1beardsley
New Member
My 34-200 throttle is very hard to operate. It is not as smooth as I would imagine it should be. I have to use both hands to move it back an forth. Any thoughts. Thanks
Throttle friction
- Thread starter 1beardsley
- Start date
Most of us have changed the throttle, shift and cutoff cables by now. Not hard. Not expensive. Reward is butter-smooth operation.
Remove the cables, measure, and order on line (West Marine often has them on the shelf).
Despite temptation, old Teleflex or Morse cables (brand names) cannot be repaired or successfully lubricated and need to be replaced.
The job requires taking the top off the pedestal and groveling around in the bilge to get at the transmission and throttle connections, which may well be rusted.
Here are a couple of threads.
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?119-Pedestal-Rebuild
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...-Specialties-Pedestal-Disassembly-with-Photos
Sometimes the cable is all right, but the jacket set screw has come out. The symptom is a mushy feel when operating the lever, as if nothing is happening. As on a bicycle brake, the jacket must be secured for the inner wire to move. Each end of the cable jacket contains a groove to be contained by a set screw or by a special external fitting (as at the engine end of the throttle shift cable). The jacket must be held firmly at either end.
Remove the cables, measure, and order on line (West Marine often has them on the shelf).
Despite temptation, old Teleflex or Morse cables (brand names) cannot be repaired or successfully lubricated and need to be replaced.
The job requires taking the top off the pedestal and groveling around in the bilge to get at the transmission and throttle connections, which may well be rusted.
Here are a couple of threads.
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?119-Pedestal-Rebuild
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...-Specialties-Pedestal-Disassembly-with-Photos
Sometimes the cable is all right, but the jacket set screw has come out. The symptom is a mushy feel when operating the lever, as if nothing is happening. As on a bicycle brake, the jacket must be secured for the inner wire to move. Each end of the cable jacket contains a groove to be contained by a set screw or by a special external fitting (as at the engine end of the throttle shift cable). The jacket must be held firmly at either end.
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u079721
Contributing Partner
My shift cable got harder to move. Then one day on our cruise it snapped just as we were coming into an anchorage. Fortunately we had enough way on to to drift to an open spot and drop the anchor. If it had happened a few minutes earlier as we were negotiating the rocky entrance to the anchorage it would have been another story. So my thoughts on the matter are to drop what you are doing and change both the throttle and shift cables NOW.
Nigel Calder recommends they be changed every five years, then keep the old ones on board as spares.
EGregerson
Member III
throttle cable
Hi; Steve in Post #3 has a mod to the cable installation that he put out, I don't know maybe 10 years ago on this site; it removes sharp bends in the cable route and improves function. I found, so much so (and i installed the black cable as opposed to the red) that the throttle fell off; meaning back. So there's a throttle tensioner nut under the housing ring to set it just right (also a posted thread on this on this site) The cable part numbers you'll need are printed on the cable; fair winds
Hi; Steve in Post #3 has a mod to the cable installation that he put out, I don't know maybe 10 years ago on this site; it removes sharp bends in the cable route and improves function. I found, so much so (and i installed the black cable as opposed to the red) that the throttle fell off; meaning back. So there's a throttle tensioner nut under the housing ring to set it just right (also a posted thread on this on this site) The cable part numbers you'll need are printed on the cable; fair winds
Afrakes
Sustaining Member
Cable length
Don't just follow the existing cable length. On the 28 I found that the cables were too long and that compounded the stiff movement problem. The original cables were both 12ft. long. The replacements were 8ft. and 9ft. long. Big difference in in lever action. The old cables were loose enough. They just had far to many bends.
Don't just follow the existing cable length. On the 28 I found that the cables were too long and that compounded the stiff movement problem. The original cables were both 12ft. long. The replacements were 8ft. and 9ft. long. Big difference in in lever action. The old cables were loose enough. They just had far to many bends.