[C320-list] Frozen Throttle Lever

[T. Scott Thompson]

I'd look to see whether there is any evidence of any other new corrosion 
on the engine in the same general vicinity.  If so, I would suspect a 
minor leak in the raw water side of the cooling system somewhere -- 
causing your engine to get a salt water bath.

Irving Grunes wrote:
> Hi
>
>  
>
> We had a frozen throttle lever problem on our Yanmar 3GM30.  The report
> below is from one of our boat partners.  
>
>  
>
> Has any one else experienced this problem?
>
>  
>
> Irv Grunes  2001 #851
>
> ----------------------
>
> Throttle Lever Problem
>
> My friend Dave and I went to the boat on Wednesday.  After pulling out of
> the slip, we immediately noticed that the throttle control was frozen and
> stuck at idle.  We returned to the slip, which was tricky since reverse at
> idle did not slow the boat very much.
>
>  
>
> After taking off the engine covers, we determined that the problem was not
> the cable, but the "speed lever" on the engine.  This is the lever on the
> engine that is attached to the cable and controls the speed.  According to
> the Diesel Shop Manual, the governor controls are connected to the speed
> lever, so there is quite a bit of hidden complexity in that control.  The
> speed lever was completely frozen and could not be moved.  After detailed
> inspection, Dave noticed that there was corrosion at the point where the
> lever connected to the engine.  We applied WD-40 and slight tapping and we
> were eventually able to free the lever.  We then applied oil to the
> connection.  The throttle control then worked normally, with a full range of
> speed.  Fortunately, we were able to sail for the rest of the day and had no
> further problems.  
>
>  
>
> It seems to me that this problem cropped up in the last two weeks and got
> progressively worse.  Why this would suddenly occur in a 6 year old boat
> seems a mystery.  It's possible that the lever froze for some reason other
> than corrosion and the tapping freed it.  
>
>