Mercury Ride Guide steering adjustment, How?

[McGillicuddy]

Well I took my own best advice and lit a match to the Seafari and bought 1969 18' Glaspar Seafair Sportsman. A true left coast Classic.

No, really, just updating my steering issue.

bitsamonkey suggested that my steering link was too short. He had his augmented... what-ever Naturally I thought he was back to diving and/or connected to a hookah

But it made me wonder - why did it seem too short? To me it seemed the cable was not fully retracting into the tilt tube that houses it. Something had to be stopping it.

Starting with the steering cable fully extended I removed the zerk on the steering cable here it goes into the tilt tube, and started cranking on the helm. From full starboard I turned the wheel hard to port. Each time I pulled to port a dab of grease would burp out the zerk hole at the end of the turning point. Each turn I would gain minimal travel. Did this for about a half hour to gain about half a turn of the steering wheel. And now have full turning to port and starboard.

Turns out a bunch of grease and crud had accumulated at the wrong end of the cable end and was being compressed with no where to go each time I'd try to steer to port.

I think who ever lubed it last had maybe have lubed it without fully retracting the cable end rod, creating an air or grease lock. Lesson is fully retract your steering before lubing. Says so right there in the manual, go figure... Anyway, problem solved