Yamaha Throttle Controls

[foxbo]

Is there anything that can be done to these controls so that I don't have to hold them all the time while underway? Short runs are no problem, but running 25 miles as I did in July in the gulf got to be a pain. Let up pressure on the throttle and the engine backs off. I am religious in making sure I have the cutoff connected to myself while underway.

[Codfish]

First of all you should be celebrating that your controls are so smooth that they will actually back down when you release them. There should be a tension adjustment screw somewhere on your binnacle. Check the owners manual for the location. There must be one heck of a return spring in the Yamaha linkage. My Suzuki throttle will not budge unless pushed or pulled.

[spanfang]

There is supposed to be a "throttle lever resistance" adjustment within the Binnacle. I read about this in my owners manual. Have you checked that out yet?

[foxbo]

Not yet, but I will today. Thanks for the information.

[mario]

I looked in my manuals that came with my '04 and could not find one for the Yamaha 704 binnacle. My control is very heavy and would like to make this adjustment as well. Has anyone found out more on this adjustement screw. Anyone have an idea where I can find the manual for the Yamaha 704 controls. I was not able to find one on any of the Yamaha marine sites.

[Putershark]

Take the 2 screws off the cover houseing (should be one on top and one on the bottom) and then squeeze it some so it pops up off the base. Be careful to not squeese too hard or you could crack the plastic housing.

Look at the bottom section of the shifter (you may need to push the thottle full forward) and you should see a small standard set screw setting there, loosen or tighten that screw till you set it how you like it.

Now most of the time you can't get a good feel for it unless you are running the boat, so take a screwdriver with you on your next trip and test it after you bounce over a few waves

Hope this helps,
Dave

[mario]

Thanks for the help. This is also a good opportunity to get some lube in there too as I have not yet performed any PM in there since I go the boat last year.

[recycle]

I have been running Yamahas since 1985 (No I'm not old, just started young). Yamaha is the smoothest control on the market and I've ran plenty.

One trick I do to adjust the tension as needed is to drill a 1/4 " hole in line with the tension screw so I can adjust as needed. Cover the hole with black electrical tape and it's almost invisible and keeps water out.

Just something I do.

Recycle

[Fishahn]

I've got the same problem with my throttle, will check it out soon. Recycle sounds like a possible idea! thanks for the tips

[Fischer53]

Has anybody done this yet? I atempted to. Got the plastic cover loose, but it was apparent to me that you had to remove the throttle lever. There are 2 screws there that are socked down tight. I was reluctant to really force them until I got some confirmation that they needed to come off. Having to work with the steering wheel just off the end of the screwdriver has not helped. The alternative would be if somebody could accurately define that 1/4" hole in the binnicle...