Diagnosing and fixing stiff boat steering

In this video we look at a boat with stiff push-pull cable steering on the outboard. We start by separating the parts of the steering to determine where the resistance is coming from then go on to clean the steering rod and tilt tube of old dried grease.
Other related videos are:
Replacing the steering cable: • Replacing the steering...
Unseizing a pivot tube: • Fixing a stiff steerin...
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[@roanosullivan8321]

Best tutorial on KZbin by the far . This mans doing God’s work

[@mikemoloney7196]

God's work..love it. Time spent fishing doesn't come off your lifespan, I've discovered the meaning to life. 🎣

[@micaddygolf]

Thank you for perhaps the best diagnostic/instruction video I have viewed on any subject. Very clear information/advice that enabled me to confirm what I thought may have been an issue but was not sure. Was like talking to a marine mechanic face to face, great presentation. Thank you.

[@souljaboyteelemify]

GENTLY TAPPED IT OUT, HA HA HA, beating it like it owed you money

[@DangarMarine]

It will never mess with me again! ;)

[@johnbacon3360]

I have to say thank you for your time and consideration in providing excellent video tutorials and I hope you are blessed with all your endeavours you deserve it.

[@d.johnson499]

Hey man -- I just had the absolute fight of my life getting a seized steering cable out of a used motor I picked up. The previous owner had cut it off rather than try to extract it and I soon found out why. This video helped tremendously and I give you credit for keeping me at it, instead of paying some "professional" to bang it out for me. Your video on dropping and re-installing the gearcase was a huge help too. Using ratchet straps made it worlds easier. Thanks man. --Dave in Georgia (USA)

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Dave, glad you won the battle in the end!

[@timconnelly694]

One tool that comes to mind is my Hoppe's gun & barrel cleaning rod. I think I'll give that a try. Has a good variety of wire brush rods and cleaning attachments. Great video Stu.

[@mattp9029]

Great video. Perfect how to. Mine isn't that bad, but I now know how to get it apart, inspect and clean it properly. I'm guessing my tube is getting pretty nasty with old grease/dirt. Your videos are always very helpful. Cheers!

[@bobbell5928]

Very well explained. Sometimes I cut the end of a copper pipe and use emery cloth(or just sandpaper)and use it like a flapper on a drill. Does a great job

[@handycrowd]

For more aggressiveness, a threaded bar works well too, just drag it back and forth like a round file :-)

[@AB-nb2ic]

Great suggestion!

[@cadillacescalade1]

Hi and greeting to you and charly. Which is better? Injecting synthetic oil inside the cable long or inject a molten wax? Or liquid wax? Thks

[@DangarMarine]

I would go with oil.

[@BillhornA]

Thanks very much for this really excellent vid. Following your tips helped me sort out my steering in about an hour's work. I've watched quite a few of your clips, all highly educational, astoundingly steady camera work despite working one-handed whilst being under the cockpit console unscrewing things etc. I'm a fan, keep up the good work!

[@funsharx]

Your videos have saved me hundreds already and I've only watched a couple of them. Great stuff!

[@DangarMarine]

Glad to hear they've been saving you some money. :)

[@justine.7155]

Love your videos really wished I watched this one before I started getting grease happy!!! Off to go get some carb cleaner, lithium grease and 1 or 2 or 20 rags to clean up.........🙄

[@philmcrackin9573]

So much useful info in this channel. How did I not find this earlier?

[@IdiotVSFish]

I did this last weekend. Tried to charge me 500 dollars for parts and labor at the repair shop to replace my cable. They claimed the motor had to come off to get the cables in and out due to the way the cable was run. I cut the old one off with a saw and the new one went in extremely easy.

[@DangarMarine]

+Idiot Vs Fish Nice one. I've certainly had to cut through a few of those cables in the past too.

[@GavinFinley153]

Great teaching video. Solved my problem well. Thanks for putting it up. From an Aussie expat in the US.

[@DangarMarine]

+Gavin Finley Thanks Gavin, glad the video helped you. :)

[@davidt8274]

They need to have a star rating for this video, 5/5 stars.

