Not a Bad Job
Al - I've done it, and I'm truly mechanically challenged, so it's not too bad! To remove the top of the pedestal, first remove the compass, which is held in place by 3 or 4 small brass screws. Some books suggest you place a strip of electician's tape across the compass and top before you remove, slicing the tape as you remove the compass, to allow you to realign it when reassembling. Once you've removed the compass, you'll see the 4 long screws holding the compass binnacle to the top of the pedestal. Remove the screws and lift off the binnacle. Now, as you look down the interior of the pedestal you'll see, first, where the transmission and throttle cables are attached to the control levers, and the clamp holding the transmission and throttle cables in place as they run down into the cockpit sole. This clamp is held in place by a screw, the head of which is on the outside of the pedestal. Disconnect the cables from the control levers, and then remove the screw and you can pull the cables up and out. You may want to tie a line to the cables before you do this to be able to retrieve them if they drop down inside the pedestal. You can now disconnect the other end of hte cable from the transmission linkage and then remove the cable. Some books suggest tying a line to the cable before you pull it through, to aid in running the new cable later, but I didn't find this necessary (I've got an '81 C-30). Measure the length of the cable and buy a new one -- you can find them in stock at West Marine or Boat U.S., or order through their catalogs. You don't need to buy this part direct from Edson. To reinstall, run the cable first, then reconnect at each end and reinstall the clamp inside the pedestal. You'll want to "tune" the reinstalled cable to insure that the control lever setting (forward, reverse, neutral) matches the transmission linkage setting -- don't want to mess that up! I recommend testing at low power tied securely to the dock to insure everything works as designed. Then reinstall the binnacle and compass. When I did this my only hang-up was the clamp in the pedestal -- it had corroded to the point that the screw was "welded" in; I had to drill and chisel it out. If you have to do this and enlarge the hole in the process, you'll need to order a new clamp from Edson, and you can use a nylon or rubber bushing to size the hole when you reinstall the screw. As long as I had the compass off, I went down to Boat U.S. and bought an inexpensive electric plug to allow quick disconnect of the compass lights in the future -- I've had the compass off several times since for various maintenance and it's helped a lot. Be sure to twist the electric wires together to cancel out magnetic interference when the light is on. Hope this helps. Good luck! Mike Turner S/Y Amity Long Beach
