Today I attempted to replace the shifter cable using approach outlined by Joe in his 6/23/2023 post.
Unfortunately even with the chain moved off the sprocket I was not able to slide the lower cable bracket by the steering assemble even with the chain off the sprocket.
It seems like the only way to access the cable mounting bracket is to remove the wheel shaft. Before I do, any other ideas ?
The Edson site has some how-to videos, and I’ll probably search for more to pre for this.
Hi Rob,See my post on Sept 14/23 with description, photos, and PDF of related Edson manual info on how to do shifter/throttle cable. Pulling the cable up past the steering wheel axle is very tight, but do-able.
Hope that helps,
Don
Hi, tough to tell from the picture, but it looks like the screw that goes through the white plastic piece holding the cables to binnacle tube about 1 ft below the compass. I think you need to flip cables around 180 degrees then you can wiggle it up past the gear .
Don
Hi Don & Mark,
Thanks for taking time to respond. Today I tried again to pull the cables to one side of the shaft. I tried every angle… no luck.
Then I proceeded with plan B… remove the shaft. There is a video on the Edson site… I wouldn’t have figured it out from the insert in the NS33 manual. The video ( HERE ) was a big help.
I’m glad I did… the forward needle bearings were bone dry with powdery dust. The lube port was clogged with the same dusty but hard substance. I’d say Edson pedestal’s probably ought to go through the rebuild process every 5-10 years. I found new throttle and shifter cables and lots of anti-seize on the screws for the top… but I don’t think anyone had serviced the brake, chain, and bearings in a very long time.
With the video it’s not that hard a job… about 6 hours for a novice like me… 8 if you work at the dock the day before Memorial Day weekend and have to let folks have a look at what’s inside the pedestal. Most folks have never seen the guts of an Edson pedestal.
Hi Brian,
Yes getting the job done is important, but I’m finding that understanding the boat and it’s maintenance history is maybe more important for me to feel confident on the water.
I got a firsthand lesson in the importance of pedestal maintenance when my shifter cable broke while in forward as I was approaching the dock. Now I’m looking over my preventive maintenance list with a much more critical eye.
Many of the folks that stopped by to talk yesterday told me they were not aware of Edson’s suggested maintenance schedule ( which may be overkill for a casual coastal sailor ) but I think expanding the service interval but still doing the service at some point is important.
Don,
I have no doubt that I will be spending more quality time with my pedestal and will be getting and installing the rebuild kit. For now I glad to have the ability to control the transmission from the pedestal again.
I have a related question… the below picture shows the linkage that connects the shifter cable end to the shift lever on my transmission. The threaded rod on the left is the cable end the bolt to the right bolts to the lever.
There is a spring that looks like it ought to absorb any sudden shock by traveling about .5" and then return the slider part to it’s rest position. The part that looks like it ought to slide doesn’t move. I’m wondering if the lack of this “shock obsorber” my have contributed to the failure of the cable ? Any one know where I might find a replacement ?
For now I’m up and running and will baby the shifter till I learn more about the failure.
Thanks again to everyone who has taken an interest in helping me figure out SOAVE.
Is it possible that the spring keeps tension on the slide that traps the ball on the bolt that attaches to the transmission lever? Pull the sleeve against the spring and the ball can be released.
Final summary on the replacement of Soave’s ( Nonsuch 33 ) shifter cable on . Short story… it’s a dirty tedious job that I didn’t imagining having to do in my first season with SOAVE. Below are my notes I hope they benefit others.
The cable replacement job begins by removing one of the cable idler sheaves ( in photo ). Many thanks to Joe Valinoti for his 6/23/23 post with this tip.
The cotter pins that hold the sheave in place are silicon bronze and kinda brittle, it is good to have replacement on hand. It is also handy secure the pulley so that it’s weight keeps enough tension on the cable so the cable stays on the steering drive wheel. You’re looking to get just enough cable slack to remove the chain from the sprocket on the wheel shaft.
The shifter and throttle cables on my NS33 are 10’ long. My throttle and shifter cables are routed together and it would have been nice if the throttle cable was a little longer because slack was limited while pulling the cables up in the pedestal.
The shifter and throttle cables are anchored by a bracket in the pedestal below the wheel shaft secured by a single bolt. On many Nonsuch’s it is possible to :
Move the chain off the sprocket and move it forward atop the brake.
Remove the nut that secures bracket securing the cables inside the pedestal.
Drop the cables down to get the throttle to the port side of the wheel shaft and pull both cables up on the port side of the shaft to access the bracket.
On my boat the bolt used on the bracket was too long to slide by the wheel shaft. It would be easy to replace the bolt with a shorter one because the one on my boat was about .25" longer than necessary to secure in the pedestal. The extra length did make it easier to find the hole in the pedestal during reassembly. I left the longer bolt, but am considering changing it the next time I service the pedestal.
After much frustration and failed attempts to pull both cables to the port side of the wheel shaft, I decided to pull the shaft. I’m kinda glad I did because the forward needle bearing was bone dry with a gritty dust of dried grease/dirt/salt. There is a rebuild kit offered on the Edson site ( HERE ) that I will eventually order and install, but I didn’t want to wait any longer to go sailing. All the parts were serviceable so I lubed them up kept them in service. There is also a video on the page with the rebuild kit that I found essential to understand how to properly remove and reassemble the wheel shaft.
As shown in the photo, my boat has a modification that made it easier for klutzy mechanics like me to recover parts dropped down the pedestal. 3 of the 4 pedestal bolts have been replaced with long bolts. The fourth one ( not shown in the photo ) is the original length and has a nylon locking nut. I now know from experience, with the sheave pin out, and the chain off the sprocket, you can drop the plate enough to recover a dropped needle bearing… along with other treasures abandoned by prior mechanics.
My impression talking to others at our club is that pedestals and particularly the wheel shaft needle bearings are an often overlooked during preventative maintenance. The lube ports on mine were filled with dirt and unusable.
Glad to put this project to bed… moving on to my next project(s)… install galvanic isolator, repair/replace deck organizer sheave(s), begin replacing stainless/cast aluminum interfaces with dyneema, and begin re-bedding fixtures that look like they may leak.
Hoping to increase my sailing to maintaining ratio to over 50% !
.