[@DangarMarine]

+David Tan Thanks David, glad you like it! :)

[@johnchiovarou1531]

the only thing I would mention is don't forget the O ring where the bar slides out of the pivot tube I didn't know about it the first time and it gummed up very rapidly

[@doggietalk]

I'm a 74 year old granny. Steering wheel wouldn't move. Watched this video all the way through and followed all of the instructions. Steering wheel is turning smoothly and I'm a happy camper. Thanks for the instructions. Another DIY masterpiece!

[@DangarMarine]

Glad it helped! :)

[@doggietalk]

@@DangarMarine I should have mentioned how important it was to see you hammer that frozen rod. I would never have done that without seeing it done.

[@randyutsey5882]

I’ll give my Honda 90 another try now that I’ve seen your video Thx

[@MrRainbowrooster]

Very Best on KZbin! Thanks for all the great videos.

[@roseburn489]

Went fishing today, got to the boat ramp and found my steering had locked so had to return home. I found your video and followed your advise and it worked a treat. My motor was turning fine but the tube was dirty with old black grease. I cleaned the steering rod and cleaned out the tilt tube with the spiral wire brushes and carb cleaner, applied the grease lightly and it worked like brand new. Many thanks as you saved me a trip to the boat mechanic.

[@scottbeattie6645]

Dangar Stu to the rescue again. Solved the problem and learnt a lot. Cost one beer, two rags and lithium grease. Great channel with heaps of variety. Looking forward to the wreck hunting and trips on Renko

[@DangarMarine]

Glad you got it sorted. :)

[@hisechapman1165]

Stu. You are the best teacher on KZbin! Thanks for your videos. I had my shake-down cruise of the season yesterday and found my steering to be quite stiff. This video is perfect for my situation. I've been pounding away and I've got to be only an inch or so from getting that thing out. There's not much transom room on my boat so I have to start with using a short punch until the length of the punch is used up. then move to a heavy duty screwdriver until the length of that is used up.... now I need to find something a little longer... Maybe a wooden dowel rod will be sturdy enough. If that works out, I guess I cut some of graduated lengths for future use. So... how do I order one of your T-shirts? I'm gonna wear it everywhere and send you pictures :) ... Thanks again for everything.

[@DangarMarine]

Hi Hise, it sure can be a battle to get those steering rods out, particularly when the transom doesn't give you the room you need. Sounds like you've got the hang of it, and keeping the set of punches once you've made them makes sense. You can get a t-shirt from here dangarmarine.com.au/collections/merchandise/products/dangar-marine-t-shirt Looking forward to seeing your pictures! :)

[@hisechapman1165]

clearance is definitely a problem for me and fortunate it wasn't seized to begin with.... I got it out of the tilt tube until the collar got jammed up against the side of the motor well. I got out as much old grease as I could reach and put some white lithium in there and it's still a worlds difference better. It looks like to clean out the entire tube, I'd have to have the motor removed?

[@jamesmcmaster8019]

How to fix sneezing on 75mariner

[@peterdarr383]

Kerosene, torch, vinyl cable casing, gas tank a foot away, no eye protection . . . . I forgot . . . . . it's Australia - - no worries !

[@thomasbrame9458]

thanks for the video. helped me with my problem.. all fixed now!

[@adamcosta4610]

@dangarstu 11:58 you promised! Lol and thank you I’m doing this today to my 99 Johnson 2stroke

[@michaelosmon]

Watching you work I thought I need to make a hydrogen torch. Then I had a thought. If I take a torch and feed 2:1 hydrogen and oxygen, will water come out the tip?

[@DangarMarine]

Yes, burning hydrogen does produce water.

[@holdfast7657]

Another great video. If you get a bottle brush that's long enough you could put it into a drill and then polish the tube.

[@DangarMarine]

Brushes like that are a good way to go. I’ll have to find a good source and buy bulk.

[@gs7102]

You can get various sizes in gun stores for barrels :)

[@70MoparMan]

Great video. My problem is opposite, my steering is so loose you can't let go of the steering or it will steer hard and fast to one side. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[@DangarMarine]

Often there is a tensioner build into the outboard pivot tube on the leg of the outboard. You can tighten the screw and it will press against the shaft giving extra resistance.

