Steerer question on h410

[Gary and Judith Backway]

I recently posted this question but had no replies and wondered if it was shunted down the list by the number of posts and was therefore missed, or perhaps no-one knows the answer. Anyway, I'll ask again........has anybody removed the output shaft from the pedestal housing on an h410 with an Edson 470 steering system. Is there enough room between the lower housing and the cockpit sole to remove the output lever from the shaft so as to gain access to the lower bearing snap ring, or do you have to remove the centre cockpit console and raise the pedestal housing to give enough room to take off the output lever?I'm looking at all this because my steering brake snapped off and I couldn't get the piece out with an easy out so it looks like a BIG job now.Hope someone can give me some info.Gary

 

[Clayton Hintz]

Did this on a 310

Gary,When I took delivery of my '98 h310 the wheel break was inoperative. The problem was improperly machined break shoes as supplied from Edson. Edson sent a rep with replacement parts and we dove into the project.To replace the break assembly you must remove the steering column or down-tube as he called it. First remove the wheel, wheel shaft, and pinion gear assembly from the top of the column. Loosen the locking screws on the steering arm at the base of the down-tube and drop it down as far as possible. It won’t come all the way off due to the lack of space under the pedestal. Now GENTLY lift the column up, don’t force it! The steering arm is keyed to the down-tube with a ¼” square key. If you pry up on the down-tube the key will damage the lower needle bearing (yes we learned the hard way and had to have new bearings Fedex’d). The trick is to lift the tube while lowering the steering arm until you can remove the key. The down-tube will then slide easily out the top of the pedestal.Don’t forget to clean and grease the upper and lower needle bearings while you have access. Also, before reassembly, make sure that there are no burrs on the keyway at the base of the down-tube or the bearings may be damaged when reinserting the tube.I would allow 4 hours minimum for the job. We started at high tide (we have 8-10’ tides here in Maine) at a dock with 3’ at low tide. At least I got to test my emergency tiller while moving the boat to my mooring!Good luck and work slowly and carefully and all will be fine.Clayton