Thanks - that's exactly what I needed to know for the end with the spring

As for the end going into the cowling. I will check the torque on that nut. I guess I wondered about the small dish on the bottom of that connection... It has a Philips screw on it. Should that be pretty tight? Last year I noticed it was very loose an i tighten it up some and it seemed to help a little with steering play. Should I crank it down?
Thanks for the tip on the brush. I have the original steering and it hasn't been cleaned in the 4 years i have owned the boat. Teleflex recently told me to do it every year. I have 2-3" of play and hoping this will help. If not I might change to NFB steering kit.