[@seanp7253]

Very well put together video. Hands down the best tutorial I've ever watched. You've got a real gift, thank you!

[@donbailey6600]

I really appreciate how you take the time to describe different scenarios you can encounter during this process. Its really helpful.

[@tellcommguy]

Super informative video man. I am relatively new to fixing things on my boat and was having this issue. I thought it was going to cost me an arm anf a leg. Watched your video and troubleshot the problem quickly and was able to fix it with relative ease. Thankyou so much.

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Raphael, glad the video helped you. :)

[@pacman4568]

brilliant video yet again people use every thing like it is disposable today, They don't think about maintenance until something goes wrong. But that could be to late and they get washed out to sea with jammed steering.

[@HD-rs6fi]

I find you to be very articulate and practical with no nonsense, excellent videos and presentation.....very useful indeed - keep 'em comin'!! . (but dont forget your skin is the bodies largest organ , i know gloves are a pain but they do make pretty good ones nowadays......just sayin')

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks mate, and yes, we have a good range of disposable nitrile and reusable gloves here I just always forget to put them on.

[@alangrant5278]

Dunno if you’ll get to read this Stu since it’s a oldie now. I would like to shorting my steering cable by about 300mm or maybe even a foot, so that the curve isn’t exactly where the new auxiliary bracket will go. Do you know if it’s possible to remove a section of the outer? I feel an experiment coming on - worst case is I’ll have to buy a new cable. But I’m of Scottish descent and gear is a total rip off here in NZ.

[@DangarMarine]

I think shortening it would be quite tricky. It mabe be possible to cut and reterminate one of the ends but I've never tried to do it.

[@alangrant5278]

Thanks Stu. I may give it a crack. I shoulda kept the old buggered one for dissection purposes.

[@chrisstinson2656]

Another excellent video, absolutely love the steps of diagnosis and and the explanation throughout fix. Take care & thx much

[@thomastaylor5989]

Thank you so much for taking your time to share this with us. I have a 1987 Bayliner Trophy center consul. Boat has mostly been used for offshore fishing and my steering has been stiff and hard to turn for the last 20 years or so. I am going to give this a shot and see if I can get to turn smooth again. Tommy T

[@scottyoung9300]

Great video. Used the tilt tube cleaning on a 2001 pontoon we just bought. it helped a ton though the steering is still pretty stiff. When everything is unhooked, the cable slides smoothly and the motor pivots smoothly on its bearings. One thing - When the cable is inserted through the tilt tube, the "natural" orientation of the cable end is with the eye perpendicular to the steering linkage bolt. I've noticed giving the end a 90-degree twist so it can be bolted up puts just that much more kink in the cable to stiffen up the cable a bit more. Any ideas to address this, or is that just part of it? Thank you.

[@luke3263827]

good video and helped me resolve my stuck steering on my pontoon boat!!! Thanks for taking the time to help the do it yourselfers. Thanks from Tampa Fl

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Tony, glad you got your steering fixed up. :)

[@vegascarpentr]

Anytime i have problems with my boat you have been my go to !! Thanks for the information you saved my summer

[@DangarMarine]

Glad to help! Have a new diagnosis website that might help you too: outboard.dangarmarine.com/guide

[@elainepotts8433]

need help I do not have room to put any tool to tap the tube can not push it as it is too hard can you help me out thanks in advance

[@DangarMarine]

Sounds like you are going to need to lift the engine up off the transom to get better access.

[@Lucerne12]

Thank you Steve. I followed your lead in this video and gave my steering a Birthday after 16 years of storage. It was seized solid but, after following your steps I was able to free it up and make it glide nicely.

[@markseaton4893]

Thanks for the info on this. My steering is as stiff as, i was hoping it was a stuffed cable or similar, but I did exactly as you said at the start and disconnected the steering from the motor and found the motor was still hard to move. It still is not free after greasing it although a little better, I will try and heat it up and pump more grease through because there is no freaking way I want to remove the old 90hp tower of power to replace those bush's :-(

[@DangarMarine]

Fingers crossed for you the heat does the trick, it certainly is one of the biggest repairs you can ever do on an outboard, even more so with a big one.

