How to change a steering cable.

[jmoore15]

This thread was a huge help in changing out my Z1 cable. One tip I would add...after cutting the cable I took an old ski rope and overlapped about six inches of it with the cut end from the helm and duct taped them together. This allowed me to pull the cabe from the helm and feed the "guide" rope to helm. I then repeated the duct taping to be new cable and pulled it bac through. Just another use for duct tape and another plug for this forum!!

[whiteflash watersports]

I actually directed my dealer (does not make you warm and fuzzy does it) to this thread. They had to cut it to get it out and ran it back over the fuel tank. Thanks for the great info in this thread. Mine was done as warranty job at 164 hrs. Boat is a 2012 bought last october. Hopefully this one will last alot longer.

[sotyphoon415]

i've read every page in this thread, I have a 2009 22ve and I had first thought I needed a 19' cable since the stock one was 18'...well now Im not sure. Looks like another guy on this thread had a 2009 rz and his factory cable was 21' long not 18'.

So now Im questioning if I need the 19' or a 21' and the bigger problem is what brand cable? Do all years use the Teleflex?

TIA Ryan

[sotyphoon415]

Wait I re checked and it is a Teleflex cable BUT is there dif models? And I still need to know what footage, 19 or 21... any ideas?

[farmerjd]

Followed all the advice and all went well until it came time to pull the new cable thru with the rope that was there from the removal. Had no luck at all until I removed the vent hose in the port (large) storage area and reached down through the hole. That made it simple to grab the cable and poke it over the tank. From this hole you can reach the forward area of the tank and the access hole under the cockpit. With this method I think I could have pulled out the old one without cutting the end off and could have installed the new one without the rope. You might want to cover your arm to avoid fiberglass slivers. I also removed the vertical guide (2 screws) under the cockpit to help with the sharp angle. This may not have been necessary once I thought of the vent hole but may be necessary if removing the old cable without cutting it. -24VE

[Ochrod]

After reading all the threads on stiff steering I guess I need to change my cable out. I have a new to me 2011 RZ2 and the steering sticks if I don't move it for a bit. If I am moving it all the time it seems to work ok but it is not one finger turning. Any specific help for that model would be appreciated. Looking for part number, length etc to order. Would it be routed same as other year RZ2s? Where is best place to order? I plan to grease the zerk fitting above the rudder tomorrow to see if that helps.

[Ochrod]

Anybody change a 2011 RZ2 steering cable? Wondering if any difference between a 2011 and some of the earlier RZ2s in this thread.

[lee]

Anybody change a 2011 RZ2 steering cable? Wondering if any difference between a 2011 and some of the earlier RZ2s in this thread.

Is yours hard to turn out of the water or just under power?

[Ewok]

Anybody change a 2011 RZ2 steering cable? Wondering if any difference between a 2011 and some of the earlier RZ2s in this thread.

From reading the thread from the begining, the 2008 and older used a 19' cable, and my 2009 and newer probably use a 21' cable. I say probably because I haven't heard of anyone with a RZ2 newer than 2009 that has changed a cable. Anyway, the 21' cable to order is the Teleflex Extreme SSC15421.

[Ochrod]

2011 RZ2 Takes a 20' cable. Found the p/n on cable and verified through Tige. Have a Teleflex Extreme SSC15420 on order.

[lee]

Is yours hard to turn out of the water or just under power?

??

[Ochrod]

Just finished changing the steering cable on 2011 RZ2. Just want to say thanks to all comments in this thread. Job took a couple hours mostly as I had to keep going back and forth between pulling on rope and and pushing on cable. What a difference on steering!

[macteacher2]

Thanks for the instructions - they were very helpful.

The largest problem that I had was making the turn once the new cable was pushed down below the floor (it would drop down in front of the fuel tank and no matter how much I tugged on the rope, I couldn't get it to pop up and over the tank UNTIL I used a simple extension pole with a hanging handle on it (had a hole). I threaded the rope through the hole and then just pushed the pole to the point where it hit the end of the steering cable. This forced the steering rod up over the tank and I was able to make the turn in about 1 minute. Doesn't seem like much, but that was the most frustrating part of the whole process until I figured that out.

Hopefully this will help someone else.

[IDBoating]

Add me to the list of successful steering cable replacements. I'm doing some further development mods to our 24Ve and figured now was as good a time as any.

The good news: Getting the old cable out was very easy, way easier than some of the descriptions on this thread. A 10 inch adjustable (Crescent) wrench served to remove the big nut at the rudder end, and for some reason both the steering and shift cables were already routed over the top of the fuel tank so it just basically lifted right out. Fish the rack end out of the helm, pull the rudder end through the nice big hole already in the locker floor, done. 15 minutes to remove the cable, intact, by myself. (I'm the original owner so why those cable were over the top of the fuel tank is a bit of a mystery.)

Harvey at Tige (bless that guy, best customer service EVER! ) confirmed they used a 21 foot cable. I found the Extreme version of the cable (SSC15421) in Seattle, ordered it on eBay, and it arrived overnight free shipping. Factory box label said SSC15421, but when I pulled out the cable it read SSC15420 - the 20 foot version!?! Laid it out alongside the OEM and sure enough, 12 inches shorter. Definitely a factory error, since the box was sealed and had the proper label on it. What a hassle. But the original had a bit of slack in it....

I decided to try the 20 footer since it was here anyway. Getting the rudder end though the locker floor was faster than removing the old one. Get the nut past the floor, push on the cable, and the rudder end just popped into view on top of the fuel tank. Seriously couldn't have been easier. Laid it along the fuel tank, routed it under the engine, hooked it up loosely, and went back to the helm. Got the rack through the firewall to the wheel, hooked that end up loosely, and confirmed smooth operation. Attached to rudder and reconfirmed smooth operation. Tightened everything up at both ends, still good to go.

Then checked cable routing. It's actually straighter than the factory cable. The bend at the helm is within spec, so no problem there. Had to route slightly differently in the locker, basically to not consume as much slack, but no problem. The only concern was that the cable laid a little to close for comfort near the prop thruhull under the engine. That was true of the original cable too, and my solution then and now was three tyraps in strategic locations to gently encourage the cable to stay well clear of that area. One would have sufficed but this gives me some insurance in case of tyrap failure that I don't notice right away.

Total elapsed time: Just over an hour start to finish. Might have been a tad faster if I'd had the 21 footer because I wouldn't have spent so much time analyzing the routing path, I could have just dropped it any old place. A helper might have been useful here and there, but probably wouldn't have saved much time.

Definitely a DIY project. Don't pay someone else to do this. You can do it yourself in the time it takes to trailer your boat to and from a dealer.

[jslayde1]

Add me to the list as well! Successful steering cable replacement!

Same experience as WA - I was able to get the cable out with ease (routed above gas tank as well). Installed and working great!

Thanks to all the guys who have put information into this thread - sure makes things easy!