Broke steering cable?

[nautique4life]

Finally busted. Was wondering if anybody here knows of or has done one? Cable seems cheap, just wondering about the R&R. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[nautique4life]

RE: Broke steering cable?

It's an 02 super air team edition.

[Rick]

RE: Broke steering cable?

There are several posts here and on Correctcraftfan.com. The easiest way is to disconnect it from both ends. Attach the new to the rudder end of the old one and pull the old one out. Then reattach.

[DanielC]

Remove all your stuff from inside the boat. Remove the kick panel in front of the the drivers seat. put screws in a plastic bag, mark them. Remove the rear seat, put the screws and other hardware in a bag, mark them. Open rear hatch, or hatches, remove the interior parts separating the engine compartment from the storage compartment. Mark everything that comes out of this area with info about side it was on, the end that was up, and the side that was to the outside. Keep the screws or hardware with the pieces that come out of the boat. Remove the floor panel from the middle of the boat, keep the screws in their own bag.
Disconnect the steering cable from the rudder pitman arm. While you are here, lube the rudder. It might have a Zerk fitting on it, or you might have to disassemble it and drop it out of the boat. If the rudder still turns stiff after using the Zerk fitting, you might have to disassemble it and clean all the old grease from the rudder port. Make careful notes on how everything is put together, on the rudder assembly.
Disconnect the cable from the clamp that holds the outer end of the cable, in the rear of the boat. Mark or measure it before you disconnect it. Turn the steering wheel to pull the cable as short as it will go, left, I think. If the inner cable is broken, you might need to push the cable rudder end into the outer cable. Cut any cable ties that are holding the steering cable in the boat. Go under the drivers seat, and drop the cable rack off the steering wheel pinion. Attach something to the end of the old cable, this will be used to pull the new cable in the boat. Pull the old cable out through the hole in the floor.
If your inner cable is easily pulled out of the outer cable, pull it out before you pull the old cable out of the boat. Still try to attach something to the old cable as it is being removed, you need something to pull the new cable from the front to the back of the boat. I have used another old steering cable, a fish tape, a piece of old 12/2 house wire and an old heater hose to fish cables and wires through the bottom of boats. Make the new cable as short as it will go before you try to install it. If you can have a friend who can push the cable as you pull the other end, that is good.
Sometimes the cable can get hung up going from the front hole to the area under the floorboard, by the gas tank. Try putting the cable through the front hole at a different angle. You might also be able to reach forward from the floor board area, and guide the cable past an obstruction with your hand. There are sharp pointy things under there, be careful reaching.
While everything is apart, clean the interior, and the bilge. after the boat is back together, it will turn much easier, and smell better, too.
The first time you do a cable remove and replace, it will take a long time. The second one will go twice as fast.

[nautique4life]

Thanks for the info... Sounds like a pain. But, has to be done.

[DanielC]

Aligning screws with their holes when replacing panels can be a pain. I have found using a something long and very pointy to find the holes helps a lot. I use an electrical test probe.

[nautique4life]

I forgot to let you guys know that the cable was a pain in the ***. It's done and now steers like a Caddy. My biggest problem was my speaker box. Once that was out, everything kinda came together. Besides the box, I had issues with the tube that runs under the floor. I just rerouted it over the tube and when the day comes for the throttle or tranny cable. Those will be a cake walk. I will say now that it's done, there is nothing worse than that cable. The motor, trans, and vdrive would come out easier. At least in my book. Thanks again to all that gave me input and if anybody needs a little help with theirs, just shoot me a message. I don't think I'll ever forget that experience. Have a great summer!