Mercury V6 200 1990 idle too high

[spikelev]

Upon returning from a boat ride 10-15 minutes, The motor was running at 1700 RPM when I went into neutral to dock. The motor starts, cruises fine and acceleration is fine except it won't return to idle.
After inspecting the throttle linkage, I could see the idle stop screw has a 1/4" gap from it's rest area.
I checked the throttle cable and the rest of the linkage. All of the various adjustment screws are tight.
The spark lever is the problem. I found that the trigger link rod was preventing the whole linkage from returning to idle.
The trigger link rod is resting against a stop (see attached picture).
Can this stop be adjusted back to allow the throttle to return to idle?

Picture: http://sbnmechanical.com/merc/trigger.jpg

 

[Dave1027]

Re: Mercury V6 200 1990 idle too high

More likely the throttle arm is sticking. Take it apart, clean and lube it. Make sure the nut is not too tight when re-assembling.

 

[spikelev]

Re: Mercury V6 200 1990 idle too high

Thanks for the reply.
I think if the throttle arm (lever) was sticking there would be a gap at the idle timing (pickup timing) adjustment screw. There is no gap there and I did adjust the idle timing screw to see if the throttle arm (lever) was moving freely, which it is. The throttle lever and timing lever become one piece via the idle timing screw. When I follow the levers to see were the restriction is, they lead to the trigger arm hitting the stop, which is preventing the throttle from returning to idle.

 

[Dave1027]

Re: Mercury V6 200 1990 idle too high

As far as I know, there is no adjustable stop under the flywheel. I'm thinking that maybe the sync is way off between the throttle and the timing.

Another thought is you have some object wedged or stuck under there limiting trigger rotation.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Mercury V6 200 1990 idle too high

Something is sticking in the throttle linkage, trigger setup.

Common to see folks lose a screw when replacing a stator, using one slightly too long that interferes with the trigger.

The timing arm is a system of spring loaded linkage that can stick instead of freely operating. Normally the trigger would not be against a stop because an adjustment on the arm sets the idle timing.

Best bet is to go through the link n sync and see what doesn't seem right.

hope it helps
John

 

[spikelev]

Re: Mercury V6 200 1990 idle too high

Hi,
I was wrong, and not afraid to admit it.
There was something sticking in the throttle linkage (at the carbs).
I purchased the boat and motor recently and the last person to work on the motor left the idle stop screw backed out leaving the gap which faked me out.

A systematic approach to resolving problems is the way to go.

Thanks for your help and suggestions.