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Controls question

Discussion in 'Carver Yacht' started by Hogdiver, Jul 10, 2012.

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  1. Hogdiver, Jul 10, 2012
    #1
    Hogdiver

    Hogdiver New Member

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    Greetings, I am new to the forum. We have a new (for us) 2003 396 Carver Aft Cabin in the family, and I have a question about the controls. Both engine controls are exactly the same, but I can't believe it's correct...From the neutral position, I have to move the controls about 1/4 of the travel to put it in gear (forward and reverse) and I don't get any throttle for probably another 1/2 of the travel. Reverse especially, I am all the way down at about where the control lever passes the corner of the control box where it goes from horizontal to vertical before I get off of idle. This makes it pretty hard to dock because when I just want to click from forward idle to reverse idle, I have to travel the controls a long way! And it's hard to tell well there spot is, so I can over travel and get a huge surge in rpms and movement when I don't want to. I understand the shift is electronic. Every other boat I've had has a neutral point and then an immediate shift and throttle for any movement off the center. This is just weird because both controls are exactly the same. Seems too random to have both sides misbehaving in the same way... any ideas?
  2. AlfredZ, Jul 10, 2012
    #2
    AlfredZ

    AlfredZ Senior Member

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    Welcome aboard!

    It is either that the levers are loose, if the have even a little play when on neutral then that is the problem, if not, then check that the cables on the actuator are not loose and adjust accordingly. Electronic control units either work or not so I suspect it is the control unit, but if all is checked and okay then you have to ask a specialist to check it for you.

    Cheers,

    Alfred
  3. Hogdiver, Jul 10, 2012
    #3
    Hogdiver

    Hogdiver New Member

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    Thanks, Alfred. I didn't mention that the controls feel consistent all of the way through their travel. Nothing is loose, smooth resistance - it's just that shifting takes place further away from the neutral position than I'd like and throttle is even worse than that...
  4. AlfredZ, Jul 10, 2012
    #4
    AlfredZ

    AlfredZ Senior Member

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    Have a look on the actuators, the cables should not be loose, if you have a station in the room you can move it and see if it acts late to the lever, if not, use a radio to talk to someone at the helm and instruct them to move it forward and reverse to see what happens.

    Good luck.
  5. mattisk, Oct 7, 2012
    #5
    mattisk

    mattisk New Member

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    More questions on Carver 202 396 levers

    My wife and I are looking at a 2002 396 w/cummings deisels. Anyway, it has these dual control levers. The broker showed me that you buump them into gear (either forward or reverse) then you have some leeway until the throttle kicks in. They also have a red botton on each side that supposedly puts them in neutral? Does anyone know where I can get a users guide on these to explain how they work? I think I saw that they were from Twin Disc? I do not know the model number. I'm wondering though, whether I can replace them with something else. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
  6. Pascal, Oct 8, 2012
    #6
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Assuming these are conventional cable controls, check the cables and connections at each end. Sounds like loose cables to me. Either the cable jacket or the cable itself. If the cable is loose you have to move the control to pick up the slack before something hsppens
  7. Hogdiver, Nov 8, 2012
    #7
    Hogdiver

    Hogdiver New Member

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    might be the same issue i referenced above. i can't believe this is the way it is supposed to be...I took controls apart and saw that the levers are connected to rounded-corner-triangle plates. So as the levers move, the plates turn, but the cables don't get activated until the tip of the triangle plate it is connected to moves a fair amount. The cables are all correct, it's just that they don't get pulled until this plate rotates. This makes it very hard to dock on a windy day, there's just no control - i end up in neutral or surging...
  8. sam356, Nov 9, 2012
    #8
    sam356

    sam356 Member

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    What kind of engines to you have and controls.
  9. NYCAP123, Nov 10, 2012
    #9
    NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    I'm not a mechanic so please excuse that I don't know what this is called, but there's a spot just before where the cable connects to the throttle on engine where the cable casing is held in place with a clip so the inside cable can move. I've seen this connection loosen up several times and in fact had the cable jump off it a couple. The result is that you have no throttle or gear control at all. Scary. DK why these aren't cable-tied in place from the factory, but nobody seems to do it. Follow the instructions given above to make sure that the cable isn't stretched, broken or pinched,etc., but while in the engine room see if the cable case is moving through that clip or is off it instead of being held steady.