Throttle stiff.

[Lmcneely11]

My gate was partially covering the jet nozzle at full throttle and begin vibrating and so I adjusted the gate so that it would open fully. Tonight I was out in the boat and going full throttle and it was running great with no vibration and then I thought maybe I should see how fast it can go and I push down on the throttle and it clicked a little and got stuck. I used the Killswitch to stop as I could not pull the throttle shifter handle back. I went to the gate and was able to wiggle it some up and down and so it did not appear to be stuck. I was finally able with a lot of force, able to put it back into neutral and start it, and again with a lot of force I was get it to move forward a little bit to get back on the dock.

At home I disconnected the gate cable and then tested the throttle control. If I jiggle it it moves the shift in and out. And if I use force it will move the throttle controlled on the engine as it should. But I have to use a lot of force. The cable does not appear to be broke and I feel like the issue is in the throttle control mechanism. any suggestions would be great as I want to take kids on the water tomorrow.

 

[tdonoughue]

If you removed the gate cable and it was still difficult to move, then you have eliminated the gate as issue.

So then you are down to the gate cable, throttle cable or the throttle mechanism itself. Of the three, I would first suspect the gate cable. Might try some oil in the cable to try to get you on the water tomorrow. But if that is the issue, you will really need to replace it. To further narrow it down need to disconnect that first, I would think. That involves taking out the throttle. Don't have more specifics to offer, never having worked on a Sugar Sand.

 

[Beachbummer]

double check throttle vs gate control. The throttle is a stranded thin cable and generally offers no resistance setting it back,

If you push the black button on the side of the lever while in neutral, to suspend the gate control, does the resistance go away? If so, the issue is the gate control.

 

[fatboyroy]

I would also check if you have gear mechanism in the throttle assembly never seen sugar sand either so it’s just a guess since it happen instantaneously and not gradual stiffening I would check if something got caught in the gearing.

 

[tdonoughue]

Um, I don't think his Sugar Sand has a Yamaha throttle like that, does it?

 

[Lmcneely11]

On the throttle control is a button that allows me to disengage the shift gate from the throttle. When I do that nothing changes, it’s still extremely stiff and will not move without a lot of muscle.

 

[tdonoughue]

Ok, then you do have as @Beachbummer indicated. I sit corrected.

Then you have eliminated the gate cable. So now you are down to the mechanism and the throttle cable (or the throttle mechanism at the engine). You can disconnect the cable at the engine and eliminate that. But now you are looking probably at the throttle cable. Same advice there as for the other cable: you can oil, but will probably need to replace.

 

[Beachbummer]

That is still super strange, the cable is not big enough to create such a resistance while being *returned". Think bicycle brake cable for throttle, generally speaking.

I still suspect the fnr mechanism over the cable, but I could be wrong. Did you try to actuate the mechanism while the gate was unhooked?

Before you buy anything, I would suggest opening the mechanism and disconnecting the throttle cable to check operation. The mechanism could be jammed somehow.

Can you share some pictures?

Sorry for stating the obvious, but we need to determine what is jammed to correct the problem. Sounds like it's not the gate. Best of luck!!! Keep us posted.

 

[Lmcneely11]

This is the control.

 

[Julian]

I'd unscrew that off the gunnel and look at the back. Has to be a way to get inside and inspect.

 

[Lmcneely11]

Thanks to everyone who replied. It turned out it was the throttle controller device. The gears where the throttle and gate control intersect had become jammed. I re-seated it and checked all the connections in and seems to be well. I think it’s because I jammed it forward too hard it caused the gears to jam.

 

[tdonoughue]

Might add a little grease on those gears, if it is easy to get apart. And I would make sure you are carrying a small tool box on board in case it happens again on the water.

Glad I was off the mark and it was such an easy fix!

 

[kgower]

What kind of grease should one use on the gears and the cable? My shifter is stiff when you accelerate the first after you launch and come out of no wake mode, then seems to ok for the rest of the day.