rudder port / tiller arm question

This weekend I replaced my steering cable in the Mustang, and decided to repack my rudder while at it. After re-assembling, I cannot get the top bolt that goes into the rudder shaft very tight, without seizing the rudder. The top of the tiller arm's square boss fitting does not come down flush with the top of the rudder shaft. It is a little over halfway on at the moment.
I have done some searches and not found a simlar issue.
I put three rings of 1/4" goretex in, as three rings of rope came out. After reading, I am suspicious that I should have done one ring at a time, tighten, remove, add, etc. Would doing it that way compress it enough that the fitting will come down flush and enable me to tighten that bolt? Also, I do not have a large brass washer under the tiller arm as I read somewhere that there may need to be one.
Should I perhaps just use 2 rings?
Lastly, is there suppose to be a safety wire on there?

thanks in advance.

Mike

besides they sink pretty quick with no rudder

Pete,
Well, I am using a 2" open wrench. It is pretty huge, so I do not want to get on it too much and mess something up. I feel like it is pretty tight, however, I can still turn it a little more. I am pretty certain that it will not go up in there any more, but will verify.

Joe, I have both 3/16 here and 1/4. I compared the old rope that came out to the new and it was 1/4"

Eric, yes they do. How do I wire it ?

OK.   My bolt does not have a hole through it or that would have been obvious to me. Does SkiDIM carry these? or MWCC? I had thought I remembered something about them being wired from my 90 SN.

I verified the rudder was all the way in the port as i had thought. I pulled the packing nut and removed one ring of the goretex packing and put it back together. With two rings, it fits way better and the square post comes up to just over the top of the tiller arm. This lets me tighten the top bolt as I would want it. I also measured the old packing and new, and they are both 1/4".



Mike

WakeSlayer wrote: I also measured the old packing and new, and they are both 1/4". mike

It could be possible that it's been changed in the past and the wrong size was used

Mike,
Pull the packing nut again and then using a 1/4" and 3/16" drill bit, see which one fits into the packing space.