Outboard motor steering cables and helm units.

[ajlelectronics]

I posted this on a relevant forum, but no real response as yet. I wondered if anyone here might have more information please?

Are the heavy duty and light duty steering cables the same pitch? I suspect not because I ordered a heavy duty combination but was supplied with a light duty helm which wouldn't accept the HD cable. Unbeknownst to me, the supplier whittled down the ferrule on the cable to make it fit and it sort of works. However going to full starboard causes it to tighten up and graunchy noises ensue. Now as the HD cable would not physically fit the LD helm, it does suggest that they were not just being difficult and that the spiral pitch is different. Otherwise what would be the difference with HD and LD parts and why differentiate?

Engine is disconnected, I am only driving the bare cable for the test.

 

[hotponyshoes]

No idea about the pitch but i think the engine ends are different on the light/heavy cables so won't work anyway.

 

[ajlelectronics]

The heavy cable is correct, it is the helm end which is the issue.

 

[hotponyshoes]

Sound like you need a heavy duty helm then?

Can you pull the center of the cable out of the sheath and feed it through the helm?
That would tell you if it's a mismatched pitch that's binding up eventually or something else causing the issue

 

[hotponyshoes]

Or I suppose you could measure both he cable and the gear and work it out?