[@gregamandaoldfield4477]

i had the same problem, i found that a boresnake pull through gun cleaner for a 20 gauge shotgun was ideal for cleaning out the tilt tube.

[@70MoparMan]

Thanks, I'll take a look. It's a 76 Mercury Thunderbolt 85 HP.

[@scmcdona]

Shop want $1000 dollars to do this, with this spot-on video, a sledge hammer, a propane torch and a slew of profanities my steering cable is freed! I'd like to add that a 12 gauge shotgun cleaning bristle was the perfect reamer to clean out the steering sleeve. You rock!

[@DangarMarine]

Profanities always do the trick. ;)

[@victorfrankenstein1995]

Hi, is it still possible to stear the engine manually by hand when there is a hydraulic system mounted on the boat please? I wonder if it makes any harm to the hydraulic system. Thank you.

[@gs6810]

I don't even own a boat and I'm watching this.

[@NewNameUnknown]

Lol

[@PRIMOS413]

You are the man, every time I have a problem, I go on your channel and you have all solutions, thanks again. My tilt motor still going strong with a spring from a pen, save a bunch of money by switching to your channel, DONT YOU EVER STOP MAKING VIDEOS 😁

[@DangarMarine]

You can't beat the pen spring trick. ;)

[@pedrosantiago4929]

I have a Jonson 200 that when ducking and put it on revers it shut off. Care to shed some light on this. by the way new subscriber from USA and really enjoy your videos.

[@DangarMarine]

Hi Pedro. It could be this problem forums.iboats.com/forum/engine-repair-and-maintenance/johnson-evinrude-outboards/185295-shift-interrupt-switch

[@butterbean4195]

people just don't get it, preventive maintaince can save them hundreds or thousands of bucks. simply lubricating that cable would have been a 10 minute job now its going to cost him allot of money to fix it or replace it. amazing. A hint on they steering tube. I use a shotgun cleaning brush on a drill and wd40 works like a champ.

[@DangarMarine]

Yep, maintenance does go a long way. I've been using a small brake hone in a drill on these tubes lately. Brushes are great for a maintenance clean up and hones or reams are great when there is corrosion or really hard grease.

[@butterbean4195]

true, I like the break hone idea, I try that when I have one froze up, I have a pontoon oat I just got a week ago going to take the cables off this weekend and lube them just so I know when and what was done to them and when. never been in salt water so hope not bad.

[@TimsWorkshopTJY]

Update on steering cable. Brought another one today since it seems to be frozen up somewhere inside and cant get to it. Plus its a 1996. It was a pain to get out as well. I'll shoot a video putting the new one in and share soon.

[@DangarMarine]

1996 is a good run from a steering cable. They are never easy to get out once they get old, that's for sure.

[@michaelprosser131]

Great video. I had the same issue with my Honda Four. If I had not watched your video I don't think I would have felt good about hammering that stainless sleeve through the tilt chamber without damaging it, but with some PB, a 4lb sledge and 16" of 1/2 solid rod I was able to get it out. Yea, I took some time but it worked! Thanks again!!

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Michael, yeah, sometimes you just need the confidence to get a bit rough with them, they certainly can get very stuck!

[@troybowzer1929]

Thank you very much for this video. I was able to follow all of the steps and my steering is now very smooth. It is so helpful have guidance on these repairs so we can tackle them ourselves and save some money.

[@DangarMarine]

Glad it helped!

[@leochapa9193]

Appreciate all the videos, I have learned so much just by watching. Save me some money also, I need to buy you a drink!

[@DangarMarine]

Glad you like them!

[@judetk1]

G'day Stuart, Can't say how appreciative I am of your videos and tuition. I reckon you have saved me hundreds of dollars with your sensible and practical advice. Imparting knowledge is a noble thing, many thanks. Brian Kennedy Beechworth, Vic

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Brian, great to hear you have been finding the videos useful. :)

[@robertoesposito9081]

Hi I follow your videos with great interest. I immediately apologize for my English google, I am writing to you from southern Italy. I recently purchased a Quicksilver 500 pilothouse with a Mariner 40 60 efi orion engine. The steering is with power steering which works very well but the engine has a hard time turning. I tried, after disassembling the grease nipple, to spray a bit of WD40 into the stem, to spray everything and more, to continue to grease (the good one from Quick). Everything has improved but still remains tough enough to drive. Would you be kind enough to give me some advice to get better results? the thing I don't want to do is disassemble the whole engine to replace the bushings because it would be too expensive for me. Thank you for your awesome videos

