play in steering

[johnny roger]

Gday all,

i currently have a new boat, but am not happy with the play between the motor and the steering wheel. you can literally rock the motor from side to side at least an inch and a half without the sterring wheel moving. i have taken it back to stacer who says that it is normal.
well if that is normal, then my question is can it be changed to a hydraulic system instead of cable? and if i went with the hydraulic system, would there be any play?

thanks in advance,
John

[Roughasguts]

It's not normal, should be able to get most of the play out espacially with a new steering system that hasn't got all the adjusters rusted up yet.

[Outsider1]

Hi Johnny,

AS Roughasguts says it is not normal to have that much play in a new system, but there will be a little bit of play, its the nature of the beast. There should be adjustment on the rod at the end of the cable to take some of that slack out I would think.

An Hydraulic system will have no play, but you are talking in excess of $1000 fitted! Whilst I would recommend it to anyone buying a new boat, it is a lot of dollars to change now (compared to half the cost to upgrade when you are buying the boat). On your size boat cable steering should be more than adequate (but Hydraulic is so much better).

How did you go with the lean problem you had, was the dealer able to fix it?

Cheers

Dave

[mik01]

mate - I have a 10yr old steering cable and there's no play at all.
recent quote i got for hydraulic was around $800 but no reason for me to spend the money on it as the current system works fine.

good luck

[johnny roger]

thanks again guys. looks like i have a bit of playing around to do and 'tweaking'.

John

[kizza1]

that would actually be very close to normal on a teleflex non feedback system.
which is probably what it is.
it should not effect the performance of the boat however.
if it was a feedback system i mould expect alot less play.
as for hydraulic at the back of engine there will be about 5-20mm of play any more and there is exessive air in the system

[notsa]

that would actually be very close to normal on a teleflex non feedback system.
which is probably what it is.
it should not effect the performance of the boat however.
if it was a feedback system i mould expect alot less play.
as for hydraulic at the back of engine there will be about 5-20mm of play any more and there is exessive air in the system
What sort of hydraulic system are you talking about with that sort of play, must be crap my system has about zero.

[johnny roger]

that would actually be very close to normal on a teleflex non feedback system.
which is probably what it is.
it should not effect the performance of the boat however.
if it was a feedback system i mould expect alot less play.
as for hydraulic at the back of engine there will be about 5-20mm of play any more and there is exessive air in the system
hey kizza,

thanks for that. what do you mean by feedback system? is it when the wheel re-centers itself after a turn?
John

[johnny roger]

Hi Johnny,

AS Roughasguts says it is not normal to have that much play in a new system, but there will be a little bit of play, its the nature of the beast. There should be adjustment on the rod at the end of the cable to take some of that slack out I would think.

An Hydraulic system will have no play, but you are talking in excess of $1000 fitted! Whilst I would recommend it to anyone buying a new boat, it is a lot of dollars to change now (compared to half the cost to upgrade when you are buying the boat). On your size boat cable steering should be more than adequate (but Hydraulic is so much better).

How did you go with the lean problem you had, was the dealer able to fix it?

Cheers

Dave

gday dave,
the lean problem has been cured! i took it down to Cairns and the mechanic tweaked it and it now starts first time everytime. but like one fellow ausfisher said, it is probably the extra oil they put in the tank as well as the oil in the injector for the running in period.
John

[kizza1]

by non feedback, i mean the engine cannot move the steering wheel.
this system is used so if you get a wave hit the engine it doesnt rip the wheel out of your hand.

[ozscott]

I fitted a new era non-feeback Teleflex helm and cable about 6 months ago - the planatary gear helm. You cannot move the motor at all from the transom - not a zot. From the wheel there is virtually no play - its very easy to move the motor with one finger in the wheel both ways. I fitted it with oil only. I stuck on a felt lined rubber seal on the exiting side of the tilt tube instead of the old crap plastic on...and it has got no less easy to steer over that time. On the water its a blast - very easy to steer and no feedback at all; and you can position the wheel and forget it and irrespective of the power provided it does not move the wheel.

Cheers

[mik01]

I fitted a new era non-feeback Teleflex helm and cable about 6 months ago - the planatary gear helm. You cannot move the motor at all from the transom - not a zot. From the wheel there is virtually no play - its very easy to move the motor with one finger in the wheel both ways. I fitted it with oil only. I stuck on a felt lined rubber seal on the exiting side of the tilt tube instead of the old crap plastic on...and it has got no less easy to steer over that time. On the water its a blast - very easy to steer and no feedback at all; and you can position the wheel and forget it and irrespective of the power provided it does not move the wheel.

Cheers

what did this setup cost you please mate?

[BM]

A BLA NFB kit, 4.2turn helm and 14ft cable, part no. 280214 is $341 retail.

That comprises the cable, helm, mounting hardware, spent travel tube and bezel.

Cheers

[Poodroo]

Gday all,

i currently have a new boat, but am not happy with the play between the motor and the steering wheel. you can literally rock the motor from side to side at least an inch and a half without the sterring wheel moving. i have taken it back to stacer who says that it is normal.
well if that is normal, then my question is can it be changed to a hydraulic system instead of cable? and if i went with the hydraulic system, would there be any play?

thanks in advance,
John

It is not normal even for a cable and pulley system. I have a hydraulic steering system with my new boat and certainly don't feel even the slightest amount of play in my steering at all. Take it back. It needs fixing/adjusting.

Poodroo

[ozscott]

Hi Mik - to be honest I cant recall now mate but from memory it was about $400 or so, but its a Vagabond so it had a way to run cable wise. I also took the opportunity to get a little cruiser wheel, and the weight of the wheel helps the steering too. Its a great system. The cheapest hydraulic I could get was the new Australian one (well not that new now) that has a ram that sits up under the gunwale and then has a cable from there to the motor tilt tube - and even then it was about $350 or so dearer and it was no recommended for a 115 or higher by the manufacturer. They reckoned go straight to bull horn and that was well over $1k plus fitting (although as with the T-Flex I would fit it myself, because its not hard).

Here is a pic of the wheel!

Cheers