Cap206

The power steering seems to have quit working.The pump is pumping,I took cable pin off of drive end and moved drive side to side. Steering wheel moves with about same effort with drive pin in or out.How hard should it be to turn wheel without the drive hooked up? 5.0 merc with aplha 1.I'm hoping for bad cable,but with my luck it will be the cylinder.Any way to check that cylinder out?Boat is 1988

thanks, Paul

lowfunds

yes if you take out the pin for the cable to the tiller arm with the engine running what you can do is take a prybar and push on where the other section of the cable is attached to the cylinder. what this does is actuate the cylinder to assist in your steering effort. you push it to the left or right and this will make the cylinder go in or out. if this does not work then the cylinder is bad. i have not seen those cylinders just not work unless they are rotted out or the lines are rotted out. but the age makes it possible.