[@vanberman9652]

I learned a couple tricks added on to this - when punching out the stuck cable/rod end, used 1/2" Round steel - in the video, it says 16" - it' best to use two, one at 5" and one at 11" especially if the gunwale (side) of the boat is in the way. Use the short one until you drive that all the way into the tube, leave it in there, then you can use the longer one to finish. You have to really hammer it to get it out if it is seized. To make a good reamer to clean out the tube, use a 6" Irwin Speedbor (it has two set screws and an allen wrench) with a Forney 70474 Tube brush attached. This fits perfect and cleans the tube out really nice - you have to work it from both sides of the tube.

[@DangarMarine]

Those wire brushes certainly do a great job!

[@martycarie7755]

your video was great. You scared the s*&# out of me with that torch next to the gas tank!!!!!

[@martynpickett7542]

I'd just like to take this opportunity to say how good your videos are. I went to take the boat out this weekend and the steering was a little stiff on the ramp. Grease it up and launched only to find it had completely locked up the steering. Thanks to your video I managed to remove the cable. Clean all the old dry grease out, relube the whole thing and was back out within the hour. Great videos keep it up saved me a wasted trip A+

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Martyn, glad to hear you got your steering freed up. :)

[@FlukeTog]

Good morning, what causes about 2" -3" of play in the steering wheel ? Trying to see how I can reduce that without buying new. Thanks a bunch for all your videos helping my boating dreams come back to life. I will try this especially the arisole / spray grease. That sure helps, I think last time I jammed the steering full of sticky grease. Thanks a million. Great videos. Edit, - your next videos helped me find the answer for my old 73 mako's original steering. I believe in the older steel and trying the best I can to fix it since new parts are often so much worse. Greatly appreciated. At least now I can hunt down a diagnosis with my blindfold off...

[@DangarMarine]

I know what you mean about old parts often being higher quality. Good luck with the fix!

[@RonaldBabbel]

I have been looking through these for some time now and I have to say this is by far the best video I have seen. I do have to ask though if your day continued to be a bit more amusing as the aerosols we applied liberally to your air flow? Awesome job and I will be watching more!

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Ron, I'm glad this one was outside of the workshop! ;)

[@TheRodbond]

thanks Mate.......my Honda 130 does this all the damn time.......I swear the worst design on that tilt tube .....same thing every time.......but I forgot what to do this time and your video is fabulous ....and refreshed my memory......lol......I'm getting old...!!!

[@DangarMarine]

+ROB BUSHEAY Thanks Rob, glad the video helped you. Those tilt tubes certainly are problematic.

[@TheRodbond]

thought I'd add.......I cracked into my gun cleaning supplies......found some old brass shotgun barrel brushes and put on the end of my cordless drill......cleaned up the tube nicely.......also, I found that the white spray grease was drying out.....from my last cleaning so I went with gun "frog" lube this time which never dries and stays pretty slick.......will see how this works......thanks again !!!

[@massiveantnz]

What a good c#*t 👍

[@johnchiovarou1531]

hallelujah it totally worked. I can steer my boat again

[@Combat.Wombat.official]

Maybe Historic Stu can give Current day Stu a hand?

[@drcazeddog]

Thank you so much for making this video! You saved me$$$$$$$$ I owe you beer. My steering was frozen solid, after removing the rod I used my boarsnake for my 12g shotgun to clean the tube, steering is super smooth again!!!

[@DangarMarine]

No problem, glad the video helped you save some money. :)

[@andrewpolasek5524]

Excellent video. I have had this problem (seized cable) 3 times now on my boat despite taking every precaution and not overgreasing the cable. I have never understood why the cable has to pass so tightly through the tilt tube. A little more clearance would solve this problem, or am I missing something?

[@1planters]

What's up from Boston. I've got a 1995 18ft Boston Whaler Dauntless with a 115hp mercury outboard. I just dont have enough room to pull the rod out of the tube. Is it possible that i have to take the motor off the boat if i want to pull the cable rod straight out? That will make this a big job.

