DAVIS CABLE BUDDY User Manual

INSTRUCTIONS

#420

One lube nut

#421

Two lube nuts

CABLE BUDDY™ makes steering easier and safer on boats

with inboard, outboard, or inboard / outboard steering cables.

Prevents corrosion and freezing, lubricates otherwise inaccessi-

ble inner cable. Seals the critical area of the steering cable from

moisture intrusion while allowing delivery of proper oil to the

cable. 7/8" x 14 threads fit Johnson / Evinrude and all Japanese

outboard motors.

Three parts of the Cable Buddy system:

• Cable Buddy™ lube nut, made of marine grade stainless

steel, comes with sealing washer and plug. Cable Buddy II

(#421), with two lube nuts, is designed for the twin cable steer-

ing systems used on some high performance boats.

• Oiling tube assembly.

• Max-Lube™, the ideal lubricant for steering cables. Max-Lube

has high water separation properties and

affords corrosion protection in extreme condi-

tions. Maintains flow at temperatures as low

as –40°F (–40°C).

Installing Cable Buddy now saves the hassles

and expense of buying a new cable later.

INSTALLING CABLE BUDDY

Note: Regular Cable Buddy (#420) shown. Cable Buddy
II (#421) allows installation of Cable Buddy nuts on
boats with twin steering cables.

1. Remove linkage nut, disconnect steering arm from
steering rod.

2. Remove coupler nut, slide steering cable out of tilt
tube. Note: some late model, low profile boats require
complete rotation of the motor on its mounts in order to
remove the cable.

3. Thoroughly clean the steering rod/cable and tilt tube.

4. Remove tilt tube nut from tilt tube.

5. Remove nylon plug from Cable Buddy nut and set it

aside. Thread Cable Buddy nut onto the tilt tube. Tighten
with light pressure. The hole in the side of Cable Buddy
should be turned so it is easily accessible for drilling
and oiling. You should have at least 1/2" (13 mm) of
threads exposed on the tilt tube after Cable Buddy is in
place. If not, back off the tilt tube locking nut (at other
end of tilt tube) to allow tube to shift toward coupler end.

6. Place a drill bit of approximately 1/8" (3 mm) diame­ter through the Cable Buddy plug hole. Drill through the
tilt tube. Remove any shavings.

7. Place Cable Buddy's flat nylon washer inside the
coupler nut over the end of the steering cable.
Reassemble cable and steering coupling. Screw in
Cable Buddy's nylon plug.

OILING THE CABLE

Remove Cable Buddy's nylon plug. Screw the oiling
tube assembly into the plug hole. Firmly screw the other
end of the oil tube assembly to the oil bottle. Turn bottle
upside down and squeeze firmly while the steering
wheel (or motor) is slowly turned at least three times to
the full extent right and left. This should consume at
least half of the oil in the full bottle. If not, repeat until
half the oil is delivered. Reinstall nylon plug. Some oil
leakage is normal at this point. Under most circum­stances the oil coating should now extend down the first
18" (56 cm) or so of the inner cable. Oiling should be
repeated once or twice annually, depending on the envi­ronment in which the motor is used.

00420.151 Rev. B September 2010

3465 Diablo Avenue, Hayward, CA 94545, U.S.A.

Phone [phone] • Fax [phone]

[e-mail] • www.davisnet.com

Uilenkade 12 • NL-3336 LP Zwijndrecht • The Netherlands

Phone [phone] • Fax [phone]

[e-mail] www.davisnet.com

Replacement Parts

Contact your dealer or Davis Instruments for replacement parts.

R420A Nylon Plug and Oiling Tube Assembly

422 Max-Lube™ Extreme Service Lubricant, 3 fl. oz. (90 mL)