Mercury 50hp throttle control sticking

[Ruari 29]

Hello all, my control is really sticky, I have wd40 the cables and has improved forward but reverse is really sticky. Has anyone dismantled the controls in the picture attached?

[Ruari 29]

Im going to replace the cables but ive been told it could be the washer in the throttle/control

[Jizm]

I take it you have already checked the friction thumbturn on the front?

[Ruari 29]

Yeah didnt make any difference, I think rib was left on mooring to take on water feb/march and hasnt been run since, my hunch because of the green water marks on the inside of transom and it was left afloat all year by previous owners (sailing club). Looks like water level passed bottom of controls hence wanting to strip apart

[Jizm]

Yes, just take it off the console and remove the access plate on the back. This should give enough access to free everything up without stripping it right down.

[uncle al]

you could try, and look under the powerhead at the gear change linkage there should be a spanner size 10mm nut joining two levers together i have known them to vibrate and tighten undo the nut about ONE turn is it easier to operate? if not use a platinunm mercury control cable they are a bit more expensive but worth it let me know how you get on.How old is the obm?
regards
alan

[Ruari 29]

Thanks jizm, will give it a try I didnt know about that pannel. Hi Alan tried that nut no change, Not sure on age.
As you can imagine as previous being a club rescue boat some sailors dont know how to use the controls or the big red button you press to put in gear! The red button now doesn't really work

[uncle al]

if you disconnect the cables at the powerhead end does the controls work freely?if they do it suggests to me it could be a gearhousing problem, the spring behind the plunger in the propeller shaft (probaly), does the obm go into/outof gear manually easily?disconnect the cables from the control box as well, if the control box moves easily replace cables and keep the cable runs as straight as possible.
good luck
alan

[Ruari 29]

Thanks for the reply uncle al, going to disconnect all tomorrow and have a look

[9D280]

Probably a bit late now, but I had a similar problem with my Yam box. Two things to watch out for (hopefully you won't have found out already!) is that the screws holding the box together are likely to break or shear the threads inside befere undoing, and my guess would be a lot of dried grease in there.

Assuming you got it apart OK, bath everything in your favoutrite degreasant, re- lube & problem likely solved. For what it's worth most boxes use the same mechanism, so if it's a total write- off, any controls will do to replace the (mechanical) bits.

You can get a spare set of the plastic bushes for a song or two

[Ruari 29]

Control seems fine def the cables. Only problem I have now is getting the piece of crap back together, I spent 2 hours just trying to put casing back on. tomorrow is another day! I found this plastic bit and not sure where in the control it belongs?

[9D280]

Yeah, it's the casing is usually the bit that fails on old remotes!

My guess for the plastic bit (nothing to scale it against) is it probably is an insulator for the electrical gubbinry against the case, the two holes lining up with a couple of the screws that hold it together? Either that or it;s a bearing slide for the lid. Any witness marks on it?

How was the mechanism inside?

[Ruari 29]

Think you were spot on looks like it covers the electrical wire from mechanism, just impossible to get inplace and close lid.
Can I buy a replacement controller? Does it have to be merc? E.g. a reasonable priced one?

[Downhilldai]

Thought the cables were at fault, not the remotes?

[9D280]

Originally Posted by Ruari 29

Think you were spot on looks like it covers the electrical wire from mechanism, just impossible to get inplace and close lid.?

I assume you left the main body attatched to the boat?

Originally Posted by Ruari 29

Can I buy a replacement controller? Does it have to be merc? E.g. a reasonable priced one?

There are only two real differences in most of these controls - the shape & style of the box & the plug on the electrics! I am driving my Merc from a Yam 703, and for a wee while I borrowed a Tohatsu one while I rebuilt the mechanism in the 703

One option (which is what I did) is to move the electrics to your console. You will need to run 2 wires back to the remotes (5 in your case as you appear to be power trim) to allow the anti start in gear switch to do it's job.

Having said that, if your PT control wiring is a separate loom (it usually was on older engines) that may not be an issue & 2 wires to the ASIG switch would do. Then you can use any old secondhand control, or a random "mech only" lever which are relatively cheap. (Although a "mech only" with a PT switch may be a bit rarer, unless you go aftermarket new.

The other handy thing is that they all use the same square peg to connect lever to the rest of the gubbins, so a "manual" one could also work, just use your lever. Just be aware if you mix & match levers the neutral catch pegs are not a standard size, so you may end up with it not stopping dead centre or alternatively not catching in N at all.

The connectors you would need for the "jumper cable" can be found in any auto factors.

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

Thought the cables were at fault, not the remotes?

I guess you have found a problem in the remotes? If it is just the cables you could probably get replacements from the place under Iceland(?) in Oban.

[Ruari 29]

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

Thought the cables were at fault, not the remotes?

Yeah it is the cables just cant the whole thing back together, I took off all the casing. Oops,

[Ruari 29]

[QUOTE="9D280"]
I assume you left the main body attatched to the boat?

Thanks for the in depth reply, no I took controller off console, it think it was jammed in forward when I took it apart. Waiting for new cables to arrive

[Ruari 29]

Problem fixed thanks for your answers. The outcome: both cables were ceased, and part of the mechanism in the controller had popped off. After stripping the controller putting back together its now really smooth.
I found these 3 wires coming from the controller im guessing they are for the taco? Any ideas how I can test?

[Poly]

Yes they are your tacho wires. First I would clean the contacts on the tacho (then perhaps some vaselline on them if they are getting damp).

Now connect the Black Wire to GND, the purple wire to IGN and the grey wire to SEND.

You may need to turn the black arrow/dial - but it is probably in the right setting if it was previously working.

If it is not giving any signal with the engine running - then check you are getting 12-15V dc between black and purple. You can also measure the voltage between the GREY and BLACK - if you have a fancy multimeter which measures "frequency" or with an ordinary multimeter put it on V.a.c. (not dc) and measure - it will be probably somewhere between 10 and 20V depending on engine type and rpm at tick over. That will confirm the wiring from the engine is all ok and any fault is with the gauge (or setting).

[Ruari 29]

Thanks polwart your a star, here is another laugh for you I also found these 4 wires coming from controller randomly taped up under seat, any ideas?
The elec tilt and trim work fine and engine starts ok?