Replacing QuickSilver Throttle and Shift Control

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Author Topic:   Replacing QuickSilver Throttle and Shift Control

floater88 posted 03-27-2015 11:20 AM ET (US)
My 1988 Revenge 20 W-T came with a dual, top-mount QuickSilver control. I have to replace the cables this season to both the main 1991 Mercury 200 and the 2006 Mercury 15-HP FourStroke kicker. What dual top-mount control can I get that will just bolt in with no modifications? The original one is getting kind of stiff and I would like to upgrade it while I'm in there. The main control has tilt and trim but the kicker doesn't. Thanks
tedious posted 03-27-2015 11:32 AM ET (US)
You may well find the stiffness is resolved by replacing the cables. If you're otherwise happy with the controls, I would recommend doing that first before spending more.--Tim
outragesteve posted 03-27-2015 01:50 PM ET (US)
Yamaha 704's will work. They are excellent controls. You will need to fabricate an adapter mounting plate--pretty easy. The trim switch wiring can be used. Look for a unit on eBay. I bought a brand-new one for half-price two years ago. Good luck.
floater88 posted 03-30-2015 07:27 AM ET (US)
Great info. Thanks.
jimh posted 03-31-2015 09:19 AM ET (US)
I've never operated a Mercury mechanical remote throttle and shift control that wasn't stiff and hard to use. The Yamaha remote controls I had on my 1987 engines were much better, as were the OMC controls on my 1992 engine.
floater88 posted 03-31-2015 01:36 PM ET (US)
So Jimh the Yamaha controls you used for your Merc engines just took the same control cables that worked on the Mercs? THanks
outragesteve posted 03-31-2015 02:17 PM ET (US)
The Yamaha control uses the industry standard "33-C type" cable. Some Mercury controls (older units) use a "Mercury" end on the cables. I would suggest that when you change your control, change the cables also. Not expensive, good preventative maintenance. In the case you need adapters at the engine end, they are available everywhere. Good luck!
outragesteve posted 03-31-2015 02:19 PM ET (US)
The Yamaha control uses the industry standard "33-C type" cable. Some Mercury controls (older units) use a "Mercury" end on the cables. I would suggest that when you change your control, change the cables also. Not expensive, good preventative maintenance. In the case you need adapters at the engine end, they are available everywhere. Good luck!
floater88 posted 04-01-2015 07:07 AM ET (US)
Thanks for the info. I'm gonna start looking for the Yammy Controls.
jimh posted 04-02-2015 08:18 AM ET (US)
FLOATER88 asks me:

quote:
So Jimh the Yamaha controls you used for your Merc engines just took the same control cables that worked on the Mercs?
You have imputed some characteristic that I did not mention. The Yamaha remote controls on my boat were connected to Yamaha engines.
jimh posted 04-02-2015 08:32 AM ET (US)
I will have to qualify my earlier remark: the side-mount remote controls on my 1976 Mercury 500 outboard engine were quite decent. But all the more recent-vintage Mercury remote controls I have used on various boats belonging to other people with Mercury engines and Mercury mechanical remote throttle and shift controls have seemed to me to be very still and difficult to operate. Maybe those boat owners just like having controls that require an enormous amount of effort to move and had applied a great deal of friction to the movement, or maybe that is just typical of the Mercury brand. I think the latter is more likely, as otherwise one would have to assume some sort of odd preference for stiff and hard to operate controls would be a trait shared among all Mercury owners.
At one time in the past decade or two, I believe that Mercury was making mechanical remote controls in at least three tiers of quality. Perhaps all the ones I had experience with were from the least-expensive tier. Perhaps the better tier of Mercury remote controls have better feel. I can't say. I can just tell you that it is my strong recollection that the ones I have used were all quite stiff and required a lot of effort to move the control levers.
In my experience, the best remote controls using mechanical cables I have operated were those on my 1992 OMC engine. I continued to use those controls when I installed a 2009 E-TEC and then later a 2010 E-TEC. Those controls were very smooth-operating controls, and had a great feel.
