[TanMcGan]

Hello all,
I am a new owner of a 1997 Mariah 243 Shabah, bought in February. My boat has the 454 MAG MPI engine with a Bravo III drive. I have been very happy with the boat so far but I do still have some gremlins to sort out. First one will be a new steering cable. Anyone happen to know the appropriate length cable for this boat? Also will one of these be a suitable replacement (http://www.easternmarine.com/Rack-Pinion-Steering-Kits)?

[GaryDoug]

Teleflex was the company name of the original steering components. It has been acquired by Seastar but the cables are still the same MOSTLY. You should be able to find the part number for the cable about 2 feet from the end that attaches to the steering rack. It will be something like "SSC134xx Teleflex USA ..." where the xx is the length in feet. Mine was painted over the other markings and is hard to read. Keep in mind that not all components are compatible with the older parts. For example, you may not be able to fit your tilt steering wheel adapter (if any) to the new cables. In a case like that you would have to buy all new parts.

Is there damage to the cable? I replaced mine to remove some of the steering play and it did not help much. I ordered one of the same ones that are shown in your link. Also, if you removed the tilt mechanism, the rack will not mount correctly due to clearance issues.

Bottom line: I don't recommend replacing it unless there is an obvious defect because you may have more issues trying to install it.