Just want to give the steering cables a little tighten, the eye bolt is frozen in the housing on the quadrant, any idea's how to loosen it short of a hammer.
Apologies for the upside down pic.
Perhaps soak it with lanox overnight then hit it with a hammer, or heat it up with a butane torch quench it with water, then hit it
Good old stainless in aluminium.
You want to try and soak it in some sort of cleaner. You can try vinegar and water but I find chemicals work better. I am sure someone here will chip in with a good corrosion cleaner.
Make a little bath out of an old icecream container or something. Tape, bluetack work well to seal it up. Soak it overnight or longer. Try and turn the eyebolt. Just back and forth to free it up.
Then tap and wiggle the bolt back and forth. Always leave a nut on the end of the bolt so you hit the nut not the bolt.
I would not put too much pressure when trying to turn the eyebolt. Sometimes a long bolt like that in aluminium becomes permanent. Or you damage something trying to get it out.
People say tef gel is expensive, it stops this happening though. If you do get it out make sure you put something on it. If you don't won't to pay for tef gel marine grease, Vaseline will be better than nothing.
Having renovated an old boat with many seized nuts big and small I found the blow torch method worked the best (as per Woko above).
First make sure you have a fire extinguisher handy (literally!). Put a metal shield like a baking tray behind the nut to be un-siezed to prevent heat going to an unwanted place behind it.
I use a mini butane blow torch like they use on "Master Chef" to brown the tops of meringues. So the flame is small but intense. Small flame means you can keep the heat where you want it. Then I make the nut actually red hot and when it is toss a cup of cold water on it. So far every time I did this it worked, the nut or bolt would be movable with a spanner, even if sometimes needing to do it twice.
My boat had badly seized bolts everywhere, so badly seized that huge force and soaking in lubricant never worked because the lube couldn't get in in the first place.
A car mechanic I talked to told me about this method.
Going to try some heat, a bigger hammer and a product I just purchased called liquid Spanner which is specifically made for freeing seized components. Hopefully all three combined have a positive result.
Be careful of flammable sprays in confined spaces!! Fully singed my eyebrows and hair in a chain locker once. Had waited after spraying WD40 to use the blow torch but not long enough!
Something like this is handy. Small flame you can direct where you need it and not burn everything around it.
I can recommend the Liquid Spanner as a penetrating anti seize product , I got both of the eye bolts out.
Select to expand quotecammd said..
I can recommend the Liquid Spanner as a penetrating anti seize product , I got both of the eye bolts out.
Well done
How much tension should you put on the steering cables, I have taken up about 1-2cm each side of the quadrant with the new eye bolts, it did feel like there was a bit of play developing beforehand, feels good at the wheel now. If I grab the cables in between the sheave and the quadrant I can move it about 1 to 2 cm so not super tight or super loose. Does that sound about right?
Select to expand quotecammd said..
How much tension should you put on the steering cables, I have taken up about 1-2cm each side of the quadrant with the new eye bolts, it did feel like there was a bit of play developing beforehand, feels good at the wheel now. If I grab the cables in between the sheave and the quadrant I can move it about 1 to 2 cm so not super tight or super loose. Does that sound about right?
That's about what I have. Mine did not have any adjustable bolts though. I adjusted mine by placing a shim under the turning block. The cables on mine just go to the quadrant and are clamped with wire clamps. These would have been a nightmare to re tension.
cheers Ramona,
the bolts in the quadrant are seized as well, may as well get that sorted while I am in the Lazarette, the may reason for being in the lazarette was to sort the fuel feed for the webasto, got a blockage, how often is the case that you start with one job on a boat and finish with three.
