Throttle Issues

[ryanDmac]

I have a 1988 Supra comp, and everything runs great unless I am pulling up a skier and wanting to accelerate out of the hole. When I want to go from an idle speed to pulling up a skier it seems that it just doesn't want to go and the rpms slow down, and I just replaced the fuel filter which did not fix my problem. Also when you are driving along at about 30 mph and want to back off of the throttle the engine does not respond quickly, it feels like there is something flexing inside the throttle and then all of a sudden the speed will come way down. I was thinking that both issues are being caused by the same issue. Does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks

[Salty87]

welcome to the board.

sounds like you might have a binding cable or the brass connectors inside the throttle unit might be close to gone. they wear out over time.

with the engine off, disconnect the throttle cable at the carb. does the lever move any smoother?...can you tell if the throttle unit is preventing movement or if the cable is binding? from your description, it sounds like the throttle. a binding cable would probably be slow through all ranges.

you can remove the throttle controller from the sidewall to inspect the brass pivots. remove the screws (the screws around the outside edge), with the cable disconnected at the carb, push the throttle forward all the way. you'll have to wiggle it out of the sidewall. both the gas and transmission cables connect with brass pieces. they're cheap...even at a dealer. the part that attaches to the controller should be round and not worn away. a worn piece will be close to the cotter pin attachment wearing off.

[tomelenbaas]

It sounds like you may have carb issues. What elevation are you boating at? I have an '88 Mariah with the original Holley 4 bbl carb. I recently went up to a higher elevation lake (4,600 ft.) compared to the normal lakes I go to (close to sea level). The boat was really sluggish out of the hole and response. Sounds like a similar experience to yours. I adjusted timing and fuel/air mixture and that helped a bit, but I think in my case it's primarily due to the fact that the carb has never been rebuilt or serviced since I bought the boat new in 1988.

I am considering converting to one of the TBI fuel injection systems on the market. Holley, Fast and Affordable all have systems in the $2,000 price range.

[michael hunter]

Are you still running points? Check the dwell and timing. If all is well its time for a carb rebuild.