As for which brand of control can be interchanged and used with other brands, I don't have that information. There are many universal remote controls, which permit use with a variety of engine brands. In addition to the particulars of the cable ends where they attach to levers on the outboard engine, there is also the orientation of the movement of the cable. Some engines are push-pull and some are pull-push in the movement of the levers for throttle and shift directions. The remote controls that are universal provide for different attachment points for the mechanical cables to create the desired direction of movement to match the engine.
As others have mentioned, the quality of the mechanical cables themselves plays a role. The cables are available is several tiers of quality and price. I also think the routing of those mechanical cables has an influence. If the path of the cable has many small-radius bends, I suspect there will be a tendency to have more friction in the cables. The best installations keep the remote cables as straight as possible, and, if a bend is needed, make the bend with a large radius.
floater88 posted 04-02-2015 10:56 AM ET (US)
Thanks Jimh. The routing of my cables is as it came from the factory, as the previous owner informed me. My kicker motor is on the port side and the cables go through the tunnel on the starboard side and curve over to the kicker. I'm going to replace the kicker cables, as they are broken, and lubricate the Main ones to see if this frees up the controls. Thanks for all the tips guys.
floater88 posted 04-06-2015 08:34 PM ET (US)
I got a line on a Mercury Quicksilver Dual Top Mount 3000 series controls. Has anyone use or swapped for this brand?
floater88 posted 04-25-2015 04:12 PM ET (US)
I replaced the two control cables today to the kicker and it went very smoothly. Didn't have to pull up the floor either. The engine shifts very smoothly now. I greased both controls when I had them out and all is better then it's ever been. I'm glad I didn't have to replace the controls themselves.
jimh posted 04-25-2015 04:48 PM ET (US)
Thanks for the update on the remedy to the stiff-to-operate Mercury remote throttle and shift controls. It is good to hear that lubricating the controls and replacing the remote mechanical cables produced a big improvement in the operation.

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Author	Topic: Replacing QuickSilver Throttle and Shift Control
floater88	posted 03-27-2015 11:20 AM ET (US) My 1988 Revenge 20 W-T came with a dual, top-mount QuickSilver control. I have to replace the cables this season to both the main 1991 Mercury 200 and the 2006 Mercury 15-HP FourStroke kicker. What dual top-mount control can I get that will just bolt in with no modifications? The original one is getting kind of stiff and I would like to upgrade it while I'm in there. The main control has tilt and trim but the kicker doesn't. Thanks
tedious	posted 03-27-2015 11:32 AM ET (US) You may well find the stiffness is resolved by replacing the cables. If you're otherwise happy with the controls, I would recommend doing that first before spending more.--Tim
outragesteve	posted 03-27-2015 01:50 PM ET (US) Yamaha 704's will work. They are excellent controls. You will need to fabricate an adapter mounting plate--pretty easy. The trim switch wiring can be used. Look for a unit on eBay. I bought a brand-new one for half-price two years ago. Good luck.
floater88	posted 03-30-2015 07:27 AM ET (US) Great info. Thanks.
jimh	posted 03-31-2015 09:19 AM ET (US) I've never operated a Mercury mechanical remote throttle and shift control that wasn't stiff and hard to use. The Yamaha remote controls I had on my 1987 engines were much better, as were the OMC controls on my 1992 engine.
floater88	posted 03-31-2015 01:36 PM ET (US) So Jimh the Yamaha controls you used for your Merc engines just took the same control cables that worked on the Mercs? THanks
outragesteve	posted 03-31-2015 02:17 PM ET (US) The Yamaha control uses the industry standard "33-C type" cable. Some Mercury controls (older units) use a "Mercury" end on the cables. I would suggest that when you change your control, change the cables also. Not expensive, good preventative maintenance. In the case you need adapters at the engine end, they are available everywhere. Good luck!
