Throttle/Shifters for '94 3200SCR? - Maxum Boat Owners Club

ertyqway · 07-13-2017, 01:34 AM

My throttle/shifter assembly is 23 years old and not doing well. The handles are very loose, but stick at certain points in the action, and I have very poor throttle control as a result. My wife has to use both hands and get her back into it to push them forward enough to get the boat on plane.

So, I'm thinking I should just get new engine controls. Kicker is: I just replaced the throttle and shifter cables last year, so don't want to re-do that. And I don't know what the straight-swap part is.

Any idea what the OEM part for this is? Or what a quality, upgraded replacement might be that doesn't require a new set of cables for twin 7.4L Mercruisers with Bravo IIs?

The boat is otherwise running fine. Just spent two weeks up in the San Juan Islands. Starboard engine is running slightly hot (~185*), but otherwise solid.

Any help is appreciated.

mmwjr · 07-13-2017, 01:40 AM

To my knowledge Maxum only used Quicksilver controls so replacing with a new one should work however you should verify thus by emailing them. Another potential option is a Teleflex unit but you need to verify the cable ends are the same.

ertyqway · 07-13-2017, 02:24 AM

Thanks!

speedysprocket · 07-13-2017, 03:23 AM

Mine were apparently upgraded in early 2000s to the newer model with the combined trim button on the port throttle and separate trim buttons on the base. It works fine and probably better than the older one they came with. If they're just hard to push, though, there should be a tensioned friction washer in there you could back off. Mine never stayed where I put them so I had to tighten that screw...

dave4boats · 07-13-2017, 05:43 PM

most shifters are off shelf items. you should be able to buy a new one and parts for it. ckeck amazon e-bay or most online boating stores. also check craigs list i have had good luck with them. last resort you could go to a boat dealer. they are not that hard to replace. if you did cables yourself you can replace shifter.

ertyqway · 07-13-2017, 08:51 PM

The current shifter/throttle is original to the boat. Used the OEM cable when I changed it last year. But now I don't know if that's "Gen 2" or earlier. Don't remember and don't have the docs. Would the throttle on a '94 Maxum use a Gen 2 cable or something earlier? Clear info on this is maddeningly difficult to find.

EDIT: The newer Mercury/Quicksilver throttle lever assemblies all require "Gen 2" cables.

mmwjr · 07-13-2017, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ertyqway

The current shifter/throttle is original to the boat. Used the OEM cable when I changed it last year. But now I don't know if that's "Gen 2" or earlier. Don't remember and don't have the docs. Would the throttle on a '94 Maxum use a Gen 2 cable or something earlier? Clear info on this is maddeningly difficult to find.

EDIT: The newer Mercury/Quicksilver throttle lever assemblies all require "Gen 2" cables.

Gen 2's have eyelet ends at the throttle if this helps you remember what you installed.

ertyqway · 07-13-2017, 09:45 PM

I don't remember. It's been more than a year.

Further investigation reveals that the controls unit is either a Mercury Commander Console Dual Model 88688A22 or 88688A23. Don't know which. Have not yet found a reference for which type of cable those use. I'm assuming it's the same for both, since they're so similar.

gmc60 · 07-15-2017, 12:41 PM

i put Morse they work great and i moved my drive up and down to dash rockers , needed a smooth action controller for dock boat and merc was very stiff . Plus there a little taller so more leverage to. Can send u a pic if interested .

HavaMax · 07-15-2017, 07:17 PM

Ertyqway, quick question, I'm needing to replace my throttle/shift cables. Were you able to do this without opening up many compartments? Were you able to just use old to feed the new thru? This sounds like a nightmare of a job.....

shrew · 07-17-2017, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HavaMax

Ertyqway, quick question, I'm needing to replace my throttle/shift cables. Were you able to do this without opening up many compartments? Were you able to just use old to feed the new thru? This sounds like a nightmare of a job.....

I replaced mine. There should be a 'seal' or 'vapor barrier' of sorts where the cables and wires pass through the engine room bulkhead. It's not a huge deal.

On my 2800, I needed to remove a panel in the mid-cabin to feed the cables into the engine compartment. It was not a big deal at all.

ertyqway · 07-17-2017, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HavaMax

Ertyqway, quick question, I'm needing to replace my throttle/shift cables. Were you able to do this without opening up many compartments? Were you able to just use old to feed the new thru? This sounds like a nightmare of a job.....

It was a royal pain. I got about halfway through the process and threw my hands up in frustration, called my friendly neighborhood boat mechanic, and he finished the job for me for $250. It was worth every penny.

The big issue was getting the cables up to the console from the engine compartment. If I had been really thinking about it, I would have strung a pull line through the compartment when I pulled the old cables, so I could pull the new ones back through the same chase. I did not do this, which made the whole thing a hundred times more complicated.

Hence why I am not in any big hurry to change the cables out again so soon. I hope these last the same 22 years as the old ones.

HavaMax · 07-17-2017, 04:49 PM

Thanks....that's what I was afraid of!!! I will probably use the best tool in my toolbox....my checkbook!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

shrew · 07-18-2017, 02:09 PM

You probably don't even need to run a pull line, but that wouldn't be a bad idea for phishing future cables. Overlap about 6-12 inches of the new cable over the old cable. Tape them together in a spiral pattern, then pull the old cables out. The old cables become the pull for the new cables.

I had removed the panel in the aft before, so it was much easier for me to to just that.