Steering Problem: 1986 Glasstream, 50HP mercury

[robertmee]

I'm not up to snuff on the older steering assemblies, so could someone please point me in the right direction. I'm getting full steering in one direction, but barely any steering at all in the opposite. There's no adjustment that I see on the wheel it self. It consists of what appears to be a rack/pinion type with a cable that goes to the motor. The cable connects into one end, and a shaft exits the other end. The shaft has a tie-arm that attatches to the center point of the motor. When the shaft goes out I get full steering in that direction. But the shaft won't go all the way in to get steering in the other direction. The shaft is lubricated and I see nothing mechanical restricting it. The steering wheel will actually lock up at this point and it takes a bit of effort to free it back in the other direction. Any hints or at least some links where I could do some research?

I'd say I get about 45 degrees in one direction and 10 degrees in the the other.

Thanks!!