u/Shr00udy

I have a 2009 MasterCraft X-Star (~560 hours) and I'm trying to determine whether the steering play I'm seeing is normal or if it's time for a new cable or helm.

The steering wheel has approximately 20**° of dead zone** before the rudder starts responding. The biggest place I notice it is in no-wake zones. I'll make a small correction and nothing happens, so I turn the wheel farther. Then the boat finally responds and I end up over-correcting the other way.

Here's what I've already checked:

• No noticeable play in the rudder.
• No play in the tiller arm/linkage.
• Removed the helm and inspected it.
• Steering shaft is tight to the helm gear.
• No slipping between the steering wheel shaft and gear.
• The only thing I haven't ruled out is the rack/cable assembly (plastic rack gear) or internal cable wear.

The steering is otherwise smooth and not stiff.

My questions:

1. Is ~20° of steering wheel free play considered normal on a 2009 X-Star with around 560 hours?
2. Has anyone had similar symptoms that ended up being the steering cable?
3. Has anyone replaced the helm/rack assembly because of dead zone?
4. If it was the cable, did replacing it noticeably reduce the play?

I'm trying to determine whether this is just normal wear for these boats or if there's a specific component I should be looking at before replacing parts.

Thanks!

2009 MasterCraft X-Star (Indmar LY6 6.0L) – Need Help Diagnosing Intermittent 2900 RPM Limit

Boat intermittently won’t go above ~2850-2900 RPM under load and won’t fully plane. The weird part is it does NOT happen all the time. How can I scan the codes?

What I’ve observed:
Sometimes runs perfectly, planes easily, and pulls hard.
Other times it hits a wall around 2850-2900 RPM and won’t accelerate further.
Engine idles perfectly.
Revs cleanly to 5000-6000 RPM in neutral.
No overheating.
Service Required warning appears intermittently.
VDIG shows no active faults.

Tests performed:
Fuel pressure: 60 psi key-on prime.
62-64 psi at idle.
62-64 psi at 2000-4000 RPM in neutral.
Fuel pressure remains rock solid.
Throttle body moves and performs startup sweep.
Air filter cleaned.
Ballast empty.
PerfectPass off.

History:
First lake day it felt weak at times, then later ran perfectly.
Second lake day it ran perfectly at first, then after shutting down for ~30 minutes while floating/swimming, the issue returned.

Boat is new to me and this is only the second time it’s been on the water since purchase.
Has anyone experienced a similar intermittent RPM limit on an LY6/Indmar setup? I’m especially interested in:
TAC/throttle actuator issues
Electronic throttle faults
Hidden ECM codes not shown on VDIG
Catalyst/exhaust restrictions
Any known LY6 limp-mode triggers
Any advice is appreciated.