Port throttle won't go to neutral with engines running

[sf615]

Hello everybody, sorry in advance for the long thread but I've got an add issue with our 2012 Yamaha 242. This started late last season and resulted in a broken cable which was replaced by the local Yamaha authorized service center but is still happening and I'm stumped.

With the engines off, both port and starboard levers can move freely between forward, neutral, and reverse. There's no binding, no extra effort, nothing seems to be sticking on the gate as they move up and down. Everything works just fine. With the engines running (started from neutral) reverse and the first forward position work 100% fine. Again, no binding, stiffness, etc. Can get around the marina just fine, and through the no wake zone without any issues. As soon as we leave the no wake zone and push the throttles further forward to get underway again everything seems fine. Engines are responsive, plenty of thrust, and can move between any position from full open to the first forward position without any issues. However, as soon as you try to go back into neutral (after slowing down a bit at the spot we are going) the port throttle ONLY will not go back into neutral. It's like it's hitting a stop that prrevents. The starboard throttle can freely continue to move forward and back but the port will not go into neutral unless you do one of two things:

1. If you cycle the starboard throttle a few times into and out of neutral (first position forward, neutral, first position reverse, back to first position forward) the port throttle will SOMETIMES "unlock" and go back into neutral. This trick only works about 15% of the time
2. Turn both engines off. If we have slowed down all the way, and the port throttle is "locked out" of neutral and I kill both engines, the throttle immediately "unlocks" and I can go back into neutral, reverse, etc. It's the weirdest thing.

Sorry again for the long post but any ideas out there what it might be?

 

[Hot2Go]

Alright so which cable did the dealer fix last year? Are your throttle and control cables wire or electronic (assume they are wire)? I would look in your clean-out access holes to see if you can spot the port control cable and inspect it. Would take a peek at the throttle cable in the engine bay as well.

Weird ordeal, might be worth taking the throttles apart to inspect those cables as well.

 

[sf615]

Alright so which cable did the dealer fix last year? Are your throttle and control cables wire or electronic (assume they are wire)? I would look in your clean-out access holes to see if you can spot the port control cable and inspect it. Would take a peek at the throttle cable in the engine bay as well.

Weird ordeal, might be worth taking the throttles apart to inspect those cables as well.

They replaced both cables in the off season. Definitely mechanical not electronic. I'll have a look in the clean out ports and see if there's anything going on in there. It's just weird that it "unlocks" like immediately after cutting the engine.

 

[Hot2Go]

Alright so which cables did they replace? Did they replace the bucket/control cables or the throttle cables? Or did they replace all four for both or just the 2 for the port side?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Your clean out tube will not reveal anything.

To me it sounds like there is an issue in the binnacle, have you pulled that apart yet?

Also have a very close look at the reverse buckets on the pumps. Detach the reverse bucket cable and check for smoothness of operation, pull back on the bucket as if there was thrust on it and check the operation.

Have you called the dealer who replaced the cable and asked them about it?

 

[Hot2Go]

Your clean out tube will not reveal anything.

The small access hatch is what I meant not the tubes. On my AR230 I was able to spin off the manholes next to the clean out plug tubes and could see the control cable at the right angle, it is then I saw how bad of shape the cable was in before I replaced it which I just took the whole hatch off later to help feed it through the boat!

 

[sf615]

Your clean out tube will not reveal anything.

To me it sounds like there is an issue in the binnacle, have you pulled that apart yet?

Also have a very close look at the reverse buckets on the pumps. Detach the reverse bucket cable and check for smoothness of operation, pull back on the bucket as if there was thrust on it and check the operation.

Have you called the dealer who replaced the cable and asked them about it?

I haven't yet. On the very first trip out after they replaced the cables I noticed no thrust from the port engine. I stopped and found that the control cable (which is held on by 2 10mm bolts through the gate housing) had come off and one of the bolts was long gone (assume it wasn't torqued/loctited well when they replaced the cables). I reattached it day before yesterday with two new bolts from Yamaha and added loctite. I did check immediately after the first time it did the "neutral lock out" thing and both of the bolts I put in are still there and still firmly torqued. It was on my list to call them tomorrow.

 

[sf615]

Alright so which cables did they replace? Did they replace the bucket/control cables or the throttle cables? Or did they replace all four for both or just the 2 for the port side?

They replaced both control cables (port and starboard side)

 

[sf615]

Your clean out tube will not reveal anything.

To me it sounds like there is an issue in the binnacle, have you pulled that apart yet?

Also have a very close look at the reverse buckets on the pumps. Detach the reverse bucket cable and check for smoothness of operation, pull back on the bucket as if there was thrust on it and check the operation.

Have you called the dealer who replaced the cable and asked them about it?

I haven't pulled the binnacle apart yet. I can try to play with the bucket and see if I can reproduce it but I did move them through their operational arc and couldn't get them to bind in any way.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I haven't pulled the binnacle apart yet. I can try to play with the bucket and see if I can reproduce it but I did move them through their operational arc and couldn't get them to bind in any way.

Well, good luck and be sure and let us know what you find out, thats a first for me.

 

[anmut]

Could it be possible that, in WOT mode, your port side bucket is hanging slightly lower than your STBD bucket? Maybe it's catching too much thrust and binding itself, and then not releasing until there's little to no thrust on it again.

I would also trace the cabling back from the throttle, make sure someone did put something on top of them or move the cables enough to cause the issue.