A 170 is usually good with cable steering .... until they go bad. Some replace with the newer Teleflex NFB cables and are happy. I went to an engine rebuilder that had a bunch of "stuff" laying around and bought a used Seastar hydraulic steering setup and have been a happy guy ever since. May seem like overkill but to be able to steer with one finger is awesome. I just used a rainy day to rebuild it and the engine portion for the 170 rebuild I'm doing.
Oh, and you may need to loosen both sides of the engine bracket, one side more than the other to allow clearance and "angle" to get the old cable out and in.
