Throttle/gear shift stiff to operate

[Nick Wight]

Our boat is fitted with a Volvo Penta side mounted Xact control that in the 4 years we have owned the boat, has always been very "stiff" to operate. Even at cruising speeds it requires significant effort to move it and adds an extra level of interest when manoeuvring at close quarters. I have become used to it and compensate accordingly, but I would like to establish what is causing it to be so difficult to use and I realise that I may be misunderstanding the way it operates. In the first part of the travel of the control arm gear is engaged and from then on the associated bowden cable does not move. Is that correct?

By way of background: VP D4/260 with DPH drive, no actuator. Drive overhauled 2 years ago with no specific/serious problems found and cable has been replaced.

I have searched on-line for information on the Xact control, but there is little or nothing available. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[GrahamHR]

The lever friction is adjustable. From the EVC installation manual, which I found on line in 2014;

"The lever friction can be adjusted with screw. Turn the screw clockwise to increase drag on the control lever and counterclockwise to decrease drag on the control lever. NOTE! The friction must be adjusted only when the control lever is in the throttle range. Do not adjust the friction with the control in neutral"

I can't copy the drawing from the pdf file. With the cover taken off, the adjustment screw is at the forward end of the mounting plate (horizontal), it shows an allen key being used.

 

[Nick Wight]

I have previously looked for any sort of adjustment, but I was looking for a slot or pozi headed screw -- not an allen key!

Thank you Graham -- very helpful!

 

[scottie]

Our boat is fitted with a Volvo Penta side mounted Xact control that in the 4 years we have owned the boat, has always been very "stiff" to operate. Even at cruising speeds it requires significant effort to move it and adds an extra level of interest when manoeuvring at close quarters. I have become used to it and compensate accordingly, but I would like to establish what is causing it to be so difficult to use and I realise that I may be misunderstanding the way it operates. In the first part of the travel of the control arm gear is engaged and from then on the associated bowden cable does not move. Is that correct?

By way of background: VP D4/260 with DPH drive, no actuator. Drive overhauled 2 years ago with no specific/serious problems found and cable has been replaced.

I have searched on-line for information on the Xact control, but there is little or nothing available. Anyone have any thoughts?

View attachment 119469

Why would you expect the gear cable to move after engagement

 

[GrahamHR]

I have previously looked for any sort of adjustment, but I was looking for a slot or pozi headed screw -- not an allen key!

Thank you Graham -- very helpful!

I took some photos of a spare Xact control I have in the garage (long story !) but I can't seem to post them.

The allen key you"ll need is a 2.5mm one.

 

[Nick Wight]

Hello Scottie -- in a roundabout sort of way you appear to have answered my question.

Hello Graham -- thank you once again and I will pop down to the boat tomorrow and try to locate the adjuster. Just to confirm, the information that you have is for a side mount control and not for a top mounting unit?

 

[GrahamHR]

Yes, It's for a side mounted one.

 

[scottie]

Basic mechanism will be same but access will be different

try disconnecting the throttle cable from gov arm and operate the control in neutral run up engine stopped this wii give you a sense of how stiff the throttle is ie no or little resistance
it the control is set up correctly the gear cable should coinsde with the detents for fwd neut and Reverse
the throttle cable will move from neutral to full but a lost motion device should absorb neutral to in gear so that the engine will not increase speed before engaging gear
all single lever controls should have this except outboards that traditionally require increase throttle and gear selection together

 

[Nick Wight]

Unfortunately this morning I was unable to locate any allen key adjustment on the control. Access to the control is very restricted and difficult, but my next plan is to expose it by bringing it out through the cut-out hole for a loudspeaker and then examine it thoroughly for any issues or defects. However, I think I'll leave it until a cooler day as it must have been 200 degrees in the cockpit today!

 

[hazchem]

Had a similar problem with top control, throttle worked fine in forward but extremely stiff to apply throttle in reverse and exactly as "scottie" explained my gear cable went way past the detent for reverse at gearbox end putting the cable under pressure this resulted in stiffness at control, when gear cable was adjusted all back to normal. May not be your problem.

 

[GrahamHR]

Unfortunately this morning I was unable to locate any allen key adjustment on the control. Access to the control is very restricted and difficult, but my next plan is to expose it by bringing it out through the cut-out hole for a loudspeaker and then examine it thoroughly for any issues or defects. However, I think I'll leave it until a cooler day as it must have been 200 degrees in the cockpit today!

I cropped the phot so it is possible to add it.

Unfortunately this morning I was unable to locate any allen key adjustment on the control. Access to the control is very restricted and difficult, but my next plan is to expose it by bringing it out through the cut-out hole for a loudspeaker and then examine it thoroughly for any issues or defects. However, I think I'll leave it until a cooler day as it must have been 200 degrees in the cockpit today!

Hope this makes it easier to find !

 

[Nick Wight]

Thanks Scottie & Hazchem, all useful information for when I pull the control out fully and take a look at it.

Thanks Graham, although I don't recognise anything in the photo from what I've seen of the control so far. I assume that adjustment screw is not on what I would call the front faceplate of the control, but it may be obvious once I can see the control in it's entirety.

Unfortunately I'm suffering from a bad flare up of gout just now, so it will be a few days yet before I'm up to crawling around the boat! Oh the joys of getting old!