TOPIC: ron v,mercury controls pics

ron heres pics of the controls,and the plug end,so you can see if it will work,there are also pics of the control in both positions of the stroke.it will take awhile for me to download them,darn dialup,let me know if they will work for you ,there are 5 pics,john

sorry,i had to shut down the computer,i hope i can download the other two pics,the cables work great on it and have the tips(connector ends) too,it doesnt have a key though,john

ok john, the plug looks the same. is the forward throw the same as the reverse throw.

??? i dont know what you mean,im not much of a merc man,lol,but the the lever works both cables,im pretty sure.

what i'm tying to say is does the lever travel as much in forward as the pic shows it in reverse. the reverse pic shows it at 90 degrees.

John,
Most Merc dealers have a set of master keys for those units. Like 8 or 10 choices. Call the dealer and take the unit in and they will be able to get a key for you. At least thats the way it works here in Oregon. I've done it with several units. And that unit is very easy to work on. The electrical cables can be problematic if they are corroded on the inside. Only way to know for sure is to give it a go! The Merc engine manual has specific instructions for overhauling the shifter unit. Let me know if you need a copy. (Hope I don't get in trouble with the copyright cops!) LOL. Mike

ron thats the end of both strokes,the cables switch half way through.
boy thanks mike thats great to know,especially for ron,hes the one thats getting the controls.johnp.s. lol,lol now you have me second guessing myself,ill look again in the morning,john

John, you'll have to move the fast idle lever down (aft) to get the lever to move into forward gear. There is a safety stop built in that prevents forward movement (engaging the forward gear) if the engine is idled up. It's in neutral when the main lever is straight up, forward movement should be to almost horizontal, the shift cable may not move until "half way thru the travel" as you said.

I have the same unit, and when I open it up WOT, I betcha I'm more than horizontal. After first mounting it where apparently the control box had always been mounted, I made a mount out of two pieces of 3/4" mahogany marine plywood that got the controls up and back so it is very comfortable to shift. Otherwise I would have needed my right arm lengthened...

Frank

Before...



After...



I don't have a pic with the new seats in that shows the mount well. It is MUCH more comfortable than it was before.

thanks mark and frank,that should help out ron too.john

Every set of MerControls I've ever used had wide open throttle in forward at about the 8:00 position (looking at the side of the box). Not sure how far back it'll go in reverse - there should be stops on the motor to prevent a wide-open reverse situation... In any case, the handle should go to at least 3:00 in reverse. If you're getting a lot of play in the shifting travel there's a good chance the cogs on the shift lever are worn - not uncommon. The part is replaceable and not terribly expensive (under $30.00, OEM part number 34682, Sierra part number 18-2164).

That's about my experience with this one set of merc controls I have Scott. 7:30 or 8 forward, and 3 back.

Seems to me I broke that part you have a pic of, and had no idea it was still available. I got a used one from doc frankenmerc.

Thanks for sending that solenoid down with Brian. I appreciate it. Haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure I will soon!

Frank

The point I was going for my friends, was that if the "warm up lever" is disengaged, (moved down), the main would move forward past neutral. By "almost horizontal" .........Nevermind, I need a break.

Gee Mark, I didn't know that. Seems to me I move my idle lever down, then have to shift from neutral to reverse to get away from the dock. I'd be in trouble if it automatically shifted into forward when I put the idle lever down!

I just hope I can get my poor old boat out once or twice more before cold weather shuts me down.

Frank

Perhaps to assist Mark with his description.... Mercury control boxes of that era have a separate warm up lever as you know, the small one in that pic. If that warm up lever is engaged (up), there is a safety catch that prevents you pushing the main throttle/shift control forward completely. I believe Mark's intentions were to point out that in the pics the warm up lever is raised, so that it makes it difficult to push the main throttle forward to test the 'overall main handle movement'.

Most older controls will move beyond the horizontal position both in the forward and reverse modes (both directions) as can be seen in the pic above as an example, for reverse. In the end, the motor's shift arm adjustable stops are what defines how far the helm control will actually move.

As for keys... there is only a few of them, and they can be ordered online or purchased easily through your local marine parts location. They are getting a bit harder to find as the stock levels get depleted.

The key switch should have a number on it somewhere that will help you identify which key # you require, or you can find a shop that has a key ring to test them one at a time.

Replacement Ignition Keys (old style)

Replacement Ignition Keys (new style)

Good luck Ron. What's the reason for the new control box?

Glastron_GT160 wrote:

Perhaps to assist Mark with his description.... Mercury control boxes of that era have a separate warm up lever as you know, the small one in that pic. If that warm up lever is engaged (up), there is a safety catch that prevents you pushing the main throttle/shift control forward completely. I believe Mark's intentions were to point out that in the pics the warm up lever is raised, so that it makes it difficult to push the main throttle forward to test the 'overall main handle movement'.

Most older controls will move beyond the horizontal position both in the forward and reverse modes (both directions) as can be seen in the pic above as an example, for reverse. In the end, the motor's shift arm adjustable stops are what defines how far the helm control will actually move.

As for keys... there is only a few of them, and they can be ordered online or purchased easily through your local marine parts location. They are getting a bit harder to find as the stock levels get depleted.

