replaced mine
I had a 1982 Catalina 30 with the 5411 Universal diesel. I replaced both the throttle and the shift cables. One thing: Since these cables lie down low in the hull, they can tend to get wet. Over time,the cover for them can rot. I found that one of my cables chad almost entirely rotted out. I'm amazed it still workerd. Maybe this is what's happened with you. The cable is still connected at both ends, but if the coil that covers it is rotted, then when you move the throttle lever it doesn't accomplish anything. I don't know if there's a way to physically inspect your cable while it's in place, but if not, I found it a fairly simple matter to change it. Simply disconnect one end of the cable, tie some strong cord to this end and pull it through. You can then tie your new cable to this cord and pull it back through and reattach it. I don't know if this is the "officially correct" way of doing it, but it worked for me. A new cable isn't that expensive. I hope this helps.
