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5.7L Mercruiser Bravo II Throttle cable question

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Bluesmanbrunn

New member
Hello All,

This is my first post on these forums and I thought I would start our relationship off with a problem.

I just purchased a 96 Bayliner Avanti with twin 5.7L mercruiser bravo II stern drive system. My starboard engine seems to have a sluggish response from the throttle cable. I have to give it a bit more throttle to achieve 3000 rpms, and when coming down it takes a bit more movement in the throttle lever to get a response out of the engine. The boat does not struggle to come up onto plane, and the engine sounds healthy. I did replace the fuel filters and spark plugs, as well as the oil and filters, but that was because I just got the boat and couldn't say for sure the previous owner had maintenance done or not.
I suspect the throttle cable is the original, and has possibly stretched over time and needs replacing. I am looking for some guidance to diagnose my issue and plan the repairs. I am familiar with 4 stroke engines, but I am new to marine engines. Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Joshua.
 
Cables are funny,

A straight cable (no bends) will have almost ZERO slack/play in movement.

Once you add a bend to the cable (for instance when at back of boat it has to bend 90* ) this will introduce slack.

Add another bend to the same cable and it will increase the amount of slack even more,

So first see how cables are routed and if one in questions has more bends then the other then that could be a contributor.

Disconnect both cables at carb. Have someone watch cable movement as you advance throttle lever. do this for both and actually see of there is a real difference in movement versus throttle position.

If cables seem equal then it most likely is not the cable.

If it is then replace BOTH with NEW.
 
Jack,

Thanks for the fast response. I failed to mention in my previous post that it shifts into forward and reverse just fine, it's just the throttle that requires extra effort. This also came on after taking ownership of the boat, hence my sway towards a tired cable.

When you say to disconnect both cables, are you referring to both at each engine, or the throttle cable on port and starboard?
 
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