Hi All!! This is a hard one to do a search on and even my shop manual
doesn't cover it and I don't want to proceed to take anything apart
without at least a diagram. My Honda 90hp has been slowly been getting
harder to steer - nothing to do with the trim. Just out of the water,
there is a lot of resistance in the steering wheel. Used to be, I
could swing the motor left to right by hand - even when vertical -
just by pushing on the cowling. Now, even with the motor trailered
right up, gravity won't even pull it to one side. Obviously, first
thing I did was grease the two nipples - as I do every year, but ZERO
difference. I applied enough grease to expel the grease inside - which
was quite dark - through the crack in the pivot joints. I then removed
the control linkage from the push arm so that the motor was 'free'
from the steering wheel and you could practically swing it side to
side with a strong wind. So I then proceeded to remove the nut on the
driver side of the motor that attaches the push arm from the steering
wheel - sort of looks like a brake line type fitting. Ok, so when I
try an pull it apart to separate it from the motor, I can only go
about 2/3s the way as I've run out room to pull it any further but
what comes out from inside the pivot shaft of the motor mount is a
large tube with a smaller diameter rod inside it. This smaller rod
slides in and out of the larger as the wheel is turned. Anyone whose
worked on this knows what I am talking about. Both shafts looked shiny
but had only a thick film of old grease on them , requiring a rag and
several passes to remove, and not an even coat either. There was no
evidence of fresh grease. Even when I cleaned the shafts off and
reinserted them and pulled back out, they looked the same. I did this
several times. I then manually greased each rod. Surprisingly, once
reassembled, it seemed slightly stiffer at the wheel. So whats my next
step? And where is all the grease I am pumping through the nipples
going aside from through the cracks. Anyone know where I can find a
schematic of the motor mount?
Thanks a HEAP in advance.

After playing around with it some more, I fear you are correct. I
didn't explore this possibility but it would appear the shaft inside
the cable is what is causing the resistance. Is there any way of
servicing or lubricating it?

The grease fittings are to grease the tilt pivit, not the steering
cabl;e. Dies the shaft that you cionnect the steering link to move in
and out of the tube easily? You should be able to pull it out with the
collar nut off. It soulds like you are just moving the cable, not the
shaft. With the collar nut loose does the wheel move OK? just the
whole cable sheath moving back and forth from where the collar nut
threads to the motor?
If so that is good news. It means the cable is OK. The shaft is just
stuck in the tube.