How to replace throttle cable

[Thomas George]

The throttle cable - pedestal steering, Yanmar 12 - is sticking. I removed the compass and the top seqment of the pedestal. Just below this are the control levers and below them the wheel shaft. Still further down it looks like the throttle cable outer case passes through a small hole in the interior of the pedestal column but is not secured. Because of the friction the whole cable flips from one side to the other when throttling down - that is when the control cable is forced into its casing.At the other end the cable casing is clamped to the engine. If I disconnect the control cable from the engine throttle the throttle works easily so the problem is definitely the cable. I have put a little oil on each end of the control cable which has improved the operation somewhat.I assume the cable must be replaced. If anyone has done this or knows how it is best done I would appreciate any advice as to how to proceed and any recommendations regarding the selection of a replacement cable.

 

[Robert]

Throttle Cable Blues

Tom, I just replaced my cable last fall. My problem was the forward and reverse cable was bending before it was going into the cable sleeve. But your problem is very similar to mine, I replaced both cables. This was due partly to age and contamination inside the cable sleeve and not wanting to do it again any time soon. Check to see if the cable lever is moving without hitting anything, or maybe it is loose at the connection to the cable. The cable sleeve will have a yoke and a mounting bolt that holds it to the pedestal. This is down inside the pedestal, so be real careful not to drop anything down inside it and extra careful not to strip any bolt holes out. The other end attachs to the fuel lever on the fuel pump. It just unscrews there.Look at your cable, one end will fasten to the fuel pump, the other end will have the saddle and mounting piece to bolt it back to the pedestal. You will have to have access to the bottom of the pedestal so you can bring it down through the floor along with the other forward/reverse cable. At this point I don't know how your boat is configured, mine is a 1987 Hunter 31. But attach the new cable to the top of the old cable somehow, (I used good ole Duck Tape)and pour some liquid soap on the connection to make it slide around corners and go through holes easier and pull it from the top of the pedestal down through the bottom hole of the pedestal. This is where it gets very tight. Hunters Engineers didn't give you much room to do this. But once you get it down and through the hole, (this would be a good time to have a drink)you can push it through the other places where it goes back to the engine. Don't tighten up anything until you have one end in the engine room and the other end sticking out of the pedestal. Also, make real sure you get the right length cable. There will be a Part number on the old cable sleeve somewhere. I got my cable from West Marine. Just give them your old part number and the length and you should be home free. Just remember, keep cold beer on hand, and a good helper/goofer around, oh, and you may want to have a bottle of good Rum somewhere, it always helps. Let me know what happens or if I can help you anymore. Email me at: robt.syl@sbcglobal.netRobert and "As Time Goes By" from St. Louis, MO.

 

[Tom George]

Replace Shift Cable Too?

Should I replace the shift cable too? It has always been very difficult to shift and it is a very large diameter cable that will make it difficult to reinstall the throttle cable.Well I got the old throttle cable out with only two problems - turning the bolt on the throttle cable yoke (no wrench fit in the restricted access) and pulling the cable end through the small hole in the base of the pedestal. Actually the hole in the base of the pedestal is not that small but it is almost completely filled by a very thick shift cable. There was enough room left for the throttle cable to slide easily until the metal fitting on the end reached the hole. Then I had clamp on the cable with vice grip pliers and use leverage to get the cable out.I did have a stout cord attached to the end of the throttle cable which followed it through the hole so I have that to guide the replacement throttle cable down the pedestal to the hole in the base. Also the replacement throttle cable I purchased has smaller diameter metal fittings so I have a shot at getting it through the hole. Today we are having thunderstorms so it is not a good time to try this.While waiting for the weather to clear I'm going the disconnect the shift cable from the transmission and find out how much of the difficulty shifting is due to the transmission and how much is due to the shift cable itself. Is such a large diameter cable needed to shift the transmission? If not, I should certainly replace it while there is no throttle cable limiting the space in the hole at the base of the pedestal.