2005 nitro nx882 steering cables

[MittenMouth]

Last year I bought a 2005 nitro NX882 and the steering is extremely stiff. Was on my buddy’s boat which is just a few years older and there was a huge difference.

Ive read a little on the replacement of the cables and also installing hydraulic steering and there seems to be some confusion if I need to remove the motor or not. I would prefer to just replace the cables as I think it would be much less expensive. Does anyone know if this can be done without removing the motor?

I called the marina and they quoted me three hours for replacing the cables and five hours for installing hydraulic steering- seems high. These guys also quoted me 8 hours to install two new graphs and a TM last year- which I did in 2.5 hours myself with no background.

Also- I’ll probably be upgrading my boat in a few years when my kids are old enough to fish with me so not really wanting to dump too much more into it for luxury features if there is a marginal difference.

Motor: 150hp Merc xr6

any input is really appreciated.

Thanks!

[Sunny Jim]

It's not that hard to replace your no-feedback steering cables. No, you don't have to remove the motor. The length of the existing cables is usually imprinted on the cable sheath. I had a 2004 NX882. Disconnect the cables from the helm. Pull a small rope through with the old cables and use the rope to pull the new ones through the same way. There is some access halfway by removing your storage compartment liner. Reconnect the cables and then reinstall your helm.
Hydraulic steering is nice but fairly expensive.

[haveme1]

I changed out my cables also. Easy, I pushed them in from the back hole.
Ask . . I'll explain how.

[MittenMouth]

It's not that hard to replace your no-feedback steering cables. No, you don't have to remove the motor. The length of the existing cables is usually imprinted on the cable sheath. I had a 2004 NX882. Disconnect the cables from the helm. Pull a small rope through with the old cables and use the rope to pull the new ones through the same way. There is some access halfway by removing your storage compartment liner. Reconnect the cables and then reinstall your helm.
Hydraulic steering is nice but fairly expensive.

Thanks Jim- how long do you think this took you? I might give it a go this weekend.

[MittenMouth]

I changed out my cables also. Easy, I pushed them in from the back hole.
Ask . . I'll explain how.

dis you tie string to the old ones? Was this an NX882?

[Sunny Jim]

It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. Disconnecting and reconnecting the helm is probably the biggest issue. Good luck with that!

Thanks Jim- how long do you think this took you? I might give it a go this weekend.