Stiff Throttle

[Chris]

The throttle on my Johson 90 is very stiff once you start to get towards the top of its movement, ie once after the indent. I am about to change the cables to rule them out first however I have noticed if you disconnect the gear cable things move a lot easier however if you disconnect the Throttle cable and leave the gear connected again its much easier to move, its as if the combination of the two add up to a really stiff movement at the throttle.

Anyone had any experience of this.

Also I wanted to check how big the cable loop should be in front of the engine. I have attached a couple of PICS of mine if anyone could comment I would appreciate the advice.


Chris

[Nos4r2]

The loop on my sr4 is about the same size and it's smooth enough. I assume the inside of the controls are greased up properly?

[Polwart]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

The loop on my sr4 is about the same size and it's smooth enough. I assume the inside of the controls are greased up properly?

You've obviously got direct experience of this - but I previously replaced my cables which were looped like this (possibly slightly worse) - and since then they became much smoother/less stiff. They also changed from Yamaha to teleflex - but presume this wasn't the cause.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Polwart

You've obviously got direct experience of this - but I previously replaced my cables which were looped like this (possibly slightly worse) - and since then they became much smoother/less stiff. They also changed from Yamaha to teleflex - but presume this wasn't the cause.

Polwart are you saying you made the loop smaller or larger?

Chris

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

The loop on my sr4 is about the same size and it's smooth enough. I assume the inside of the controls are greased up properly?

Yes Nos the controls are greased up and if you disconnect the cables from the engine the movement is fine.

What cables do you recommend, I was going to buy original Johnson ones but it was mentioned to me earlier by someone in the know that I should perhaps consider Platinum grade cables?

Chris

[Nos4r2]

Do the controls still feel OK if you curl the cables like they are on the motor?

I've only ever had one Johnson on remotes so can't really comment on cable types and I did a Morse cable conversion on that simply because that's what I had lying around.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Do the controls still feel OK if you curl the cables like they are on the motor?

I've only ever had one Johnson on remotes so can't really comment on cable types and I did a Morse cable conversion on that simply because that's what I had lying around.

Yes the controls are fine with the cables curled up. I am going to replace the cables to rule them out however I dont think this is going to cure the problem, I guess this one may be beyond me so I will have to take the engine to someone who can diagnose the problem.

I hate paying for this kind of thing but its not something I want to fail when Im out on the water.
I have been told that cables can act very differently when under load so who knows they might be the culprit. Fingers crossed.

Chris

[Polwart]

Originally Posted by Chris1573

Polwart are you saying you made the loop smaller or larger?

Chris

The cables I got when I bought my boat were too long (I followed Yamaha's measurement advice - but its doesn't work on a really small boat). Accordingly - they ran in a straight line down the side of the hull then looped round in a big circle (bigger than yours) at the back of the boat on the deck before going into the engine.

Logic says that tight circles are going to be worse - but also that the longer the tube is curve is also going to be bad.

The new cables now have no loop simply a curve (does that make sense) - i.e. the cables are shorter than yours so don't need to cross over themselves...

Cables aren't dirt cheap so I would only replace it if you are sure thats the problem.

[BogMonster]

Mine is VERY stiff when you are accelerating but comes off the throttle very easily - never understood it - had a poke around and couldn't get to the bottom of it so I put up with it!

[Chris]

I spoke to a Johnson mechanic when I went to get my cables and he said that the problem I was describing sounded like it could be due to some bushes on the gear linkage where it passes under the engine before going down the leg. Apparently you can get to it easily enough by splitting the bottom tray under the power head away from the engine and then there should be a pair of plastic bushes that the linkage passes through... these are the culprit as they can expand over time due to seawater ingress and grabt he linkage causing drag on the system.

I am going to replace my cables tomorrow and if I still have a stiff throttle will look to the gear linkage next.

Stephen you may find this is your problem as well.

Chris