Tilt tube removal

Hello all!

I'm down to removing the tilt tube from my outboard in order to get this thing back in the water. I've heard that I will need to lift the motor a bit to tap it out. Any advice from experience will be very helpful! The steering ram is corroded in the tube and not coming out. I am thinking I will have to cut the cable where it goes into the tilt tube and tap it out in the direction of the the ram (which is currently sticking out about halfway).

The boat is a 2005 Carolina Skiff J16 and the motor is a 2005 Johnson 30 HP 2 Stroke.

 

Now I'm thinking I will just order the replacement parts and take the thing up to a yard to let them work their magic. I don't have the tools or help to yank this motor, and I don't have the experience to know any tricks or what I am up against. Any recommendations for a mechanic to work on this little Johnson?

 

Here's what I've got:

The nut on the port side is frozen on (this is the side that the steering ram protrudes). The threads on that side are completely rusted into one ugly mound. The nut on the other side is in good shape, so I worked it off and have the cable side all undone. Problem is, the cable won't pull out because the ram is corroded in place. I figure this means I will have to tap the whole tilt tube out from the cable side. My plan is to take the motor off the boat and lay it on its back (carb side up) for the removal and replacement. To do this, I need to cut the cable (I am already resigned to replacing the steering cable, too) near the tilt tube. This has proved difficult so far. My hacksaws aren't cutting it very well. Now I'm thinking sawzall or cable/bolt cutters. I'd rather go the cutters route to minimize the mess (little cable fibers flying around). Has anyone ever cut a steering cable before?

This one is a Safe-T QC II.

 

Okay, ordering new tilt tube parts today. Then cutting off the old cable and removing engine with a buddy. Laying engine on its back and punching out old tube with brass punch. Then installing new tilt tube and replacing engine on boat, then running new steering cable (before bolting down engine in case of clearance issues). Am I missing anything here? I want to have this thing in the water within 2 weeks.

 

I will give you all an update once this gets underway. The parts should arrive today, but yesterday the water pump in my truck let loose, so that has become the priority. I also just picked up a major work project that will eat up the rest of my week, so both of my toys are on hold until the weekend. But, at least I'll be able to pay for the repairs

 

Well, the project is underway.

I used my Dremel with a reinforced cut-off wheel to cut the steering cable. It did the job with only one wheel. I put on a fresh one and cut off the outboard Master lock with ease. This morning I lifted the motor off the transom (nice thing about 2-strokes is the weight!) and set it on its back on a dolly. With a little liquid wrench and a pipe wrench (and a sledge tapping) the tilt tube slid right out. I'm thinking of sending the thing to Guinness or somebody because I'm pretty sure that the weld between the tilt tube and steering ram is the strongest in the world.

The parts are here to rebuild, but now that I've got all the wiring and cables out I am going to do some deep cleaning in places I normally can't get to before putting it all back together. It's looking good. The destruction phase is finally over! Now it's time to clean up and put  back together ;D

 

Finally got it back on the water today and it was awesome! Feels so good to have this project behind me and the boat back in action after 4 years of sitting.

An update on the work:
Installing the new tilt tube was not problem. I ran a new steering cable and lubed the ram with Super Lube (it was the best thing I had at the time). While the fuel tank was out I emptied it and was happy to find almost no sediment at all. I got it all out and put in some StarBright fuel restorer with the first fill up to be safe. After some cleaning and putting back the seats and deck parts I put in a new battery. The starter was acting very intermittent, which I halfway expected because the contact on it looked pretty corroded. Basically, I found that the nut on it was zinc plated and the middle had rusted to dust. I replaced it and it worked fine. Today I drug the whole rig down to the ramp to see if the motor would fire. All that I did in preparation was spray some ether down the carb, but it fired right up on the first turn of the key like it was being used every weekend. I couldn't believe my luck! After letting it run for about 15 minutes I put in gear (both directions) and putted around the ramp dock. Then, feeling pretty good, I ran it up and down the ICW channel at a fast idle. After that went well for about 15 minutes, I put it up on plane and proceeded to go for a boat ride. I ran it as normal for about 2 hours with no problems. The thing didn't even sound rough!

I'm loving life right now See y'all out on the water!