Steering Cable Replacement

[D-GOOSE]

How to remove and replace a steering cable.

To remove the steering cable start off by removing the 4 bolts off the steering box on the back side of the steering wheel. Follow the cable to where it enters the floor and make sure to remove any heaters, subs or what not in the way. Next remove the end of the cable from the rudder. Follow the end of the cable up to the mounting plate and you will find a nut on each side of the plate. Do not remove or adjust them. About one foot up from the mounting bracket you will find a chrome looking nut. Unscrew the nut and pull cable out of the mounting plate assy. Now tie and tape a piece of weed eater string, rope or some thing so that you can pull the new cable back to the rear of the boat. Before pulling the cable make sure the rudder end of the cable is pushed in so that the end shaft is very short. If you dont do this part you will have problems pulling the last part of the cable out of the floor hole up front. Now head back under the dash to start pulling on the cable while the other person is feeding the pull rope. The last foot of the cable is the hardest to pull out of the hole and will take a little bending.

After removing the cable you will find # ( Example Teleflex SSC13419 ) near the end of cable. Then call up your dealer, ski dim or go2marine to order the new cable.

Now with the new cable tie and tape the rope back the end of the cable. Have one person start pulling on the rope while you start feeding in the cable. NOTE make sure the rope is pulling the cable or you could put the cable on the wrong side of some wiring. Once you pull the cable all the way to the back reinstall the cable and steering mount.

Steering wheel alignment

When out on the water and in a safe spot. Drive straight at about 25MPH. When up to speed note the position of the steering wheel. Hold the steering wheel so that you keep going straight (do not turn). Stop the boat and turn off. Remove the steering box on the back side of the steering wheel. Once the box is removed, turn steering wheel straight and reassemble.

[Horns1]

to make this job even easier & faster I recommend you cut off the steering portion (the protruding steel piece) of the cable w/ bolt cutters. Then just tape your string to the cable & follow the rest of the posted instructions.

[haycutter]

Today was the day to tackle replacing the steering cable on my 99 VLX. I read and followed the replacement guide posted here on the Bu Crew and was surprised that I wasn't able to pull the cable through as posted. Even with cutting the end of the cable off I wasn't able to pull it through. I pulled the floor out that covers the gas tank to see what the problem was and discovered the cable had been zip-tied in about 4 locations, one under the floor cover and 3 in the ski locker. That being said I was able to get the cable out and with the floor removed I will be able to feed the cable through the ski locker and all the way back to the rudder arm without any trouble.

I am not sure if the cable has ever been replaced and was routed the same way it came from the factory or not, but I never would have been able to do the job without pulling the floor. The time I have invested so far is about an hour and fifteen minutes. I expect it will not take any longer to install the new cable once it arrives.

I thank the Bu Crew for all the help over the years and am not complaining in the least. I hope this might help someone with replacing their cable.

Tim

[Pistol Pete]

Yup.

The cables are all secured along the way in V-drives.

Look at the 2:11 mark of this vid.

[andjules]

I replaced the cable in my 02 sportster two days ago. Here are some other pointers gleaned from the forums and my own experience.

- loosen the big nut in front of the pivot box BEFORE disconnecting from the rudder. Use a pair of vice grips to hold the assembly-tube behind the pivot box. If you can't get the nut to free up without the whole assembly tube spinning (common), apply lots of WD-40 AND heat on the nut.

- cut the cable from the helm box when you're ready to tape the new cable to it and feed it backwards. Use a helper.

- don't be an idiot like me and not use enough tape when securing the new cable to the old cable. No fun when the tape rips.

- if you have trouble feeding the cable through you'll be happier if it's on the trailer then in the water. You can't remove the plate at the front of the engine compartment it the brass t-plug is in... and you can't remove it if you're in the water.

I found it pretty easy other than getting the big nut loose. Can be time consuming your first time through.

[DONTW8]

Has anybody successfully pulled their steering cable out, dissassembled it, cleaned it , regreased it and reinstalled it ?

Possible wintertime project ?

[Pistol Pete]

I doubt it would be worth it for the money.

[Lance B. Johnson]

Has anybody successfully pulled their steering cable out, dissassembled it, cleaned it , regreased it and reinstalled it ?

Possible wintertime project ?

I agree with Pete here. There is enough work in the R&R in this such that it wouldn't be worth wild and unlikely it would be fixed for long.

[WakeGirl]

Has anybody successfully pulled their steering cable out, dissassembled it, cleaned it , regreased it and reinstalled it ?

Possible wintertime project ?

My grandfather used to do that over the winter as a stop-gap to avoid paying for a new cable, & it never lasted more than the first couple of rides out after doing it. Just buy a new cable & be done with it. Not worth doing otherwise.

[kgbbu]

to extend the life of your new cable, lube the chrome shaft with anti-seize lubricant. this will help with condensation issues as well as to lube the shaft inside of the cable

[sinclair-bu]

Thanks for these instructions they made it an easy job for me and my wife to complete, used a pipe wrench and a large adjustable to get the big nut loose, bit of a struggle up in under the fuel tanks to get small nut off as needed two hands but all in all no problems, and the end result is amazing from struggling with two hands on the wheel to using one finger. A whole new world as the wife says.

[Asmodeus2112]

It's really easy to remove the steering wheel (6 hex screws) and the captaines seat (4 bolts) on many of the older bu's. This small amount of effort is well worth it for the clearance for the numerous times one has to crawl in there while changing the cable. When I did my cable I also noticed that the helm had several bolts that had loosened up, probably from all the force needed to move the stiff cable. If you remove the wheel and pull the rubber/plastic boot up there are only a few screws to get to the bolts and tighten. Feels great to have a firm wheel without much play that turns really easy.

