’s not unusual for the cable to take a sharp bend around a corner of the quadrant and then terminate at an adjustable eye book our turn buckle. Because off the geometry, there are high bending stresses and often individual wire stands start breaking before total failure occurs.
if you don’t know the cable length you need, you can attach a messenger line to the broken one and then pull it. If you are uncertain about the length of the unbroken one (often the steering is symmetrical but need not), messenger line it, too. You do want to replace both. Check for wear along the of the cables. Good time to grease any pulleys.
I attached the new cables at the quadrant first with the turn buckle fully extended, then took out all the slack at the wheel while making sure both wheel and rudder were centered. Then went back to the rudder side and tensioned both sides evenly. It doesn’t need much tension - steering should be responsive without any or minimal play.
The Edson website has good info even if it not your brand steering, I’ve had luck buying the cable and clamps at McMaster Carr. If your setup has swages, you can often do those at West Marine or the local Chandlery yourself. Consider checking your steering brake, sprocket, chain, and all the pulleys while you are at it.
Erik
lengthYou can attach a messenger line to the
Note that Edson recommends replacing the steering cables every 5 years (I think). I tend to follow that as the consequences can be dire. Certainly a yearly thorough inspection is warranted.
Yikes! Going on 16 years of ownership. I inspect but have not replaced. Original cables from 86 as far as i know. One more item to the list. I’ll do it as soon as i replace the batteries in my expired PLB. This is a full time job man!! Its a full time job just keeping track of what you gotta do. Who invented this sport? Some idiot 6000 years ago i guess.
Contacted edson today, they were very helpful. I ordred a cable kit for about $120. Money well spent if you ask me.
When you get to it, please post on how the install goes. I will be doing brake rebuild, and upper rebuild on the pedestal in the coming weeks, and will visually inspect the cables. As I don’t know the age, will likely be replacing them myself as well.
Having some technical difficulties removing the steering radius from the rudder shaft. I can not break the four stainless steal bolts that clamp the radius to the shaft. I’ve soaked them in spray solvents but still no luck. Is there something I can do to help the process?
I rather not take this radius off but it seem like I have no choice. The cables seem to be pressed in and I can not simply pull them out.
I am thinking about using an impact gun to break the nuts. I just don’t want to snap them.
I attached some pictures of my set up.
Pictures forward and stern of radius
This is quite common when stainless bolts are left threaded into aluminum for too long especially if the stainless bolts threads were not coated with something like tefgel. It is going to take a lot of soaking with a good penetrating lubricant like PB Blaster or Super Kroil and possibly some heat to break these loose. It helps to not just try to loosen them all at once but rather first try a bit of loosening then tightening andf then loosening back and forth keep applying the torque and soaking in penetrant. Also walk away and leave to soak for a good while come back and try some more, even leave over night. Also while spraying the penetrant it helps a lot to tap firmly against the bolt head and aluminum with somthing like a balll pean hammer or any steel hammer, The idea is to set up some vibration to help the pentrant work its way into the threads. Good luck , hopefully you’;; get them out and not have to resort to recutting new threads or helicoils or such.
Not sure what to advise here. If the quadrant really does not want to budge, work on the cables only. You’re steering cables have a ball end swagged on to the end. You have to pull them out from the end at the quadrant. If you can get it to move. Alternatively you could try cutting the swage off and then pulling the cables out towards the steering side. For cutting - may try something like a Dremel with a reinforced grinning wheel. Wear a face shield. I really would exhaust your options on the removing the cable before going to town on getting the quadrant out.
As to getting stainless fasteners or the cables out of the aluminum casting, if they are seized, I’ve been told that a mixture of half ATF fluid and acetone work best. Problem is that the aluminum starts corroding and the corrosion product has a greater volumn than the original metal. Bolts can really get locked in. Heat to the aluminum can help, too. Propane torch, don’t burn the boat down, you can use aluminum foil to shield things you don’t want to get hot. Have a extinguisher handy.
Looking at the photos, you seem to also have a set of bolts that go through the quadrant and the shaft. These have to come off, too. If you do use an impact wrench or brute force make sure you don’t shear the bolt heads off. Because then you need to get the whole boat under a drill press.
Try the cables first…
Erik
Great! This helped a lot. Some good stuff. BUTTT I snapped two bolts in the radius in the process… I managed to still remove it off the shaft with the help of my handy sawzaw… Now I need to drill these two bolts out, that should be fun, Not. I’m just glade I got it off , was not easy. Anyone have some tips for drilling outs snapped bolts?
Also I received the new cables from edson today. It looks like I will need to install turnbuckles and swages myself. Have never done this type of rigging myself before. Pointers anyone? Any suggestions for purchasing tunrnbuckles and swage?
Cheers,
hey Eric, thanks for that tip on acetone and ATF I vaguely recall hearing that once before but totally forgot that method. Next time I’m in same predicament I’ll give that a try too. Your description of the aluminum oxide filling and jaming up the bolt threads is spot on!