80's Johnson 35hp throttle issues

I've got what I believe is a late 80s Johnson 35hp, and my throttle just sucks. It goes into gear, but then I push it all the way down and it does nothing. Then I have to all but stand on it for the last half inch which is idle to full throttle. It's been getting worse and worse since I got the motor, and now I can't even get it to do anything no matter how hard I stand on it. Oh and I broke the high idle lever off trying to get that to move as well. Can I just replace this with a universal control unit or what? I'm really tempted to just ditch it and find a newer Yamaha or mercury

Disconnect both cables at the motor.-------Now operate the control box.----------Does it operate properly , yes or no?----------Does the control have a big red plug , yes or no ?---------Any OMC control box with the big red plug will fit a motor with the big red plug.

Take the control box apart and see what's wrong with it. It may be a simple fix.

Big red plug? Where would that be? And I'll try disconnecting it and taking a look inside this afternoon

The big red plug is on the motor and part of the wiring harness.

PM me before u switch motors. U won't find much easier to work on. But if you have ur mind set on a different manufacturers motor, let us know first...someone will gladly take it off ur hands. Do u have a factory service manual for that model?