1987 Suzuki 85...

[cannonx4]

I just got finished with a full rebuild of a boat my dad left me when he passed away. Seems I have screwed up the adjustment of the linkages. When I shift into reverse I have no speed, nothing but idle. Which linkage do I need to adjust to get some speed in reverse?

[eliteangler]

Is it actually going into gear when putting it in reverse? If so, you need to make sure your throttle cable is adjusted. You don't want the throttle linkage at the engine to move until the motor is all the way in gear. That goes for reverse and forward. If you get throttle rev and then it goes in gear, you could/will damage your gears.

[billnorman1]

If I'm not mistaken there should be some safety features when going into reverse. One would prevent any throttle increase unless the motor was locked down, so it wouldn't jump out of the water if throttle was added. Another might prevent excessive speed in reverse even if the motor was locked down mechanically.

[cannonx4]

It does go into gear, when you put it in reverse. But then nothing happens. I am sure it's the throttle cable, seems like there is a fine line between it being right and not working at all. When I take it back to the water I am going to start adjusting a little at a time and see where that takes me. If that don't work then I have something put together wrong in the controls. One step at a time, till I figure it out.

Thanks for the input

[eliteangler]

Any luck with the issue?

[JoePA]

Make sure the throttle cable isn't broken.