How to: Fix wheel slop in your Telflex adjustable steering

[s_kelley2000]

Great work on the fix! congrats on getting back in a Nautique. Where in MA are you located/using the boat? I live in Northborough and am typically on Fort Meadow in Marlborough/Hudson and sometimes Quinsigamond.

[MrFitz]

So I took the assembly apart and re-enacted the process to give you a better idea of the steps. I assume that the unit has been removed from the boat by removing the steering wheel and then the rubber boot followed by two silver Phillips screws that hod the plastic base cover. We then remove two brass Phillips screws holding the tilt mechanism.
Next using locking ring pliers remove the top locking ring. The tilt assembly will now slide off the shaft and can be removed from the boat. The shaft must now be disconnected at the swivel coupler by removing the lower of two Allen screws.

[MrFitz]

Next we need to bore out the tilt assembly to fit the new brass bushings. Using a step drill in a drill press I bored out the hole to 7/8" slowly and carefully at low rpms.
The stepped drill will self center and since it is an aluminum assembly I held it by hand with a welding glove.

[MrFitz]

Since the step drill only allows me to bore down 1/4" deep before the next size, I needed to continue the bore with a hole saw. You could probably use a 7/8 drill bit the whole way but I did not have one. So is witch to a 7/8 hole saw and comple the bore all the way through.

[MrFitz]

Next I had to trim the bushings to the right length. I removed 1/4" length from each by grinding it off with 60 grit sand paper on the belt sander. I used vise grips to hold the bushing as it gets really hot. Do not over tighten vise grips as the will crush the bushing out of round.
At the same time I removed some material from the flange ( opposite end ) to bring it down to approximately .050". Or a shade less than 1/16".

[MrFitz]

Lightly sand the shaft and inside of bushings till you get a snug fit that still turns freely by hand. I chucked up the shaft in the drill press and used 220 sandpaper to remove and burs and smooth it out. Then I lightly sanded the inside of each bushing with 220 by hand. I cleaned the bore and both bushing with brake cleaner prior to assembly.
I used a drop of epoxy on the outside of each bushing to keep it from turning in the bore. I used an excessive amount of wheel bearing grease in the bore and on the shaft. I also greased the swivel joint. Then I assembled the unit and checked for ease of turning. At first it was a bit stiff so I chucked up the shaft in the drill press and put on my welding gloves. I held the tilt assembly while the drill spun the shaft and after a minute of two every thing was smooth.
Then I reversed the removal procedure to install in the boat.
Hope this helps.
Fitz

[MrFitz]

To answer the where do I ski location question... I live in Tewksbury MA, I have a place on Moose Pond in Denmark, Maine. It is rented for six weeks this summer so I will be trailer ins a lot to southern NH. Maybe I will check out some new places too.

[RadaRider]

MrFitz......you sir....are a genius.I can't thank you enough for your advice and demonstrating step by step how to complete this task according to your design. After tolerating what I called "loose steering" on my 98 SNOB and simply figuring it was something I had to learn to live with I finally found the solution to my problem thanks to you (and SilentSeven). The R&R of the helm went very smoothly and was quite simple although I admit to thinking I needed to remove both allen head screws rather than just the lower one. Once I got the helm off I saw how it was assembled and then realized I only needed to loosen the one and the other could be done on the bench. I used the 7/8 step drill tree in my drill press to get the boring of the hole started but I didn't have the hole saw to finish it off so I took a risk and put the drill tree in my hand drill trying my best to keep it perpendicular to the hole and it did self center as you'd pointed out. It worked flawlessly and bored the hole perfectly and the brass bearings fit very snug and tight. I did however realize after it was too late that I should have ground the shoulder on the bearings to .030 rather than .050 because once assembled with the steering shaft installed I was not able to get the outer snap ring (under steering wheel collar) back on in it's place in the groove where it is supposed to sit. I had to make a decision if I was going to leave the lower one on or remove it and choose to use the outer most ring. I chose to use the lower one one with the flat washer and for the outer one I used the flat washer and decided to go ahead and use the snap ring but it is only clamped on to the shaft pushed down as far as it will go in front of the washer. There is still seems to be some point to it since it does seem to have some grip on just the steering shaft (I think) but it still bothers me that it is not in the groove where it is supposed to be. Obviously the steering wheel and shaft are not going anywhere in either direction so I'm good with it but again....still not correct. I thought about taking it apart and tapping the bushings back out and shaving them down a bit to make it right but I had already jb welded the bushings in place in the hole and would have probably risked damage to either the bushings themselves or the helm trying to get them out for what I felt was really not a dire requirement. Besides...there's no possible way that it could come off so the clip really does not seem to have any relevance. Cost of the repair = $7 rather than the $200 for a replacement helm with the same crappy plastic bushings. I am super stoked about my nice tight steering for my brand new custom steering wheel. I can't seem to walk by the boat w/out reaching over and grabbing the wheel and giving her a little tug to remind myself how awesome it feels. Can't wait to get her out in spring for the first drive. Should feel and steer like a new boat! I think I'm gonna be a happy camper for a long time to come.

[DW SD]

Anyone know if this is the same helm is on my 2001 SAN?