Question about the "drive" cable and the "throttle" cable??? (Adjust or Replace?)

rhillman75

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 28, 2010
Messages
176
Question about the "drive" cable and the "throttle" cable??? (Adjust or Replace?)

I have been having some issue with my 96 Mercruiser 4.3LX Thunderbolt IV for the last 2 weeks now. When I have it in the water and running I have noticed that there is some "slop" in the throttle cable (probably about a 1/4 inch) When I am out running at 1/4 or 1/2 throttle and I come to slow down... it seems as though the engine contiues to idle high then when the cable "relaxes" itself it returns to normal idle of about 700 rpm. I had my wife drive it with the hatch up while I was back watching the movement and sure enough... it would hang up until I reached back on the cable and wiggled it up and down then it returned to normal idle. I have tried to mount it on the back barrel first and then I tried pushing in on the end and it did not improve. I then tried pulling it out and when it started it went to about 2,000 rpms. I think I have tried everything from oiling the cable to just lining up the cable attachment points then backing of 4 turns... but as I said before... if the cable is on the back mounting point and you pull on the end you get a visible 1/4 inch of movement. My other question is the drive cable... it works great when in forward but if I go to shift into reverse... it is TIGHT and needs to be "nursed" so it doesn't take off in reverse "hard" when it engages.
 
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