Whitlock pedestal throttle pod

laika

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 Apr 2011
Messages
8,307
Location
London / Gosport
Visit site
My throttle has gone dodgy and I've never investigated how it works before. Push it forward it accelerates. Pull it back it to tickover and it doesn't decelerate until you kind of tap it back against the tickover notch (that's the new and dodgy bit if wasn't obvious). Clutch seems OK so not panicking yet.

The throttle leaver on the engine seems to move smoothly but it doesn't seem to have a spring to move it back to closed: I presume that's how it works.

The pod *looks* like it might separate from around the pedestal steel outer tubing to give me access if I remove the 2 screws visible in the picture below and a couple of allen bolts on the top of the pedestal.

If anyone's done this and has tips on taking this stuff apart, please share. Currently away from home and any marine engineers and I'm reticent about forcing something apart which may have a hidden plastic clip which will shatter if I don't open it up correctly...

IMG_20160828_161011.jpg
 
Inside will be a normal Teleflex type mechanism. Probably just needs cleaning and lubricating. Once you get the cover off it is obvious how it works.
 
Inside will be a normal Teleflex type mechanism. Probably just needs cleaning and lubricating. Once you get the cover off it is obvious how it works.

Is that implicit confirmation that getting the cover off is also straight forward? At home I would suck it and see but I have visions of that "hmm..does it need a bit more force or is there a retaining clip I've missed" conundrum.

And I guess while I'm showing my ignorance about what will be revealed within this pod...oil or grease for lubrication?

[Edit 2] : from pvb's doc: wd40 or marine grease

I can cut myself some slack for lack of mechanical experience having done some surprisingly competent electrical bodging in the last few days :-)

Edit: Thanks pvb: my last post posted before seeing yours. That's v. helpful
 
Last edited:
For anyone finding this thread in the future...

Yes, undo those two screws. Then you notice the two screws under the pedestal top also holding the pod sides together which there's no way you can get even a ratchet or a bit in between the screw and the central pedestal . After some head-scratching you take the bolts out which secure the pod to the pedestal top and miraculously discover that the steel post doesn't go through the middle of the pod so you can angle it out sideways, take the impossible screws out and separate the halves. And here's what I think is the cause of my woes:

teleflex.jpg

That little bracket is sheared, meaning that pulling back the throttle I'm pushing the cable sheath down rather than pushing the cable through the sheath.

Anyone know what that little bracket is called? Teleflex spares sites I've been on don't have many pictures. The rest of the assembly seems almost new so wouldn't want to replace it.
 
For anyone finding this thread in the future...

Yes, undo those two screws. Then you notice the two screws under the pedestal top also holding the pod sides together which there's no way you can get even a ratchet or a bit in between the screw and the central pedestal . After some head-scratching you take the bolts out which secure the pod to the pedestal top and miraculously discover that the steel post doesn't go through the middle of the pod so you can angle it out sideways, take the impossible screws out and separate the halves. And here's what I think is the cause of my woes:

View attachment 59853

That little bracket is sheared, meaning that pulling back the throttle I'm pushing the cable sheath down rather than pushing the cable through the sheath.

Anyone know what that little bracket is called? Teleflex spares sites I've been on don't have many pictures. The rest of the assembly seems almost new so wouldn't want to replace it.

Think you will have to find out who actually made the control. Although the principles are the same, different manufacturers have variations of the fittings.
 
Think you will have to find out who actually made the control. Although the principles are the same, different manufacturers have variations of the fittings.

There wasn't a manufacturer's name but there was a whole list (more than 4) of patent numbers stamped on the main metal plate thingy that everything hangs off which supported my preconceived notion that there was one manufacturer who owned this stuff: could be wrong. It's from an originally-volvo-engined westerly and I'd assumed (as scottie says) it was teleflex, but I could be wrong.
 
There wasn't a manufacturer's name but there was a whole list (more than 4) of patent numbers stamped on the main metal plate thingy that everything hangs off which supported my preconceived notion that there was one manufacturer who owned this stuff: could be wrong. It's from an originally-volvo-engined westerly and I'd assumed (as scottie says) it was teleflex, but I could be wrong.

Post a pic of the whole unit and some one may identify it. You could also try to google the patent numbers and you may get a hit.
 
It's a Morse mechanism.

Lewmar part number for complete mechanism (excluding handle) is 89400137.

Call their support up so they can check which part that item is in, I can't remember if that bracket was part of the fixing kit, or the mechanism itself. Fittings kit part number is 89400146
 
Last edited:
It's a Morse mechanism.

The problem is that "Morse" is the generic name of the type and can be made by a number of different manufacturers and the details differ. For example the fittings in question on the Vetus version are different from the Lewmar (I have had both) and also differ model to model from the same manufacturer.
 
@Laika - I had a similar problem with my morse/lewmar/whitlock control and bought a service kit

Looks like this and easy enough to disassemble the pod and fit the bits

ss05009.jpg
 
Last edited:
Before the later comments (thanks guys: those bits which I checked out were all slightly different from what I have) here I contacted ASAP who do morse/teleflex/lewmar. They advised that it couldn't be purchased separately: I'd either have to get something fabricated or replace the whole mechanism. Then I contacted seastar who now own the teleflex brand. One line answer saying to contact the distributer in the country I live. So I mailed Bainbridge where a gentleman called Mark checked out the parts list and couldn't find the part I wanted, so he took one off a demo model they had, mailed it to me and declined to accept any payment. I shall be trying to find Bainbridge at the boat show tomorrow to thank them and see if I can find something that I *can* buy from them.

Meantime...To get at the nut which holds the bolt that bracket is attached to in place I think I have to take the mechanism completely out of the pod. All done except for the throttle control lever which seems to be holding the mechanism to the pod side now. I *thought* that would be easy: take the grub screw out and slide the handle off. But no. It won't budge.
IMG_20160917_175742.jpg
The pdf pvb posted was of a slightly different model to mine with 2 grub screws: mine has just one but I thought it would be the same deal. Anyone taken one of these handles off? I'm wondering whether I'm just applying insufficient force to lever it off...
 
Top