It really depends on the age of things. But with a big outboard, running pretty high, you impose a lot of stress on the internal gearing in the helm. And the gear that engages the cable end really gets worked on. I have worn out a couple of these. Sometimes replacing just the cables will work, but if the helm gears themselves are worn, that will accelerate the wear on the new cable ends and lead to a quicker failure. Since the connection between the wheel and the motor is critical (break a helm and you are going to turn right, right now) I would be tempted to replace everything. If you have any sort of NFB steering that is not mercury-produced, I would certainly replace the entire kit and kaboodle. NFB steering is even harder on the gears since there is a built-in bind to stop the torque feedback except when turning the wheel. I helped a friend replace one last Fall, the cable ends were simply ragged out, but on careful inspection, the gears in the helm were also badly worn. One problem seems to be that as the cable ends wear, that material gets left in the helm, and acts like grit to increase the wear rate. Once the gear teeth become rounded, and then they wear down a bit, you will find cases where at max torque you cant turn the motor, the helm will just “pop” as the gear teeth slip over the teeth on the cable end. A few cycles of that and it is over for steering…2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
.
