Throttle stiffness please help!!

[lhutrack165]

So I bought a boat last summer and for having a 1989 85 hp Force it ran well with no major issues. Occasionally the throttle cable would freeze up and not go wide open but once it was used it would work free and be completely fine. After getting it out this winter It was stuck again and would not work loose, it does go into gear tho so I just thought the throttle cable was bad. So I unhooked it from the motor and when I worked the controls the stiffness was gone, controls would go to wide open and the cable seemed fine. So I thought it must be the throttle body that was sticking. But when I checked it I could move the throttle fairly easy from closed to wide open and back. So my question is, is it possible for the cable to be bad and only show up when under stress?? I don't what is causing the stiffness when individually everything seems normal. Help Please!!! Thank you!!

 

[skydiveD30571]

Re: Throttle stiffness please help!!

Yes, a cable with no load can seem fine until it has a slight load and then freeze up.

 

[lhutrack165]

Re: Throttle stiffness please help!!

Ok, just kind of baffled me but though that maybe that's what was wrong

 

[skydiveD30571]

Re: Throttle stiffness please help!!

My shift cable did the same thing. Hard shifting into both fwd/rev. Unhook the cable and the control will move easily, and I could easily shift the drive by hand. But together, it was much harder.

 

[lhutrack165]

Re: Throttle stiffness please help!!

Did it end just being the cable that needed replaced?

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Throttle stiffness please help!!

If you do not have about a 2 foot loop in the cable at the engine end it will be stiff. If this is the case, buy another cable about 2-3 feet longer than what you have now.

 

[lhutrack165]

Re: Throttle stiffness please help!!

There is a loop of about 2-3 feet both when I've tried hooked up and not hooked up. But when I say stiff I mean it doesn't move haha, it's inoperable, but when it's simply unhooked it seems to move no problem