The key switch should have a number on it somewhere that will help you identify which key # you require, or you can find a shop that has a key ring to test them one at a time.

mine cannot be mounted on the gunnel without the lever hitting the dash at full throttle. johns is much shorter and should fit fine. Replacement Ignition Keys (old style)

Replacement Ignition Keys (new style)

Good luck Ron. What's the reason for the new control box?

ron ,if these will work ill take them off and send them and the other stuff as soon as get the boat dryed out,i have it propped up to drain as much water as i can,it was about a foot deep when we 1st looked at it,lol.john p.s. do you want me to put a coat or two of paint on them before i ship them?how does white sound,lol,john

JOHN, I'LL TAKE THE MEASUREMENTS SATURDAY. THANKS, RON oops sorry for the caps........

ok,ill take them off anyway,just let me know and ill paint them too,you cant have them go into that beauty of yours without it.

ron,im planing on taking them off today,do you want them painted white,let me know,no charge for anything,john

Also, Ron, if you want some help figuring out where and how to mount those controls in your boat, we can scope it out Saturday and maybe come up wid sumpin.

Frank

john-gibson wrote:

ron,im planing on taking them off today,do you want them painted white,let me know,no charge for anything,john

john, joe poole emailed me and he can get me a short handle. apparantely they made a 8"(the one i got) and a 6". if the 6" will work i'll probably remount my original remote with the short handle. i'll know saturday when we measure at frank's. still might need yours but don't go thru the trouble of painting it until i know. appreciate your offer,ron

The problem is the curve in the handle in mine. I'm not sure if the shorter one would work either. Look at how straight Frank's is. Could my handle be straightened somehow?

Ron

ron the 6 incher might still work,get it from joe,then try to straigten your 8 incher that way you have a spare,i think the 6 incher wil work better then the 8 anyhow,but if it doesnt i have this control for you.

john, the handle is made of that white steel(i think thats what you call it,or pot metal)and you cannot bend it straight. i think the knob of the 6" handle will hit the steering wheel also because of the curve.for $80 bucks i don't know if its worth the chance, since its not returnable. we're going to try and measure it again this morning but with the curve involved it makes its difficult. ron

heck ron why pay 80 bucks this control id free to you,even with a paintjob,lol,let me know ,and ill take it off and paint it,the last 2 days i have been trying to take off the darn steering wheel,it just doesnt want to come of,lol

john, i had a very hard time taking mine off, and when i finally got it on the cable got all tangled up on the spool. i never did get it back on the way the pic illustrates but it seems to work fine. ron

they put a sticker on the switch with the key#...if your lucky it might still be intact you will need to open the unit to find....

as mentioned earlier most Merc dealers have several keys at the shop and should be able to hook you up.

the last time i opened the remote i had one heck of a time putting it back together.

I think they do that for a reason Ron. No, really! I think Merc made stuff difficult on porpoise.

Tim would get you all set up anyways. Not to worry.

I sent you an email about Saturday.

Thanks!

Frank

so ron ,do you want it?i know you want it original,thats ok too,just let me know,either way ill send the other stuff too,john

ron i tried emailing you and got no responce,do you still want these controls?like i said even if you dont ill send the other stuff.
by the way im still tring to get the steering wheel off,the guy that had it before me used heavy threads on a light thread shaft and compleatly stripped it,i had to cut the nut off,now im trying to pull the wheel,and the wheel pullers i have wont work,im going to have to make my own,john

i got the controls off but had to cut one of the bolts,it wasnt stainless ,but you can replace it easy,i painted the controls,tommorrow ill take off the masking tape,heres 6 pics,john

sorry i had to shut down again,i hope i can get the rest of the pics up,i hate dialup and this computer

Check out that handle Ron, it's just like mine, but better because there's no trim control on top. Won't even come close to your steering wheel. It's the way to go far as I'm concerned!

Paint is looking good John!

Frank

thanks frank,i finally just got to see the pics that i put up,grrrrrrrrr.darn dial up
there is a "bakealite"? handle that goes on the lever ,but it has 3 holes i might even be able to move it over a little more to give ron more room for it.

john, looks real good john. i can't wait to get it mounted. how many holes will i need to dril in the gunnel? ron

john-gibson wrote:

thanks frank,i finally just got to see the pics that i put up,grrrrrrrrr.darn dial up
there is a "bakealite"? handle that goes on the lever ,but it has 3 holes i might even be able to move it over a little more to give ron more room for it.

Yeah, dial-up is not fun John. I don't think you have to fool with that bakelite handle at all, Ron won't have any trouble with it.

vuyosevich wrote:

john, looks real good john. i can't wait to get it mounted. how many holes will i need to dril in the gunnel? ron

There's those 4 holes that form a rectangle at the bottom Ron, but if you can solidly mount the top two with ss 1/4" machine screws, flat washers and nyloks, you'll be fine. Depending on how solid your gunnel is, you might want to back it with a piece of plywood, maybe 3/8 or 1/2". We'll take a look when I'm down Saturday and I'll give you my best advice.

Frank

ron there were 2 screws with nuts and spacers,one in the top left corner and one in the bottom left corner.

john-gibson wrote:

ron there were 2 screws with nuts and spacers,one in the top left corner and one in the bottom left corner.

John, I used all 4 of those holes initially, and ended up suing three after mounting my new seats. Two are really necessary, and will work fine, even if they're just the top two. Four is best, but not that much better. Ron just needs to make sure it's solidly mounted for when the wild man in him wants to push that handle WOT!

Frank