Stiff trottle

After readjusting the cable at the throttle arm (Moving it to forward idle)all is much better...pre loading the spring has made a difference in the stiffness!!! I changed to a lighter spring as well.

Also ...I am able to set the idle speed back quite a bit more. My timing needed to be advanced a bit to get more power...when doing so , I was unable to set the idle low enough...it would not adjust any further. Now my timing and idle are where they should be Boat ran great today...almost hit 50 mph!!! and idle is @ 600 rpms.

Thanks David F for the tip...solved more than one problem!!!

The point I was try to make was to remove any
springs added to the carb or who knows elsewhere trying to solve some other problem. The problem lies in one of three areas, cable, control, or carb. People add springs to return the throttle because of cable drag or control problems. If you add a non factory spring to the carb you a most likely binding the throttle shaft. The throttle shaft has a shaft spring on it to close the throttle in the event the cable or control fails(that is the only reason that spring are there). Any added springs will increase stiffness & will result in increasing wear of the throttle shaft. Replace the cable, check the results, if problem persists remove the control any service or replace it. Also check cable routing for wide sweeping radius & smooth operation.   

After giving it a test...disconnecting the cable @ the control box...it is iffy!!! iffy is getting near murphy's law...and not OK! Also...I noticed , that setting a good idle Rpm was difficult...the return spring when on helps when setting the idle down...there is not enough tention to get lower idle settings without it!When using a stiffer spring , I could turn the idle lower...without a spring , it would stop at a certain point where I thought there was no more adjustment....with the spring on I could turn it down quite a bit more. That would indicate to me that the cable is too stiff due to old age.
Spring stays and the cable is to be replaced!!!

I concur with David.

I believe the return spring is designed to overcome the friction within the throttle cable if the break should happen to occur at the control. I doubt the spring at the throttle shaft would be sufficient.

Hey! We had an MC in 1983. He kept playing Billie Jean over and over - it still made for a nice disco party though. That is what you mean by "83 MC". Right? Wait. He was a DJ not an MC. What is an MC?

Jim In Houston, I thought the same. I have not seen a carb where when sitting the throttle plates are wide open. Maybe his spring is broken, and the add on return spring is used to make up for a defective or misadjusted cable or control.

Maybe you just need a lighter spring. Might try disconnecting the throttle cable and then find the lightest spring that would fully return the throttle to idle. Then, go at least one heavier so ensure that the spring can overcome the internal friction of the broken cable. Or better yet, disconnect the throttle cable at the control and find the lightest spring that will return the throttle to idle.

Can you attach the cable to a spot on the throttle arm that imparts more leverage and hence will reduce effort, but increase throw.

Well, you could turn the engine off and then be somewhat out of control, because these boats can turn and stop very poorly without power.

Plus, i suspect you may ski as well as drive, would you trust your driver to have the same top-gun reactions you have? Do you ever let others take the boat out, just things to send the point home..

Thanks for considering, and regret being so mater-of-fact, just seen so many close calls and accidents over the years, hate to see somebody build one into their boat.

Fresh cables and ends are cheap peace-of-mind considering the proximity we navigate these boats to people in the water.

Nothing personal Nate but thats some of the worse advise I've seen on the net.

If, no when the cable breaks or the brass cable ends are sawed through by the morse control (yes, I have seen this occur three times for each)
the kids you hit would say leave the return spring on, and btw replace the cables with fresh morse red-jackets, when given the chance.

If the cables are over 15 years old they can go at anytime; you could get another 5 years out of them or another week. Personally I'm not that lucky.

You can count on these things failing at the worse possible time.

My thottle is a bit stiff when engaging...if I remove the return spring from the carb linkage to the block , it is smooth and moves with ease.
Any reason to keep a spring on?
Are there ajustments on the holley carb that increase or decrease tention?
It does not appear that the cable is binding and the morse control seems fine .
I never had a problem before switching carbs???
Thanks
GH