ok, so my steering is backwards??

[stackz]

had to replace my steering setup after the original one froze up on me.

I bought a teleflex rack system off here about 2 years ago and installed it, steering turned fine, so I proceeded with the restoration.

got it out on the water for the first time yesterday and damn near killed myself on the first turn lol. I turn the wheel left and the boat shoots off to the right

I just started compensating for this so I could finish testing other things on the boat but there's no way I'll get used to this.

anyone have any idea how to remedy this? do I open up the steering helm and swap things backwards or do I flip this thing? after I got it home I had to wash it down and cover it up before the storm hit so I havent even had a chance to look at the helm as I dont remember exactly how it looks lol.

I will get some pics this afternoon but I'm pretty sure its like this setup:

if so, it looks like I just take the center portion off from the rack and flip both??

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: ok, so my steering is backwards??

You ran the cable through the wrong hole. You need to remove the cable and re-thread the opposite way.

 

[stackz]

Re: ok, so my steering is backwards??

could you explain that some more? when I got the system it was already together straight out of the box if I remember correctly. wrong hole at the engine side or wrong hole at the rack side?

 

[Scottimus]

Re: ok, so my steering is backwards??

I just put in a new rack system on my boat and worried about the same thing. My brother commented that when he put his in he put it in backwards as well and I didn't want to make the same mistake. So, my question is, did you put the rack on top of the helm or below it? I think that would make it steer the wrong way. Mine is on top and steers correctly...

Just a thought...

 

[southkogs]

Re: ok, so my steering is backwards??

Might post a couple of pictures and/or tell us what you're rigging it on. Bob's suggestion is that you're running the cable through the wrong spot on your transom (I think) - assuming you're dealing with an Outboard. The same thing happened to me when I replaced my steering this year. I have an I/O with an old through transom steering rig. Most I/O's steer from the front like an outboard does, from the FRONT of the drive - turn the wheel right, it pushes the steering arm "out" moving the face of the drive to the left causing your thrust to vector for a right turn.

BUT on my old I/O, the steering arm actually connects to the BACK of the stern drive. So when you turn right on a new Teleflex rack, it pushes the arm "out" just like it's supposed to and consequently pushes the back of the outdrive (and vectors the thrust) for a left turn. I caught it just before I was planning to go out and lake test it

I had enough cable to turn the rack around on the helm 180?, but I didn't have enough room under my console to coil the cable up. If you do have the room, that's what I would suggest you do - Undo the 4 bolts of the rack, spin it 180? and bolt it back up. Then secure the coil of steering cable.

If you don't have enough room, or cable (like me) what I did was take the bezel and drill the hole pattern upside down in the metal helm bezel. That allowed me to mount the helm inverted/upside down - effectually making it work backwards ... which was correct for my boat.

So, spin it or flip it.

 

[stackz]

Re: ok, so my steering is backwards??

its an outboard setup and I ran it the same way the old one came out.

I'm at work right now so I had to look up pics I've already posted online (or still have on my phone haha).

you can see the steering arm on the engine in this pic (it comes from the starboard side and through the steering tube to the port side where it hooks to the factory arm on the engine...just as factory did).

this is the only pic I have currently of the steering helm. this is taken from underneath looking up. ignore the wiring, this pic was me trying to figure out what the hell the previous owner had done lol. after I figured it out, I cleaned it all up nicely and shrink wrapped the spliced connections. you can see the steering helm is mounted underneath the rack. I'm thinking I just need to unbolt it and flip the center part 180* and then flip the rack itself and rebolt it together?

 

[southkogs]

Re: ok, so my steering is backwards??

Looking at it from the same angle as the photograph - unbolt the 4 bolts, and rotate clockwise 180? and install the 4 bolts. That will fix your problem.

For me - I didn't have the room for that with the cable. Hopefully you do.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: ok, so my steering is backwards??

Rack must be installed on top of the pinon. So unbolt and rotate the pinon 180 degrees and rebolt.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: ok, so my steering is backwards??

That is, unbolt the rack, rotate the pinon 180 * and rebolt the rack.