[@arciefan]

Was at the lake yesterday and was a huge effort to turn the steering. Watched your video and although I didn't pull the cable out, I did remove the nuts, and was able to shoot wd penetrating oil up in there well. After a few minutes of working it, wiping it off, reapplying, it was free and easy. As someone else mentioned I opted to use oil to re-lubricate instead of grease. I actually had some gear oil in my oil can ,,,, and now it's smooth as new . The motivation to do this was greatly helped by watching you work. Thanks so much!!!

[@DangarMarine]

Great to hear you managed to get it fixed up. :)

[@sackman098]

I noticed you never get angry when something doesn't go as planned. Do you edit those times out or are you just a really calm mechanic?

[@DangarMarine]

Both. ;)

[@kenhman5583]

Great explanation video. I am experiencing the same issue. And look forward to troubleshooting

[@kenhman5583]

Soooo.. I removed the link from the end of the steering pin to the steering lever on a Mercruiser Alpha 1. ... the steering wheel and pin move freely, end to end. Almost effortless. However, I’m now assuming the issue is in the gimble Housing because the drive is very difficult to swing side to side manually. There doesn’t seem to be slop in the shaft. Just VERY tight..... I noticed there was a bunch of old corrosion on the transom side of steering lever so I poked at it with a long screwdriver. And gave it a good shot of WD-40 in hopes of freeing up some of the corrosion and tightness. No good. Once I reconnected the link, it was still very stiff. I’m weary of getting involved with removing the gimble ring and servicing, but I don’t see any other way to find a solution unless this shaft is removed and either replaced or cleaned up from the inside. Any thoughts ?

[@oscarratliff824]

Did you forget about the plastic nut on the other side that has the o ring and nylon sleeve in side, that prevents contamination back inside the work you just did? And your video was very helpful !!!

[@ed4636]

When replacing the cable tube on the outboard, use a pilot tube to push the old one out, then push the pilot tube out with the new tube. Save having to lift the engine.

[@kendal1493]

They don't make Hondas like they used to.

[@DangarMarine]

This one was a good one, last of the carburetted models.

[@jesteronetime]

i just did every thing you said and now can use 2 fingers,,,,was loaded with old hard grease.....did need a fair bit of love tapping

[@DangarMarine]

Glad to hear you got it fixed up. It certainly can take a lot of persuasion to get there though!

[@reidolson1043]

Thank you for the video about stiff steering. I followed your directions and had my steering working like new in a short while. I could not have done it without you. Once you said that it was alright to use a hammer and drift, I knew that I could get it done. Thanks again.

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome, great to hear you got it fixed up.

[@jordantimms5304]

Hi mate, loving the vids. Any tips on repairing the steering tube when outboard has fibreglass transom either side of it? is it best to remove the whole engine?

[@DangarMarine]

Unfortunately having the transom rising up on either side does make it tricky. I presume there is enough clearance for the cable to cable to slide in so you might be able to use a tool like this kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmemmXhsj9KNnK8

[@davecozzi6937]

With the drag link disconnected my steering is still very tough. I took the cable out of the tilt tube and the steering is still very tough, no change from being inside the tube. The cable and the tube look pretty clean, not a lot of built up grease and no corrosion. What parts on the helm and cause right steering? You also mentioned cable length? Thank you for your time and all the videos.

[@StrexTV]

Awesome thanks a million - you just saved me a heap of $$ - exactly that issue.

[@DangarMarine]

Great to hear!

[@toddgatesh4498]

I have a 150hp Yamaha on a 20 foot dual console pleasure boat. Steering is effortless when the motor is in neutral or off but when the boat is under power, the mechanical steering is very difficult to move with the steering wheel. Ideas?

[@ChristosChios]

Many thanks for this very helpful video. Excellent job, very explanatory!

[@DangarMarine]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Fireship1]

Great video Stu. The big boat I have has hydraulic steering, but my little Starcraft aluminum boat has this same setup. This video will likely come in handy when it's time to clean up and lube that steering cable.

[@DangarMarine]

+Fireship1 it certainly doesn't hurt to do it every now and then before it gets bad.

