Mercruiser throttle problems, engages late

[merc noob]

Hi there, been looking online trying to find the answer to the problems I've been having with my older, early 80's, mercruiser 140 stern drive. The boat and motor are old, and not in the greatest shape, so I do not want to sink a lot of money into it. But it does work to pull a tube around the lake, ect. Right now, I'm having trouble figuring out my throttle problem. The throttle lever does not deliver any power until the last inch or to of its reach. When you push it down, the first 60 degrees of push is slack, and only engages the engine into gear. The last few inches are very stiff, and only in this reach do you get any throttle response. This makes the boat difficult to control and manage. Do I need to replace my throttle cable, or is there a problem with my shift cables? Sorry for the poor descriptions, I'm new to the boat world, but any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[guyjg]

See if the cable is loose where it connects to the carb.