Evinrude (1985) Control Cable Problem

robertk

Cadet
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
7
I have a single lever remote control with a warm up lever.
With throttle cable disconnected from engine, the warm up lever moves the end of the cable about 1". The throttle handle moves the end ot the cable about 2". The cable is brand new.

There is approx 1/2" of freeplay (cable movement in jacket) with the cable disconnected from the engine. I can move the cable about 1/2" without any movement of the levers.

As such, when the cable is connected to the engine, the warm up lever never returns to the true idle position. I have to go to the engine and push the end of the cable at the engine connection forward so it returns to the idle position.

There is some type of adjustment screw under where the cable connects to the engine. maybe that is used to remove the freeplay/backlash?

My boat is a 15' 1965 MFG runabout and I have 14' cables. Maybe the cables are too long for this boat?

I appreciate any advice.
 

noelm

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 8, 2005
Messages
761
Re: Evinrude (1985) Control Cable Problem

not too sure what you mean, but there is a plastic "runner" that is adjusted to make the cables do what there are supposed to do, when you move the warm up lever, you are operating the throttle lcable only, when you move the shift/throttle lever, the first movement is gears only, followed by throttle/timing advance, perhaps you need to do some adjusting. The length of the cable compared to the Boat means nothing, except it is not tidy and neat if the right length is not used.
 

clanton

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jul 9, 2001
Messages
4,876
Re: Evinrude (1985) Control Cable Problem

There are improved parts for control box. look at dealer service bulletins. The return to idle can be adjusted at engine end of cable.
 

tashasdaddy

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
51,019
Re: Evinrude (1985) Control Cable Problem

Evinrude 1985 what? need all the info.
 

robertk

Cadet
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
7
Re: Evinrude (1985) Control Cable Problem

Thanks for the replies. Here is more info:
1. My cable is a Teleflex #479 cable P/N CC20514. It has the knurled plastic adjuster at the engine end.

2. My Evinrude engine is a 35 HP two stroke with electric start.

3. The cables (shift cable and throttle cable) appear to be operating properly in that after warm up and pushing the engine end of the cable back to idle, the throttle works OK. The freeplay/backlash in the cable is what seems to affect returning to idle.

4. The control box, although quite old, appears to be working properly. I grease it up every two years or so.

5. I thought the length of the cables was irrelevant. They are dressed pretty well.

Please let me know if any further info will help in the diagnosis.
 

Randyg123

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 20, 2008
Messages
337
Re: Evinrude (1985) Control Cable Problem

I was having significant problem with my warm-up lever not providing enough play at the motor end. This meant that when fully up, the lever did not increase the idle much at all. I went through all the link-n-sync steps many times and replaced all other components, including the carb and timing linkages (just in case something was bent or improperly replaced by previous owner. New cables installed as well. Nothing fixed the problem.

What I noticed was that when moving the shifter/throttle back and forth, the throttle cable jacket moved in and out of the control. This meant that the cable was not anchoring tightly in the control unit. A lot of throttle movement was being lost due to the outside of the cable moving.

What I ended up doing was fashioning a shim to fit around the trunion to immobilize it in the control unit. This fixed my problem. This may or may not help you as well.

Also, if you cable is adjusted too tight, you will notice the warm-up lever moving up when shifting back to neutral. Does this happen to yours. If so, the throttle cable is not adjusted perfectly (may partially due to compensate for other problems).

You can check out this link to my post on this subject when I was troubleshooting it. there are many other comments from the experts that may help you as well. It's a long thread so make sure you visit both pages.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=247605

Good luck:)
 
Top