A CANADAIR CTR LINE-65 ON PREFLIGHT CHECK CREW DISCOVERED ELEVATORS SPLIT AT STOPS EXCEEDED ALLOWABLE LIMITS.

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IN ZZZ DURING OUR 1 FIRST FLT OF THE DAY CHECKLIST ITEMS. I WAS CHECKING THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM AND CHECKING THE ELEVATOR TRAVEL FOR EACH HYDRAULIC PUMP. I NOTICED WHEN I BROUGHT THE ELEVATOR ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE STOPS I WAS GETTING A SPLIT OF 5 DEGS FROM THE L ELEVATOR TO THE R. THE L WAS SHOWING 24 DEGS AND THE R 19 DEGS. ACCORDING TO OUR MANUAL WE HAVE A LIMIT OF 3 DEGS SPLIT ALLOWED. WELL AT THAT POINT I WROTE IT UP AND CALLED MAINT IN XXX. THEY CANCELLED THE FLIGHT AND WANTED US TO FERRY THE AIRCRAFT HOME. I TOLD THEM THAT I WANTED A MECHANIC TO INSPECT THE ELEVATOR TO SEE IF THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND NOT JUST AN INDICATING PROBLEM. THE MECHANIC IN ZZZ WAS AN ACR MECHANIC WITH NO EXPERIENCE WORKING ON THE CTR LINE-65. HE DID VERIFY THAT IS WAS NOT AN INDICATION PROBLEM. HE DID HOWEVER NOTICE A SPLIT BETWEEN THE TWO ELEVATOR PANELS. HE TALKED TO OUR MAINT IN XXX AND THEY TOLD HIM TO DISCONNECT THE SYSTEM; WHICH IS WHERE EACH ELEVATOR COULD BE OPERATED SEPARATE; L ELEVATOR L YOKE; R ELEVATOR R YOKE; AND TO SEE IF WE HAD ANY DEGREE SPLIT. WHEN WE DID THAT WE AND NO SPLIT; 24 DEGS EAH SIDE. HOWEVER WHEN WE RECONNECTED THE SYSTEM WE WOULD STILL GET THE SPLIT. THE MAINT IN XXX SAID THERE WAS JUST SOME PLAY IN THE INTERCONNECT SYSTEM AND IT WOULD BE FINE TO FERRY HOME. THE ACR MECHANIC ASKED THEM WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF SPLIT ALLOWED FOR A FERRY FLIGHT. WE DON'T KNOW; WE JUST BASE A DECISION ON EACH INDIVIDUAL CASE. THE ACR MECHANIC SAID THEN HE WOULD NOT SIGN IT OFF FOR A FERRY FLT AND THEY SHOULD SEND ANOTHER MECHANIC TO DO THAT. I WAS NOT GOING TO FLY IT EITHER UNTIL ONE OF OUR MECHANICS CAME OUT AND DID A MORE THOROUGH INSPECTION AND MAKE SURE IT WASN'T ANYTHING ELSE. SO THEY SENT A MECHANIC OUT AND THE CHIEF PLT WITH ANOTHER CREW MEMBER TO FERRY IT BACK. WE WENT HOME ON THE NEXT REVENUE FLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH THE RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE ELEVATOR SPLIT WHEN THE COLUMNS WERE MOVED TO THE STOPS EXCEEDED THE THREE DEGREE MAXIMUM LIMITS. THE RPTR SAID THIS SITUATION HAS OCCURRED BEFORE TO THE RPTR AND OTHER CREWMEN OPERATING THE CANADAIR CTR LINE-65. THE RPTR STATED THE THREE MAJOR CAUSES ARE INDICATION OUT OF ADJUSTMENT OR FAILED; ELEVATOR POWER CONTROL UNIT LAGGING; AND INTERCONNECT LINKAGE BETWEEN CONTROL COLUMNS EITHER WORN OR OUT OF ADJUSTMENT. THE RPTR SAID THE FIX IN THIS EVENT WAS WORN AND OUT OF ADJUSTMENT INTERCONNECT LINKAGE.