Carver Owners Forum

Just bought a 396 Carver with Twindisc EC150 electronic throttle controls. The left and right engines are out of sync so you need to push the Starboard throttle substantially farther forward to hit the same RPMs. Also they are way too touchy, and the starboard engine control is almost non-responsive the first inch or two from idle. I can't find anything about these controls online. Does anyone know where I should start?

Thanks,
Russ

I know rather little when it comes to electronic controls except they are synced and programmed when installed. Sounds like they somehow got out of wack. Seems like EC150 does not exist any more at least with a google search. I did find reference to people looking for some about 10 years ago with no luck and there was a newer model EC200 and then EC250 and todays version is the EC300. They must be on other Carvers because there is reference to it here. viewtopic.php?t=1491

I would call Twindisc and ask about the specific model you have and what is required to program them properly or maybe they can tell you what is wrong. http://www.twindisc.com/contact/

Touchy is an understatement- the diesel mechanic on our sea trial called them lethal - you can carefully take the control apart and there is an adjustment but that will greatly improve them. There is also a sync procedure that I never tried. We replaced ours with glennding controls - expensive but much better. Russ is private message me I have the manuals

Thank you both, I have a marine mechanic coming to do a service on my engines next week. He said he has some experience with the twindisc controls and believe he can adjust them. I will post back after he is done.

Sgodfrey, I did send you a private message. If you do have the manuals I would love to get a copy.

I don't know if you have solved your problem. I have the Twin Disc 100. My port throttle was way off. This created a problem in docking situations. After a couple of years dealing with it, I finally had a mechanic look at it. The throttle control on the outboard side of the engine was so loose it was almost completely off. Now that it's fixed, the throttles and rpm's are closer together. For the first time in 2 years In am getting 22 kts wot. Also the boat responds better docking.

Thanks for that feedback. I actually have the mechanic servicing my engines this week. He called me last night and told me the same thing about my Starboard engine. He tightened it up and was working on adjusting them. I am hopeful this sorts out my issue as well.

If anyone else has EC150 controls, I found out some more information. After digging through all the paperwork that had been left on the boat I found the manuals, install guide, etc. for the system. The EC150 appears to be a transitional time for TwinDisc. The controls themselves are EC100s but the control box they connect to is an EC200 unit. So... if you are looking for adjustment info you would actually need both sets of manuals if you don't have the EC150 documents.

I will post after I get a chance to take the boat out!

Sgodfrey wrote:Touchy is an understatement- the diesel mechanic on our sea trial called them lethal - you can carefully take the control apart and there is an adjustment but that will greatly improve them. There is also a sync procedure that I never tried. We replaced ours with glennding controls - expensive but much better. Russ is private message me I have the manuals

Could you define expensive please. I'm ready to get rid of our EC150
thanks
George

George,
I received a quote from Twin Disc for a replacing my EC100 on my 450 Voyager (2 stations) for 15K. My starboard throttle was not giving any feedback for neutral. Twin Disc will not service the system itself. I took the controls apart and fixed it with a spring and a ball bearing. Total cost about 5 bucks. I couldn’t believe the delay from moving the stick until the trans went into gear, about 2 seconds. I’ve gotten more comfortable with it but after reading these posts and finding info online I’m going to try to adjust it this spring.
Pete

Thanks Pete

I did get my controls adjusted. They are better.... I would not say I am happy with them. There is still a little difference in the engine sync, and the 2 second delay when you shift into gear is really irritating when you are docking. I have ready that can be reduced but I haven't figured out how yet.

Greg, please let me know how adjusting the spring works. I am willing to take mine apart and play with it if it helps you.

Thanks,
Russ