Yamaha 9.9 control rigging problem: Cable/engine mismatch?

[Mizamook]

Hello,

I have a puzzle on my hands. In my Devlin Dipper, outfitting her to go to sea for the first time (for me) with a different engine, it seems that the length of the cables from the sheath to the control tips are too long.

This boat has had Yamaha outboards (hi thrust 9.9) from the get go.

The current engine is a '97 T9.9 ELRV.

The cables are Morse 32377-003-144.0

The controller is a Morse single-lever type with the center shift bypass knob. Interestingly, one of the cables (I know not which, sorry) is retained in the controller by what looks like a fabbed bracket....not the stock controller bracket aft of the box. The other cable looks normal.

I've had the experienced guy at the boatyard look at it, and he was not pleased to find that the cables had to experience such a tight bend, nor was he inspired to confidence by the fact that the cables were severely bent, and the stainless tube part after the sheath ended was popped out of its crimp.

It seems that the bracket that "should" serve as cable retainer would indicate the placement of the cable ends. I can't tell what the total amount of throw on the cable "should" be. It that governed by the controller or the shift lever and throttle lever on the motor?

This boat was built in either '81 or '91, (depends on who you ask) and has passed through several ownerships, some of them twice. The previous owner and the builder don't recall having trouble with this.

It is my suspicion that either the cables are wrong for the motor, or there is something I am not "getting." I guess worst case scenario I buy new cables, the ones specified for this motor, use the plastic control box that came with it, instead of the nice Morse controller, and cut the motor well bulkhead to accommodate the cable arc properly. Not something I want to do, but I don't think cables should be bent like that.



It just occurred to me that maybe there is an offset adjustment in the controller....hmmmm.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Can't wait to join in the more fun part of this forum...like the parts involving boats (and sometimes boaters) in the water.....

Gene

 

[Mizamook]

Re: Yamaha 9.9 control rigging problem: Cable/engine mismatch?

OK....seems no-one could help me but myself. So I helped myself to some new cables, and installed them from the engine to the controller. Engine first was the key. This revealed why the old cables were bent in the first place. The install is so tight that it take a lot of freedom of movement to jockey the cables into and through the grommet on the motor. So the old cables were likely trashed by the hasty removal of the old engine....the proper way to remove the old cables would have been to release them from the jacketed cable/wiring bundle and then controller, and THEN remove them from the engine.

I still have a problem with cable retention. The retainer bracket is still too short, so I have zip-tied the sleeve ends to the motor handle. Not very pro, but it works. Not perfect - when tuning one way the motor speeds up slightly, and the other way, it slows down. I would not mind seeing some variations of installation. There must be a different bracket.

I have removed the plate that is causing the cables so much stress. In this plastic panel I have cut and beveled an oblong hole. This provides relief for the cables through the range of their movement as the motor turns. Over this hole I am going to build a tight box to return the well fore box to watertight, and next to this box will be a small tray for holding sundry items when underway. A cupholder if you will.

In the meantime, the mystery of why the engine dies intermittently when under way has been solved. Needless to say, we have been out on the water now twice. Both times, we experienced the engine gasping and then dying several times....sometimes when in the harbor, heading toward a piling. I used Seafoam to clean the carbs (I suspected oil fouling) , but on the second time out, after running the engine continuously for 20-30 minutes at dock with no problem, the engine died several times again, and finally would not start at all, which was unnerving, after trying everything. Everything? Well, except for one thing. I thought to unhook the fuel line to use it to squirt some fuel into the carb while turning over, and I noticed it was dry. I lifted the seat under which the portside tank resides, and found my problem. In order to preserve the neat and tidy aspect of the aft deck, I had run the line over the bulwark, and the seat over it provided plenty of clearance....until my wife sat on it. I can't tell you how happy I was to discover my own idiocy!

No more random engine dying!

However, I will be installing a good engine-mounted electric motor for "just in case" moments and times of quiet trolling. That is another post for another time...