Throttle Slack?

Question

5.7L Mercruiser, Alpha Drive, Quicksilver throttle I believe.

I have a lot of play & slack in my throttle. It's very stiff and tight when accelerating, then too easy to decelerate, causing boat to decrease speed to quickly sometimes. I could probably deccelerate with my pinky, but have to push pretty hard to accelerate. This is beyond lubricating, because I've done that. It works a little bit, but not on the extra play. Can someone walk me through adjusting the throttle, or is this real hard to do. Also, is there anywhere on the throttle cables that requires lubricating, besides where they connect to movable parts on the engine linkages? For example, is it necessary to lubricate inside the throttle assembly? I wouldn't think so, but thought I'd ask.

Answer 1

Lube on throttle cables does not work.  It sounds like it is getting hung up on the sleeve to the cable.  Buy a new cable.  There should be numbers on the throttle end.  This will tell you how long of a cable you need.  The more info you give the parts guy the better luck you will have at getting the right part.  Changing it out can be a little tricky if it is a long run.  The best way is to use the old cable to pull the new cable with.  There should not be more than 360 degrees in bends in the cable run.  Good luck

Answer 2

It sounds like the cables are hanging up and it is better to just replace them. Some throttle controls have a tension s***w on them, but that works in both dorections, not like what you have going on.  It's a pretty simple job to replace the cables, but get a manual to walk you through it.