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I reciently acquired a 16 foot Gregor with a 30 HP #J30ELCOA…

Customer Question

I reciently acquired a 16...

I reciently acquired a 16 foot Gregor with a 30 HP Johnson #J30ELCOA outboard motor with a single lever Remote Control lever. The problem is that the low idle and speed control are achieved in the first and last 10% of lever travel. Can you direct me to where the adjustments are that remove the "travel play" in the control lever?
Thank you, Mike

Submitted: 11 years ago.Category: Boat

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Answered in 11 minutes by:

1/18/2012

Marine Mechanic: Jeremy R., MarineTechnician replied 11 years ago

Jeremy R., MarineTechnician

Category: Boat

Satisfied Customers: 9,023

Experience: Multiple factory certifications 20+ years of experience.

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Hi, and thank you for letting me try and assist you with your problem.
That's a pretty tough question to answer.
I would suggest you narrow it down to whether the problem is in the controls, cables, or on the motor.
If it's in the controls, most all of the parts are available and it's probably the shift/throttle control plate inside.
Being a 1985 I can tell you that having pretty sloppy worn out controls are very common. There is not any adjustment for worn out.
The only adjustment on the controls is a friction screw so you don't have to hold the throttle in place all the time.
I would recommend boats.net for parts. They are fast and very reasonably priced.

Customer reply replied 11 years ago

The previous owner claims to have rebuilt the steering and remote control assemblies. The motor seems quite responsive to subtle movements of the throtle control shaft when made at the cable termination. The internal throttle cable is well terminated within the remote control lever assembly and responds without play to any lever movement. Since this is a closed system, the only adjustments are the forward and reverse thumbscrews, which do not address throttle play adjustment play at all, so there must something at either end of this loop that takes up play. The friction screw performs its function and is not related to this issue. The shift/throttle control plate terminates the control cables to the lever. This unit exhibits little wear and cannot account for the large amount of play in the lever. Any further ideas?

Marine Mechanic: Jeremy R., MarineTechnician replied 11 years ago

If there's play in the lever, there's nothing you're going to do without replacing parts or the whole remote setup.
There are no adjustments to take up slop.
The previous owner telling you he did something doesn't really hold much weight with me.
We really have no idea what he did or didn't do without tearing things apart and looking at them.
From everything you just described I'd say he was either lying, or he didn't know what he was doing. Because play in the remote is a simple symptom of being worn out.

Customer reply replied 11 years ago

Relist: Answer quality.

Marine Mechanic: Tan, MerCruiser Certified Technician replied 11 years ago

Tan, MerCruiser Certified Technician

Category: Boat

Satisfied Customers: 11,507

Experience: 40 yrs. experience with complete engine repairs both inboard/outboard and MerCruiser Certified Technician.

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Hi my name is***** will assist you.

Do you know the model and make of the control ?

There is a number of controls that were used and manufacturers.

Customer reply replied 11 years ago

Please refer to information at begining of this post.

Marine Mechanic: Tan, MerCruiser Certified Technician replied 11 years ago

Is this your control?

This is one of the remote control available for your engine. Diagram of 1985 REMOTE CONTROLS OMC Outboard Accessories REMOTE CONTROL ASSEMBLY - SINGLE LEVER Diagram and Parts

Post back with questions and info.

Customer reply replied 11 years ago

No, this is not the control. there is no switch. I sent you a link of the unit I have.

Please excuse me. We have an emergency here with my ailing father in law. I will try to contact you later tomorrow. Thank you.

Marine Mechanic: Tan, MerCruiser Certified Technician replied 11 years ago

I have not received any link to your control. Here is a link to the remote controls available for your engine in 1985. If none of these match then you do not have 1985 controls. Which means you have another manufacturers control or the control is from a different year. click here

Post back with info and questions.

Customer reply replied 11 years ago

You are correct. I went through all the parts lists until I found the one that's on our boat. The control is from 1993, and "1994 REMOTE CONTROLS OMC Outboard Accessories REMOTE CONTROL - SIDE MOUNT - PREWIRED Diagram and Parts"

The link is:

http://www.boats.net/parts/search/OMC/OBAccessories/1994/REMOTE%20CONTROLS/REMOTE%20CONTROL%20-%20SIDE%20MOUNT%20-%20PREWIRED/parts.html

This is the same control depected in my downloaded operators manual for the above referenced motor, which is listed a as a 1985 model - go figure! The link for that is:

http://www.boats.net/parts/search/OMC/OBAccessories/1994/REMOTE%20CONTROLS/REMOTE%20CONTROL%20-%20SIDE%20MOUNT%20-%20PREWIRED/parts.html

Perhaps even you might become confused. In any event, I hope you recieve these links in good order and can offer some well considered advice.

Thanks, Mike

Marine Mechanic: Tan, MerCruiser Certified Technician replied 11 years ago

The warm up lever # 81 doesn't give you much throttle. Another words the engine will not rev very high as indicated only 10% this is normal. Now if the lever is loose or sloppy then you have worn or loose parts in the box. The parts that wear #66 or break are # 67 and 30 will cause the loss of idle rpm. The # 82 screw can work loose and cause the same symptoms. If the warm lever is tight and not sloppy then there is nothing you can do for idle. The engine may have another issue if it won't idle correctly. Check these items. Diagram of 1994 REMOTE CONTROLS OMC Outboard Accessories REMOTE CONTROL - SIDE MOUNT - PREWIRED Diagram and Parts

Post back with questions.

Customer reply replied 11 years ago

The warm lever is reasonably tight and performs it's function during start up. The primer also works when the motor is cold. The issue I am trying to address is the non-linear throttle response to the angular rotation of the control lever. The control lever has a large "dead spot" during rotation between slow and fast throttle. I have reasonable control at idle and low speeds, then I must rotate the control lever to the very near the limit of forward travel to open the throttle to (what I believe) is maximum. This is the issue and I am seeking to adjust the throttle cables to minimize this problem.

If, in your judgement, this problem resides within the remote control box, which of it's components should be examined for wear, adjustment or breakage?

Thanks, Mike

Marine Mechanic: Tan, MerCruiser Certified Technician replied 11 years ago

If the engine shifts and idles correctly then the cable is not the issue. The only adjustment is for the low end idle.

Run the engine with the throttle cable disconnected, operate the throttle on the engine manually. Does the engine run correctly? If the engine runs correctly with the control disconnected then the control is the issue. Check the throttle cable for deterioration. Check that all the linkage on the engine is intact.

Post back with findings.

Customer reply replied 11 years ago

OK. Can you help me identify the throttle cable location? The shift cables terminate into a rotating cam assembly, but I'm not sure just where the throttle cables terminate on that engine. The Johnson website is not very clear how throttle wires connect to the throttle rods. Can you recommend a better source?

Thanks, Mike

Marine Mechanic: Tan, MerCruiser Certified Technician replied 11 years ago

The throttle connects to the control lever # 37 on the port side of the engine. There is a clip that holds the cable in place. Diagram of 1985 J30ELCOA Evinrude / Johnson Johnson Outboard CYLINDER & CRANKCASE Diagram and Parts

Post back with questions.

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