Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Port side steering cable entry for an outboard how is it done

J

jon

Regular Contributor
" Hi,

I'm wondering

" Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone knows where I can get a helm that turns in reverse; I want to run a steering cable through the port side of the tilt tube on an outboard. The tilt tube can be reversed, but I don't know what to do for a helm, a standard helm will make the engine turn in reverse.

Jon "
 
"Jon.... Most helm steering he

"Jon.... Most helm steering heads have two (2) entry points (inlet/outlet actually). Turn the helm 180° and insert the cable as needed. In the case of a rack & pinion steering setup, if the rack in on the bottom, switch it to the top.

Joe
"
 
" Joe,

As far as I kn

" Joe,

As far as I know, all the new mechanial NFB teleflex helms have different fittings on the two holes (the 3.0 and 4.2 turn systems). I havn't looked into a rack & pinion setup though, mabye it is possible with them. Do you know of any other steering system manufacturer that puts out a NFB ? Teleflex seems to have a monopoly around here.

Jon "
 
"Jon.... Okay, I wasn't aw

"Jon.... Okay, I wasn't aware of that. I may be wrong but it sticks in my mind that I saw many teleflex helms in the past whereas the cable could be routed either way. Just a thought. Wish you luck.

Joe
"
 
" I just thought I'd jump

" I just thought I'd jump in to put in my 2 cents. Teleflex bought Morse out last year. The newer Teleflex rotary helms use the new "snap in" cable, which for the time being, come with the adapter to retrofit the older cable to fit the newer helm. "
 
" Joe,

Ok, I got down

" Joe,

Ok, I got down to the bottom of that problem; It is possible to just run the cable through the opposite fitting with the older style helms, and with the new Rotech helms. It is also possible with the rack systems, including the NFB system. It is not possible with the lighter duty NFB rotary helm (3 turn system). The heavier duty NFB rotary helm (4.2 turn turn system)has two bolts to secure the cable on one fitting and one bolt designed to secure the plastic tube on the other. Bothe fittings are identical, with the exception of the lack of a second bolt; it is possible to secure the cable in the fitting that is designed for the platic tube.

I ended up searching for a NFB rack system without luck, and after making a wasted trip to a shop after they told me they had one, I spoke to a tech who swore he has once run the cable of a NFB system through backwards, unintentionally, on a customers rig (grin). We gave it a shot and it worked, and that's what I ended up using... I don't know about using one bolt to hold the steering cable in for a larger engine though.

I also got ahold of teleflex tech support, and they currently offer no steering system "designed" to be used with port side tilt tube entry.

Jon "
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top