Morse Twin lever Control issues

[WindyRob]

Could anyone recommend someone who is knowledgeable on these twin lever Morse gear / throttle controls and based in the Southampton area. They are hooked up to twin KAD 42's on a 1997 Fairline Targa 34.
Gear selection and overall stiffness of the controls is hampering docking. I am not sure if it just need adjusting/lubricating, or if new parts are required.

 

[Greg2]

May be that the cables need replacing. Our last boat was a Targa 35 and the throttles were really stiff. During a bit if an overhaul we replaced gear and throttle cables and things were much better. Also worth checking that the levers haven't been over tightened first though.......the resistance on them can be changed.

 

[omega2]

Have they always been in that condition? have got a flybridge control as well. Just remove the side plates and lubricate for as start, try to get oil down the cables. Check the business ends i.e in the engine room, the heat could have dried them out, and lastly the cable runs they need to be as easy as possible i.e no sharp bends or twists.

 

[oGaryo]

Had the same issue with ours, check for hard deposits on the drive end of the exposed gear change cable. Needs a lift out to check

 

[WindyRob]

thank you all..... yes they have always been quite stiff, even after the cables were replaced last year.
It's tightness of the lever, but also imprecission of the gear lever to engage gear, i.e sometime you push it into neutral position, but it remains in gear.
Our mechanic thinks its the actual control unit, but he say's he's no expert on the actual unit. I dont really want to take the whole thing off the dash to lubricate/check and make it worse. fyi this is a sealed metal unit, it doesnt have side plates.
We are away from our home port and currently in ocean village.

 

[omega2]

Would like to see a photo of these sealed controls. surely the cover lifts off or the side comes off! we are talking inboard gearboxes here not outdrives?. If inboard then remove the clevis at the gear box and shift the control lever by hand forward neutral reverse, is it easy to shift? if so then the cables need to be checked as stated, and finally the dashboard control.

http://www.nauticatusa.com/tips/cw_gearshiftlinkage.aspx

 

[WindyRob]

Hi, I need to check the unit again, but am sure the only way to access the unit is by removing it from the dash
This is a dual lever morse control unit linked to twin volvo kad 42 inboards on volvo stern drives.

 

[omega2]

They usually have a sort of lip on one side, by undoing the mounting screws on that side the plate will come off and the gubbins is in full view, if not then a sharp tap with heel of your palm at the rear of the box will remove the cover. A photo would help though.

http://www.mailspeedmarine.com/photo/10528119/337da6048b4830c8928295a13f0745cd/10528119_1.jpg

anything like this?

or this? if so then the two screws on top will release it

http://di1-2.shoppingshadow.com/ima...Morse+Twin+Sr+Controls+Twin+Control+By+Mo.jpg

I reckon yours are like this though

http://www.boatpartsandspares.co.uk...s/images/morse-remote-control-mt-2-1528-p.jpg

 

[WindyRob]

Yes, they are exactly like the 3rd picture you attached

http://www.boatpartsandspares.co.uk/...t-2-1528-p.jpg

I was just worried about doing this myself, but sounds like i can ease it up and then lubricate everything, do you think there is a tension adjuster in here? It does seem that most of my problem is the general stiffness which makes the whole docking process more difficult. Thanks for all your help so far, appreciated.

 

[scottie]

Are they single station or dual station ie lower and flying bridge ?

 

[omega2]

Yes, they are exactly like the 3rd picture you attached

http://www.boatpartsandspares.co.uk/...t-2-1528-p.jpg

I was just worried about doing this myself, but sounds like i can ease it up and then lubricate everything, do you think there is a tension adjuster in here? It does seem that most of my problem is the general stiffness which makes the whole docking process more difficult. Thanks for all your help so far, appreciated.[/QUOTyou will find grub screw in there bearing onto the spindle, with this you can vary the tension. but I reckon that if they haver been looked at all they will need is a little lube.

 

[david_bagshaw]

Undo the pair of screws under the mounting flange.

seperate the 2 halves

stiffness of throttle is controlled by a series of spring steel strips bearing on a ball, if you remove one, save it as as the years go by the ball creates a bigger grove in the throttle segement.

spray grease is great for oiling morse controls.
get hold of a installation drawing as it is quite common for the mounting of the outer part of the throttle cable to be installed the wrong way up.

consider replacing cables with the 33c supreme which has a wire center rather than rod so goes round bends better. (this really makes a difference, particularly on longer cables)

lubricate gearbox selector pivots & bearings. If you have dual station there is usually an additional frame to oil, usually in the engine room.

(I have only looked after 2 sets, 1970-89 and the present set 90 to now, 10,000 and 5,000 engine hours)

 

[WindyRob]

Thank you both for the great advice... I will give this a go asap and report back

 

[longjohnsilver]

I was recommended to lubricate the cables with hydraulic fluid as its less likely to gum up as it dries out.