Leardriver
Active Member
- May 24, 2016
- 308
- Boat Info
- 2004 270 Sundeck 8.1 Bravo III
- Engines
- 5.0, 5.7, 6.2 8.1 Bravo III over the years
2004 270 Sundeck had stiff steering. It was nearly frozen when I first came in contact with it, and after disconnecting the clevis and cotter pin and greasing it, it would reluctantly turn, but it wasn't right and stiff enough to be dangerous.
Looking at the cable, the length, 17 feet, was stamped on it, as was the Teleflex brand.
I called Teleflex, who also goes by or was acquired by Seastar, and they recommended their new high performance upper duper ninja Teflon coated easy turn cable. My part number was 15417. The better cable was only a few bucks more. I could have gotten a complete new helm for only anther $30, but mine was tight and solid. he cable was about $135 plus shipping.
Four screws hold on the vinyl cover inside the door in front of the helm. The ol' one bedroom apartment. Four more bolts hold on the cable to the rack. Maybe 7/16?
At the stern, I laid a life vest for padding over the plastic engine cover on the petite little 496, sprawled my ample carcass over it, and removed the cotter pin and clevis and pulled the cable out towards the starboard side. That's boat talk for you shore bound folks. It is also the only direction the cable will side out.
I attached some stout nylon string to the steering bar to use as a fish tape, and pulled it out towards the front. Along the way, I went through some gloves and band aids. There is a glom of silicone just aft of the throttle lever, accessible through the sink door, and I drilled that out with a step drill bit. You need room to pull the big nut from the steering bar through there. While we are mentioning the steering bar, there is a flat indentation on the housing that is slides in to for use as a wrench holding spot. Use it, not channel locks on the outer housing. You don't want to crush or deform the housing and make the steering worse.
Snaking the new cable back rough is much easier with a helper. One to tug on the fish string, and one to wiggle and guide through the tight spots. This isn't complicated, just requires minor patience.
The entire job start to finish took a leisurely 1.5 hours. It takes longer to tow it to the dealer and drop it off. A smaller boat might be easier, a giant cruiser with twins might suck with Biblical severity.
The steering turns with a pinky now. Super easy. I am thrilled with it, and glad that I tackled it. I just wanted to share my experience in case any of you were thinking about that project.
Looking at the cable, the length, 17 feet, was stamped on it, as was the Teleflex brand.
I called Teleflex, who also goes by or was acquired by Seastar, and they recommended their new high performance upper duper ninja Teflon coated easy turn cable. My part number was 15417. The better cable was only a few bucks more. I could have gotten a complete new helm for only anther $30, but mine was tight and solid. he cable was about $135 plus shipping.
Four screws hold on the vinyl cover inside the door in front of the helm. The ol' one bedroom apartment. Four more bolts hold on the cable to the rack. Maybe 7/16?
At the stern, I laid a life vest for padding over the plastic engine cover on the petite little 496, sprawled my ample carcass over it, and removed the cotter pin and clevis and pulled the cable out towards the starboard side. That's boat talk for you shore bound folks. It is also the only direction the cable will side out.
I attached some stout nylon string to the steering bar to use as a fish tape, and pulled it out towards the front. Along the way, I went through some gloves and band aids. There is a glom of silicone just aft of the throttle lever, accessible through the sink door, and I drilled that out with a step drill bit. You need room to pull the big nut from the steering bar through there. While we are mentioning the steering bar, there is a flat indentation on the housing that is slides in to for use as a wrench holding spot. Use it, not channel locks on the outer housing. You don't want to crush or deform the housing and make the steering worse.
Snaking the new cable back rough is much easier with a helper. One to tug on the fish string, and one to wiggle and guide through the tight spots. This isn't complicated, just requires minor patience.
The entire job start to finish took a leisurely 1.5 hours. It takes longer to tow it to the dealer and drop it off. A smaller boat might be easier, a giant cruiser with twins might suck with Biblical severity.
The steering turns with a pinky now. Super easy. I am thrilled with it, and glad that I tackled it. I just wanted to share my experience in case any of you were thinking about that project.
