adjustment for steering wheel play

[blackhawk]

My X15 has a little bit of play in the steering wheel. With the rudder straight, I can turn the wheel about 10 degrees or so before the rudder seems to move. It is not a lot of movement, but it is a little annoying. When the rudder is not straight, there is still some play in the wheel but not quite as much. From looking under the dash, it looks like the steering cable is connected to a rack and then the steering column drives a pinion. If I remove the 4 bolts in the picture below, is there any type of adjustment to take out this play?

It feels like the play is in the rack and pinion to me and not anything with the cable.

[CantRepeat]

I don't believe there is any adjustment in that rack. Mine is the same way. I'm sure it will get worse. I don't know if rack comes as part of the cable or not.

[blackhawk]

Just an update, I did remove the 4 bolts shown in the pic. There is no adjustment for the steering play. I did add some grease to the rack and pinion while I had it loose. I also adjusted my steering wheel to get it centered.

I still have that little bit of play in my steering though. The grease really didn't help. Is there any adjustment at the rudder?

[mikeg205]

no adjustment at rudder - this is just wear..

[blackhawk]

Thanks Mike, I can live with it. Really not all that bad.

[bturner2]

It gets worse over time. Crappy materials on both the rack and the pinion. I just changed out the rack (which includes the cable), the pinion and tilt mechanism (all one part) on my brother in-laws Malibu Response this winter because it got so bad. It's great now but I'm sure it'll start getting loose as the seasons progress.

[hoosier]

I came across this older thread but we have the same issue. We bought an 2007 X15 last season and it has a lot of play in the steering. I think it's the rack and pinion. Can someone point me to the best place to buy one from? We're new to these kinds of boats but enjoying it so far...thanks.

[blackhawk]

You can try Skidim, Great Lakes Skipper, and local dealer.