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Showing results for tags 'helm'.
Found 2 results
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Important note regarding helm replacement
86SKI posted a topic in Centurion Boat Maintenance, Performance, Troubleshooting
So, I thought I'd share an important lesson I learned yesterday when taking the boat out for the first time after replacing the helm and steering cable on my 86 TruTrac. You can actually find my write-up I did on the replacement in The Official TruTrac-I-II-III and Falcon Thread or in This thread, which included pictures. Anyway, I decided to take the boat out for a quick run yesterday after I finally got the boat back together completely. During the installation process, I made sure to align my steering wheel and rudder for a "straight ahead" position. What I failed to check was the fact that when I turned the steering wheel right, the rudder would indeed turn to the right. Now I'm sure that it is stated somewhere in the manual for the helm that the direction that you feed the cable into the helm will dictate what direction the rudder will turn. Apparently I fed the cable in through the wrong side of the helm and, in essence, reversed the steering without my knowing. Right was left, left was right. Fast forward to me trying to get the boat off the trailer... I immediately knew that something wasn't right but I couldn't tell what it was. I get the boat off the trailer and proceed to try to pull the boat forward and toward the dock at the boat launch while the girlfriend parks the truck and trailer. I turn the wheel left, boat goes right. Took me about 15 seconds of pure confusion to finally realize what the problem was and about another 45 seconds of the most difficult boat maneuvering I had ever experienced. I got the boat next to the dock, backed the trailer back into the water, winched it up, then got it back home and thought about what just happened. I figured out how to fix the problem pretty quickly but I'm glad that nothing bad happened to the boat. Yes, this may be common knowledge to some, and it was definitely a mistake on my part not checking this before going on the water but it never occurred to me that this could happen! Thought I'd share this in hopes that it helps someone down the road, or makes some of you chuckle a bit. -
Slop in the tilt steering mechanism
kylesullens posted a topic in Centurion Boat Maintenance, Performance, Troubleshooting
I've got a '99 Elite V. Has the Teleflex tilt steering column. There is slack in the steering, and the cavitation from the prop feeds up through the steering cable and into the helm, causing vibration and a terrible racket. The steering cable from the rudder to the helm is brand new and tight as can be. The gear box from the end of the steering cable to the tilt unit is a solid shaft, also tight as can be. Inside the tilt mechanism, there is a tiny bit of slop in the articulating unit. I've torn it apart and have found that the two black bearings (lack of a better term) are slightly worn and are where the slop is being introduced. Hoping to find just the bearings and housing (see pics) and not have to replace the entire helm unit ($300). Teleflex part number 9102717. Anybody have a spare, or know a shop that stocks these things?
