Frozen steering cable

[Mypursuit]

So I go down to the garage to play in the boat thinking maybe I'll drop it in the river next week if the weather does get drier. Now the steering cable is locked tighter than a drum. I went down before christmas and moved it around and it seemed fine...first time I've had this trouble with this boat in 3 years of heaavy salt use...I have a feeling I may be in need of a new cable...I don't want a new cable. S'pose I'll pull out the WD or pressure insert the ATF and see what happens...where's the smilie for temper tantrum?

[Tip-Sea]

You might be surprised. Some of the cables are cheaper then most people think. I put a new one on mine last year for $42

[Grady252]

Don't do it... aint prudent..... I tried to salvage a cable that had froze, I WD40, and viola is was working great.... half way through the season.... 36 miles offshore.... it broke..... Just go get a new one, it is cheap maintenance.....

[Pilar]

Remove it from the boat and look it over for a hole or chafe in the covering. You might be able to clean it up and get some more use if the jacket is good. It might not be the cable but jammed at one end or the other. If it is bad you will be 1/2 way to back together with a new one.

Good luck.

[Mypursuit]

Busted her loose, Fabulous blaster PB spray, BFH, little bit of heat...hard dirt/rust holding it inside the seal...scraped it clean and lubed...

OK celebration over today...

I will now give it a serious inspection. Looks like the seal where the rod comes out may be cracked so I will probably have to replace the whole thing...I lost steering on my Glasply IO 18 years ago coming in the CR so Grady 252 is right on and replacement cost is nothing compared to looking at Clatsop spit from the wrong end...(I think after that was the year I started fishing T-bay almost exclusively, coincidence?)

[lurking_out_loud]

Go hydraulic if you are going to replace it. You are in the salt enough to justify the expense.

-your wingman

[Mypursuit]

Yup, been lookin at Baystar/Seastar stuff already...what's another coupla hundred bucks"But it's a safety issue, honey...really!"

[Catchn not fishn]

Seen too many repaired steering cable break after being repaired. If you use heat on them they have a teflon coating inside them and it melts.
if at high speed when it breaks it will throw everyone around as the torque make boat do a hard turn.
I have replaced my cables with hydlic and love it will never have a boat with cables again