Please help!? Shift cable/throttle cable?

[Donnyb83]

Please help,I'm new to boats. I just bought my first boat. Got a good deal. 1978 sportcraft with an original 800 80 HP mercury engine that runs good. However there are some minor repairs. One of them I noticed is a freyed rusted cable going to the engine. It has one right above it the same size also. I'm guessing they are shift cables/throttle cable. Am I right? They go to the original mercury throttle. There is a fat casing also coming out. (I'm guessing in there would be ignition and steering cables) not sure. Could someone please help me. I need to know if I'm right. If this is normal wear and do I need to order these from mercury?. The top cable looks fine but I guess I'll replace this one also. How hard is it to replace myself. I do have some engine knowledge and work on my own truck from time to time. I can't find anything on the internet. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm from South Jersey and want to be in the water soon. Thank you! I tried uploading pics but it kept saying wrong file,or file too big. The boat looks excellent. Transom is in excellent condition. New floor, carpet. So it's not what you think if you think wow 1978. I know it sounds like an old headache. I bought this boat because it was the exact same boat my pops had growing up until I was about 10. Again thank you for any help.

 

[crazyinkc]

Is it hard to move the controls and steering? Without a pic, it is hard to judge. You need to resize your pics to get them to load. I think there is a sticky at the top of the forum.

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome aboard, Donnyb.

First off - To add photos, click on the Forum Help link in the sig below and look at the photo tutorial. Option 3 is the easiest to use and adds a nice sized pic. Also you need to have more than 3 posts to attach photos.

Not knowing which remote control you have, I can only offer generic info, but Merc controls of that era have the throttle and shift cables, the smaller of the three. The larger cable is the boat side wiring harness. The throttle/shift cable outer covering can crack over the years and show rust signs from the metal sheath, as your cable is showing. Once the rust starts, the cable inner workings can become stiff and hard to move. Replacing the cables isn't a hard job, we can walk you through it and there are threads in the forum by other members for reference.

The wiring harness plugs onto the side of your motor. Here is a parts diagram for your 1978 80HP - http://www.iboats.com/MERCURY-800-4...108747--session_id.950264079--view_id.1703493

We carry the throttle and shift cables. These are the ones to use - http://www.iboats.com/Mercury-Type-...5108747--session_id.950264079--view_id.250575

Measure the old cables for length and get two cables. If one is going bad, the other is right behind. Also you will only have to open the remote control once.

Once we see some pics of the remote we can give some better advice and get you on the water.

Some questions for you;

Has the impeller been changed? Has the lower unit lube been checked for water and changed? We recommend doing these on any new to you motor because all too often these are ignored as regular maintenance.

The biggy - How does the motor run?

 

[Donnyb83]

I just wanted to write thank you very much. I'll get right back to you as soon as possible. I'm at work then as soon as I'm done going for my boater safety class. Wanted to acknowledge I've seen both posts. Thank you very much get back to you later tonight or tomorrow. I appreciate it very much!!! Man you just made my day!

 

[GA_Boater]

Boating safety is the #1 priority. Git 'er dun! :smile:

 

[Donnyb83]

[No message]

 

[Donnyb83]

[No message]

 

[GA_Boater]

Your pics missed the train.

Try Option 3, the links above are to the main page of PB, not your album or pics.

 

[Donnyb83]

Lol sorry I'll get it. I'm trying in between hearing the GF bla bla bla. Lol. Sorry the other 2 nights were very busy however I did pass my boater safety course with 100% . Im working on getting the pics up first then answering your questions you've asked in order. Thanks again

 

[Donnyb83]

 

[Donnyb83]

 

[Donnyb83]

 

[Donnyb83]

 

[Donnyb83]

The motor runs good. I heard it run before I bought it. I know the guy has taken it out like this, but I'm not going to. today I looked it over a little further and when I was climbing out of the boat, I noticed that the big wire had a crack in it. (The middle wire running to the Throttle.) I noticed that it also looked like rusted cables. Could that possibly be the steering cable. I have turned the steering wheel while the outboard is in the lift position and it turns. It's a little tough but not bad. I haven't tried to turn it with the outboard in the down position yet. I definitely want to fix these issues before I take it out. When I bought the boat I knew there were probably going to be some issues since its a 1978. I like working on things but I like doing it the right way. Not just winging it. I really hope you can take the time to walk me through fixing these things or just pointing me in the right direction without having to have someone else do this for me. I really appreciate anything anyone has to say or show me. Thank you again. Like I said before this is my first boat. I know its old but she is mine and she is pretty. lol. The transom is great. The boat is awesome. The interior is awesome. Floors are good. Trailer is even in great shape. However these important engine components are not. lol. Just have to find the good in things to fix the bad. Thanks again. It took me forever to get these pics up. Had My gf and 2 kids all over the wifi downloading and everything else. lol. I'll be on tomorrow to check and see the posts. Goodnight and thank you.

 

[Donnyb83]

one more thing. The wires that were rusty inside the casing. Were not frayed like this one. Just could see a significant amount of rust. So I'm sure won't be long before they start breaking and look like this.

 

[GA_Boater]

The throttle and shift cable are ready to break. The shifting and throttle are probably stiff. That remote control isn't too hard to open up and change the cables.

I don't see any steering cable in any of the pics. Steering cable will come into the splashwell on the starboard side. I can't see what type of termination is used at the motor end. Can you lower the motor and take another pic of the front of the motor from the splashwell? Trying to see how the cable connects to the motor.

 

[Donnyb83]

No problem. I'll take some in just a bit.

 

[Donnyb83]

 

[Donnyb83]

Here's a pic of it up that was on my phone. I'll take one with it down as soon as I take the kids to school.

 

[ajgraz]

I have that same control box on my 1978 StarCraft trihull. Not hard to take apart and reassemble, just the first time do it inside a really big plastic bag because there are a few things that will want to "spring out" on you and try to get away! And you should take it apart and inspect everything very carefully, they have cams and rollers inside that DO wear out and/or get "notched" and sticky.

There were approximately 10 gazillion of those controls made, so if you need new internal parts or whatever, you can find them quite easily and cheaply. (With the exception of the main wiring harness, which is NOT cheap or easy to find an original in good condition...but the one for your control-to-motor should be able to be home-made pretty easily if need be, I home-made my own)

As to new throttle and shift cables, I suggest for a few dollars more you step up to the "Extreme" version:
http://www.iboats.com/Xtreme-600a-Me...iew_id.1183531

SO much smoother than the "regular" version, and much better able to take the tight bend radius you have at the motor...seeing as how your splashwell looks too small to put a "loop" in the cables at the motor.