Thrttle / Gear Lever

[copus]

I have just purchased my first boat, a lovely 21' fishing boat with a 20 hp bukh diesel inboard. Great life cruising around Torbay and Dartmouth with the family, the only little problem is with the throttle / gear lever, it’ very stiff and requires a lot of upper body strength to shift it into gear and then back into neutral. Is it possible to adjust the lever so I can have a little more 'give' or does this require major surgery? Many thanks

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[john_morris_uk]

It shouldn't be as stiff as that, however the chances are that it is not an adjustment problem.

Logical progression - if you disconnect the connectors from the engine and hearbox are the controls easy to operate? (I remember a nearly new Yanmar 1GM10 where the throttle shaft became seized in the side of the block)

Once you've disconnected the cables - try the gear lever - if its still stiff its either the cables or the selector itself.

It is possible to connect the gear shift up incorrectly and make the whole thing quite stiff to move but still work just. (I know because I've done it myself!) The amount of travel of the gear cable is critical and the correct hole on the lever inside needs to be chosen to suit.

There is usually a friction control in the gear shift mechanism, (often a grub screw or allan screw revealed when you remove the levere and the cover) but if you know that its worked properly in the past, the most likely culprit is corrosion somewhere in the single lever control or the cables.

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[nordic_ranger]

At the back of the engine you will find a Quadrant that the gear cables connect too, this sticks. Give it a good blast with WD40 or similar then find an old tooth brush and give it a good scrub and repeat with WD40. This should make a big difference in the operation of the gear lever.

Jim.

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[copus]

Many thanks for the info, I'll have a bash this weekend and hopefully cure this!

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