Throttle linkage problem -- please advise!

[mjbliemel]

As I was taking my 1978 C27 out last weekend, I soon realized after leaving the dock that I was not getting the full use of my throttle. It's like I crank it all the way to get some power, but it is much reduced from what it should be. Could this be a loose throttle cable or something along those lines? I plan to try and fix this over the coming weekend. Any suggestions would be appreciated as to how I should go about this. It seems like I have to loosen and then tighten the cable, just a guess. TIA.

 

[Joe]

throttle cable

... adjustments are made at both ends. You can see the lever ajustment once you remove the housing. Same for the engine end. Each has a set screw that matches the cable to the lever's throw length. The throtle lever's throw can be adjusted also, but the problem is most likely at the engine end. The other possibility is that the throttle cable is frayed inside the jacket and is not allowing full movement. In that case it's replacement time. Don't try lubricating the cables inside the jacket, it's impossible ... a new cable isn't that expensive. I replaced my worn out Morse red jacket cables with Telex modes from Boat US for about 23 bucks per. What a difference.

 

[Garry @ S/V TASHTEGO]

Throttle

I have had the same problem on TASHTEGO. The cause was that the end of the cable sheath had come adrift. The cable sheath is held in place with a hinged brass clip which is held in place by a small dimple on the clip. It is VERY easy to knock the little clip off and have the cable sheath come adrift (I knocked mine off going into the locker to work on the batteries)which will give you either an erratic throttle or no control at all. Fix take ten seconds to put the sheath back in its mount and clip the clip on. For peace of mind I have used a nylon cable tie to secure the sheath.

 

[mjbliemel]

Nope, it's not that.

I did a pretty thorough check over the weekend of the entire throttle linkage, at least on the part in the cockpit locker. Nothing has come loose in the way you described, that would have been obvious to me. Well, must investigate further. Joe's post has some useful info I will have to think about. Thanks for the suggestion though.