[C320-list] Throttle and shifter cables

[Jack Brennan]

Wow. What an ordeal. I finally got the throttle and shifter cables properly installed, but Edson and Catalina get no points for me on design. Would an access plate to the innards of the pedestal be too much to ask, considering these cables should be changed every seven years?

But it is nice not to be struggling with gummy, loose controls anymore. 

Here are some notes, in case anyone else wants to endure this:

• A piece of string, a long flathead screwdriver, an old coat hanger  and a flashlight are your best friends on this project. These are what you use to manipulate the cables inside the pedestal.
• My cables were tied every foot or so through the aft cabin and the aft port locker. It’s good to get these out of the way first. Then disconnect them from the engine, remove the steering wheel and take off the compass and related parts. Also, disconnect the cables from the levers and DON’T DROP THE PARTS.
• Next, if you have the Yanmar, take off the face of the instrument pod and find the nut up at the top. This is the anchor for the cables inside the pedestal. Remove the nut, push the bolt into the pedestal and try not to worry.
• I then took off the housing for the steering in the aft cabin and pushed the cables up. Another bad design: The cables come up on either side of the wheel shaft, but they are connected with a plastic bracket with bolt below the shaft.
• Tie the string to one of the cables, then push it down and use the screwdriver to push it toward the other side of the shaft,. Use the coat hanger to snag the string and bring it up.
• Once you have both cables on one side, yank the hell out of them until you see the white plastic bracket. Then use the screwdriver to pry it up. This takes muscles and time but, eventually, you will get it past the sprocket and shaft. 
• After removing the bracket, I pulled the cables down without attaching string, as some do. I found it relatively easy to route the new cables up the pedestal without it. Tape the cables together, though, so they come up on the same side of the shaft.
• Now the fun begins. Install the bracket on the new cables and tie string on them, then jam it down the same way it came up. It will take time. Once the bracket is below the shaft, use the flashlight to illuminate the hole where the bolt is supposed to go through so you can see where it is..
• At this point, I had the flashlight on the starboard side of the pedestal and I used the screwdriver on the port side to manipulate the bracket so the bolt would go in the hole. This was an ordeal. It took me 30 to 45 minutes of cursing, but I  finally did it. Put the nut on the bolt immediately and tighten it. You do not want to do this twice!
• Now you have to use the string and coat hanger to get one of the cables on the other side of the shaft. After that, you can connect the cables to the levers and reassemble the compass. You can also reassemble the instrument pod and wheel.
• After that, more scut work as you reroute the cables through the after port locker and back into the aft cabin. 
• Test the cables to make sure you are connecting the correct ones to the throttle and shifter. If you switched them somehow, it’s not a big deal, especially if you use 14-foot cables for both. (Wrap any extra cable in a circle in the bilge and tie it with cable ties.
• The shifter is counter-intuitive. When it goes forward, it’s reverse. When it goes after, it’s forward. 


Next time this needs to be done, I’ll be 72. I think I’ll hire a mechanic.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320, no. 528
Tierra Verde, Fl.
Dolphin Cruising Club of Tampa Bay.




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