outragesteve	posted 03-31-2015 02:19 PM ET (US) The Yamaha control uses the industry standard "33-C type" cable. Some Mercury controls (older units) use a "Mercury" end on the cables. I would suggest that when you change your control, change the cables also. Not expensive, good preventative maintenance. In the case you need adapters at the engine end, they are available everywhere. Good luck!
floater88	posted 04-01-2015 07:07 AM ET (US) Thanks for the info. I'm gonna start looking for the Yammy Controls.
jimh	posted 04-02-2015 08:18 AM ET (US) FLOATER88 asks me: quote: So Jimh the Yamaha controls you used for your Merc engines just took the same control cables that worked on the Mercs? You have imputed some characteristic that I did not mention. The Yamaha remote controls on my boat were connected to Yamaha engines.
jimh	posted 04-02-2015 08:32 AM ET (US) I will have to qualify my earlier remark: the side-mount remote controls on my 1976 Mercury 500 outboard engine were quite decent. But all the more recent-vintage Mercury remote controls I have used on various boats belonging to other people with Mercury engines and Mercury mechanical remote throttle and shift controls have seemed to me to be very still and difficult to operate. Maybe those boat owners just like having controls that require an enormous amount of effort to move and had applied a great deal of friction to the movement, or maybe that is just typical of the Mercury brand. I think the latter is more likely, as otherwise one would have to assume some sort of odd preference for stiff and hard to operate controls would be a trait shared among all Mercury owners. At one time in the past decade or two, I believe that Mercury was making mechanical remote controls in at least three tiers of quality. Perhaps all the ones I had experience with were from the least-expensive tier. Perhaps the better tier of Mercury remote controls have better feel. I can't say. I can just tell you that it is my strong recollection that the ones I have used were all quite stiff and required a lot of effort to move the control levers. In my experience, the best remote controls using mechanical cables I have operated were those on my 1992 OMC engine. I continued to use those controls when I installed a 2009 E-TEC and then later a 2010 E-TEC. Those controls were very smooth-operating controls, and had a great feel. As for which brand of control can be interchanged and used with other brands, I don't have that information. There are many universal remote controls, which permit use with a variety of engine brands. In addition to the particulars of the cable ends where they attach to levers on the outboard engine, there is also the orientation of the movement of the cable. Some engines are push-pull and some are pull-push in the movement of the levers for throttle and shift directions. The remote controls that are universal provide for different attachment points for the mechanical cables to create the desired direction of movement to match the engine. As others have mentioned, the quality of the mechanical cables themselves plays a role. The cables are available is several tiers of quality and price. I also think the routing of those mechanical cables has an influence. If the path of the cable has many small-radius bends, I suspect there will be a tendency to have more friction in the cables. The best installations keep the remote cables as straight as possible, and, if a bend is needed, make the bend with a large radius.
floater88	posted 04-02-2015 10:56 AM ET (US) Thanks Jimh. The routing of my cables is as it came from the factory, as the previous owner informed me. My kicker motor is on the port side and the cables go through the tunnel on the starboard side and curve over to the kicker. I'm going to replace the kicker cables, as they are broken, and lubricate the Main ones to see if this frees up the controls. Thanks for all the tips guys.
floater88	posted 04-06-2015 08:34 PM ET (US) I got a line on a Mercury Quicksilver Dual Top Mount 3000 series controls. Has anyone use or swapped for this brand?
floater88	posted 04-25-2015 04:12 PM ET (US) I replaced the two control cables today to the kicker and it went very smoothly. Didn't have to pull up the floor either. The engine shifts very smoothly now. I greased both controls when I had them out and all is better then it's ever been. I'm glad I didn't have to replace the controls themselves.
jimh	posted 04-25-2015 04:48 PM ET (US) Thanks for the update on the remedy to the stiff-to-operate Mercury remote throttle and shift controls. It is good to hear that lubricating the controls and replacing the remote mechanical cables produced a big improvement in the operation.