macgregor 26x steering, cable and wheel

[maryjane]

Two items - one a compliment of the steering cable posts, which results in difficult manuvering with heavy steering. I have been told the cable can be lubricated by hand, what lubricant would be best without damage to the cable cover. I have a replacement 8 foot cable, although a longer one may be better.
Second item - the wheel is keyed to the shaft. Mine broke with time and the vigor required in steering. Any suggestions on what the spec is for the key and where it can be found? Thanks for any help. maryjane

 

[MrBill_FLL]

teleflex brand? have you been to the mfg website?

you want to grease the cable (marine grease), or lube the gears under the wheel (crc 666)

when I've replaced cables, I removed the old one, measured it THEN bought the new one..

be careful reinstalling... they can fit backwards.. so turning Right is actually Left.. check that! (BTDT)

 

[maryjane]

Steering Cable

Teleflex (Detmar) gave me a blank stare - not into this anymore per their reply. What brand would you recommend? I have an 8' Detmar I bought as a spare/replacement in '03 and see no way to get grease into the cable. Ideas?

teleflex brand? have you been to the mfg website?

you want to grease the cable (marine grease), or lube the gears under the wheel (crc 666)

when I've replaced cables, I removed the old one, measured it THEN bought the new one..

be careful reinstalling... they can fit backwards.. so turning Right is actually Left.. check that! (BTDT)

 

[MrBill_FLL]

sorry, you'll need to better describe your setup and what you mean. post pics.'


I googled Detmar, and I think they only sell wheels. not the cable steering system.

can you look these over and see if it matches your setup.


http://www.teleflexmarine.com/products/mechanical-steering/


basically teleflex steering is a under console round gear, in a case, and a cable inserts to this case. the (black) cable about 1" thick has a flexible rod that goes to the engine. the engine has a tube the cable goes thru. and connects to the engine. the cable will get progressively harder to move over its (short) life. and will need to be replaced. the cable can be extreemly difficult to remove from the engine tube. heat guns can help. and lots of lubricant (pb blaster), then you still need to remove it from under the boat and run a new one.

that part is tricky since it a stiff cable, and sometimes you can't access all the areas of the boat.

I suggest you take this to someone, (marine service) this time. and see how they do it. 'cause it will need to be done again. 2-5 yrs is my experience on its life.

here is a common setup, but might not be your model.

http://www.teleflexmarine.com/products/mechanical-steering/nfb-safe-t-ll-2/

I'd suggest you replace it with a hydraulic steering system. which is much more money, but also lasts a long time. an experienced boater will appreciate that when it comes to resale time.

GL!