[lake boy]

My steering wheel is turned at about 3 o'clock. Is there a reason why it has turned. Should I just loosen the bolts on the steering wheel and reposition it, or is there something more that should be done? There has to be a reason for the wheel to gradually rotate? It has been like this since i bought it used. Maybe the cable has been replaced in the past and they never aligned the wheel??

[Scott N]

My steering wheel is turned at about 3 o'clock. Is there a reason why it has turned. Should I just loosen the bolts on the steering wheel and reposition it, or is there something more that should be done? There has to be a reason for the wheel to gradually rotate? It has been like this since i bought it used. Maybe the cable has been replaced in the past and they never aligned the wheel??

When I replaced my rotary helm and steering cable the instructions said to re-position the wheel as needed after the install. If everything else is working as expected for you then I say re-position the wheel and be done with it.

[Andy.PC.UT]

I just did mine in the 2000 Sunsetter LX last night. Everything went smoothly thanks to all of the forums on this topic and some time spent researching before starting the job. It ended up taking about 2 hours - not bad for a first timer. I definitely recommend bolt cutters to get rid of the rack before you pull your rope or webbing back to the stern of the boat. Also, the tip about taping the bolt on the steering shaft is priceless (don't use flimsy tape, it will catch some edges going through). Follow the instructions that are all over this site and it will make this job a snap. DIY mode saved $400+... now I can reinvest that in the stereo! Sounds way more fun!

[LakeOneSkier]

OK, why am I not having as easy of a time as you guys. I got the old cable out no problem and ran a rope with it. So far so good,,,,

Now I'm trying to pull the new cable in, starting at the helm and pulling towards the stern. I have the 'rudder end' duct taped securely to the rope, it's not going to come loose. What I'm struggling with is that the rudder end has the foot long (or so) metal rod that will eventually attache to the rudder. I can't get that to feed down the hole below the helm, it can't make the almost 90 degree turn that it needs to. Make sense?

Did anyone else have this issue? If so how did you resolve it?

[glasslake]

OK, why am I not having as easy of a time as you guys. I got the old cable out no problem and ran a rope with it. So far so good,,,,

Now I'm trying to pull the new cable in, starting at the helm and pulling towards the stern. I have the 'rudder end' duct taped securely to the rope, it's not going to come loose. What I'm struggling with is that the rudder end has the foot long (or so) metal rod that will eventually attache to the rudder. I can't get that to feed down the hole below the helm, it can't make the almost 90 degree turn that it needs to. Make sense?

Did anyone else have this issue? If so how did you resolve it?

Try retracting the rod at the rack end. I used a screwdriver to work the gears to "shorten" the rod at the end of the cable, and it made the turn without a problem.

[LakeOneSkier]

Turned out to be a 2 person job; one feeding the cable in while the other gently pulls the rope. I was trying to do it myself and I think when I was pulling the rope it was pulling the rod up. When I fed it in and my buddy gently pulled the rope we got it to go.

Edited June 13, 2012 by LakeOneSkier

[CarRamrod]

Did mine this week. I see why some recommended to cut the cable at the helm an pull back. it was a b*tch to pull iit out the small hole at the front. It was also rather difficult to get the new one through the hole with all the wires my boat had through there. But i got it done.

[JPeterman]

Anyone know a reliable way to look up part numbers for a steering cable? I have a 2003 Sunsetter LXI and would love to have the replacement in hand to minimize down time.

[Pistol Pete]

This place

will get you the dead-nuts correct part the first time.

Tell them I sent you.

[windy1]

Yup.

The cables are all secured along the way in V-drives.

Look at the 2:11 mark of this vid.

So just 2 screws holding the front of the center floor?

Replacing my cable this weekend. hopefully done sat. am and on the water sat. pm

[windy1]

Finished the stearing cable Sat. It took over 5 hours with two of us. turns out with all the super sound system and upgraded ballast alot of it runs through that little hole that the cable has to go through in the floor. we had to remove the sub and the driver seat and finally just jammed it through at the risk of tearing out other stuff. I don't know how but everything still works and we made it to the lake late Saturday evening.

I'm glad thats done. BTW- no zip ties in 04 it has a seperate cavity for the cable.

[SoDakSooner]

Did mine earlier this summer. This thread helped immensely. Sorry it took so long windy.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2

[CliffB]

Thanks for this thread - the tips were very helpful in the replacement of the steering cable (Teleflex SSC13419) on my '89 Skier. The cable came out fine and didn't bind at the turn where it runs from the bilge up to the helm (no need to cut it) as I had withdrawn the inner cable as far as it would go prior to removal of the whole contraption. In other words, the new cable comes with the inner cable in the shortest extension position and goes in without any trouble, same as taking out the old cable with the inner cable in the same (fully withdrawn) position.

Replacing the steering cable made a very big difference. The old cable was causing a lot of bind and drag on the wheel, to the point where it wasn't pleasant at all to steer the boat. I also found that the big nut on the rudder end of the old cable wasn't fully seated, causing a whole bunch of play in the thing. I also found that the nut on the bolt holding the cable to the rudder arm was loose and about to drop off. The whole thing looked like somebody had loosened it all up in anticipation of removing the cable then gone off to take a nap and forgot about it.

Sooooo much better now.