[@MattsShop]

I had one of those steering cables corrode solid on me on the inside. I cut it open to see if I could free it up for fun. I had zero luck. I learned my lesson...ALWAYS lube those steering cables!

[@DangarMarine]

Yeah, once they are stuck they can REALLY be stuck. A little bit of maintenance goes a long way with them.

[@MattsShop]

Yea, I tried everything to free it just to see if I could. Nothing would do it. There was no corrosion on the outside at all. People say they cease up on the inside. I guess its because its a steel cable within a metal jacket that corrodes solid a long the length of it. Exactly, grease, oil, anything, just don't leave it dry for long especially in storage.

[@TheRigozubia]

Matt's Shop

[@engulfaudioable]

Cheers to the working man

[@chrisdixon2685]

Great videos. I started replacing my cable before watching. I see that I could have done a better job. What would you do if the coupling on the cable would not screw onto the tube where it is mounted at the motor? I don't know if the treads are damaged but when I try to screw it on it just spins. Would you put heat on it?

[@DangarMarine]

I would try wire brushing the threads to see if you can clean them up. Alignment is also really important. If the threads are damaged you might be able to repair them with a file.

[@chrisdixon2685]

@@DangarMarine I cleaned up the threads best I could then filed the ones on the end down some then screwed it on with a wrench while prying the coupling on using my file as leverage between some vice grips. It worked! Thanks for your response.

[@danieltorolopez1349]

The big men thank you 👏👏👏👏👏🤝👏✌️

[@DangarMarine]

No problem 👍

[@lindsayball6726]

Thank you so much for such a useful video. You explained exactly how to diagnose and fix the problem, along with the various tricks and things that could go wrong. I'm not particularly mechanical, and being able to see exactly what to do made it so much easier. Cleaning the pivot tube got me out of trouble for Easter.

[@DangarMarine]

+Lindsay Ball Thanks Lindsay, glad the video helped you. Enjoy your Easter!

[@w.c.6678]

I think you forgot the part where you should mention to dry all of the Kerosene off of the fittings and boat and boat carpet BEFORE you apply the fire...

[@Jb-vc5fq]

What about a Honda bf50 with a tiller handle that the steering is too loose on it? Can’t figure out where to tighten it up. Right now, at low speeds if I let go of the tiller at all it will turn the boat hard fairly quickly.

[@DavidBrockes]

The shaft that the motor pivots on was an issue for me. Expert told me the inner cables were worn. Take off the bottom bracket holding the main pivot shaft. You might be surprised.

[@marawah]

Great video Stu - thank you. Love the way you keep your hands clean by running them through your hair. LOL

[@DangarMarine]

+David Pakes Thanks Dave, it's a technique I've been perfecting for a while now. You back in Oz?

[@StartVisit]

im having stiff steering issue and looks like cabling, somewhere back right corner. 6 yrs old boat. not sure what is in the corners? pulleys?

[@rsdeepsea]

Exactly the video I was looking for with the info I needed. Thank you!!

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome, glad it helped. :)

[@pfylip]

Great video, I need to fix my stiff steering and was looking for tips. Thanks for posting.

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome mate, just test each part separately and you'll find the fault soon enough.

[@pfylip]

Ya I just looked at mine on my 1998 Sea Ray Bowrider with a 125hp Mercury. and the grease on the rod sticking out is really hard like clay. The problem with my boat is the cable comes out from a hole about 6-8" from the tube on the motor mount. I would have to slide the rod out into the hole to get it out of the tube and I don't know if there's enough space to do that with the motor on the boat. I guess I will see.

[@jeffwyrwa2823]

Very informative video! Thank you so much! Now I know what yo look for!

[@DangarMarine]

Glad it was helpful!

[@finnboe]

Thanks a lot for your video! Very helpful! Greetings from Norway.

[@DangarMarine]

You are welcome!

[@CDavid1951]

I have an older honda 9.9 hp kicker that moves way too easily how do I tighten it up a little? Thanks for your videos on outboard motors.

[@paragliderpete]

Thanks for that information,my pontoon boat steering binds.

[@alanlake5220]

Thank you for a really interesting , easy and useful video

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Alan.