Re: 1978 Mercury 402
On the old MerControls - the main lever is the shift/throttle. The small flat lever is the neutral warmup. If you have the throttle in neutral (perpendicular to the plane of the cables) you can lift up the neutral warm up lever. Whichever cable moves will be the throttle cable. <br /><br />Hook up the shift cable first, as it runs in the lower position in the motor's mounting block. Make sure the prop free wheels in neutral, spins about 100-degrees in either directon in reverse with a solid lock-to-lock, and that it spins with a ratcheting sound in the clockwise direction in forward. You can adjust the brass mounting nut to achieve proper adjustment.<br /><br />Throttle side is done so that the motor idles in gear just above the point of stalling when put into gear - usually around 400-600 RPM, the slower the better.<br /><br />- Scott