HELP--Steering Cable Locked Up

Hey Guys--need some help. My Father and Brother are going to use my boat. It's been sitting for over a year and the steering cable has locked up solid. Any tips on how we may loosen it up? The motor is a 70 hp. Evinrude. Thanks for the tips.

Mine locked up once after sitting for a while. Backed down the ramp, launched and could not turn the wheel. One of my buddies look a pair of channel lock pliers and gave slight twist to the solid bar where it comes off the cable and attaches to the motor and it broke loose. In my case, it was surface rust on the bar that had frozen and we were able to free it up with WD40 and working it back and forth. Breaking the surface bond with the pliers did the trick though, cause we could not budge it with the wheel. Don't have to twist but a fraction of an inch for it to free up.
Hope this is what your is and not the cable frozen up in the tube somewhere between the engine and console.
Good luck
SeaRay

I also had one to do that,,it was like Rays,,was the part that went into the motor,,,3/8" round piece.I just shot some wd40 on it let it set for awhile and wiggled it.It broke loose.

Sounds like the seal has gone bad and the cable is rusted in the motor tilt tunnel. I took mine loose where the push rod comes thru the tilt tunnel and put a wood block against the end and hit the block with a hammer to break it loose. If it breaks loose then remove the nuts on both sides of the tilt tunnel and spray penetrating oil in it and keep working it back and forth and cleaning the rust out. Once cleaned it needs to be greased with Teflon based grease. Check the nut on the opposite side from cable where the shaft comes out of the tunnel. It should have a "O" ring seal which also serves as a wiper to keep water out.

Saw the local marine mechanic put some heat on the arm where the grease goes. He said the grease had become hard. Once he heated SLIGHLTY, he sprayed some penetrating oil in there and it began to come out. The steering on that particular boat was fine.

Thanks for the input guys. We did have a mechanic tell us to use some heat. I think Pop is letting it soak in WD40 and hopefully I can make it over there one day next week to help see if we can break it loose.

Several years ago I had a 90 horse motor, and the cable locked up . I took it off at the steering wheel and at the motor. Pulled it apart and removed the old grease from the cable with a wire brush, and replace with fresh grease. Most mechanics will tell you that you can not take them part, but with pair of channel lock and vise grips, you can. (This was not hydraulic steering) Next I took a round wire brush, (I used a 12 guage shotgun brush and rod), to clean out the tube on the motor It took several time back and forth to get it cleaned, as there was rust and dried up greese in the tube. Put fresh grease in the tube and put it all back together. Worked great for several years.