Can you ID this controller?

boatman37

boatman37

Well-Known Member
Jun 6, 2015
4,255
pittsburgh
Boat Info
2006 Crownline 250CR. 5.7 Merc BIII
Previous: 1986 Sea Ray 250 Sundancer. 260 Merc Alpha 1 Gen 1
Engines
5.7 Merc BIII
Anyone know how this controller functions? May seem trivial but this is from the boat we are looking at. I was on it today and couldn't figure out how to work the throttle with drive disengaged. On my 1986 I had a button in the center that you had to push then work the throttle (essentially it was in neutral off idle). The center button on this one doesn't seem to push in? The gray button at the top unlocks it so you can put it in forward or reverse. It doesn't seem to want to move unless this is pushed?There is also the trim button then an on/run at the bottom? I assume this must be in the run position for the engine to start?

I ask because on our old boat I gave it a little throttle in neutral to start it. This boat is also carb'd (or maybe TBI)? It is a 2006 Crownline 250CR 5.7 Merc with a Bravo III (dual prop). I haven't been able to go through the engine bay very well yet as the hatch lift motor is disconnected for winter storage (boat hasn't been ran in 3 years). I do know it has a round spark arrestor cover that says Merc 5.7 so I assume it is carb'd?

The current owner doesn't know anything about it mechanically so just trying to figure some of this out on my own beforehand.

 
On the one I had like that the bottom black button was pushed in then you can give the boat gas while it was still in neutral. Top gray button was pushed to engage forward, neutral, and reverse as you stated.
 
Run/Off switch supposed to have a little clip that connects a wrist band. That way, it automatically shuts down if you reach to far for a beer.

I bet the "neutral button" is just stuck.
 
Spark arrestor cover does not indicate injected, or not. Look underneath it for TBI or look for (8) MPI injectors/fuel rail.

I have to ask... the current owner DOES NOT know how to operate his/her own throttle/shift lever and can't provide you with this info? Are you sure you want to buy a boat from this person?

The grey (faded black) button at the top works like any other style control stick - push it in to engage fwd or rev... is not needed to pop back into neutral.

The round, black button at the bottom is used like your old one - push it in to disengage the shift mechanism so you have throttle only. If it's not working, it's either somehow stuck/compromised or you're not doing it properly (although it's not rocket science to push a button in). Try jiggling the handle a bit.

The trim/tilt button is an all-in-one unit. The "up" portion has two detents/clicks - the first one for trim, the second for tilt.

It wasn't long after your '86 that all small boats started using (required) a "kill switch" (the run/off thing). A small, red "key" (with a lanyard) would attach to the red toggle switch, then the lanyard would be attached to you. If you fell, the kill switch would be activated, stopping the engine. Most don't use it and it is not a requirement for boats (jet skis are different). In normal practice, leave the kill switch in the run position all the time. But you can switch it off for added safety if you're worried about little ones attempting to start the engine.
 
The grey (faded black) button at the top works like any other style control stick - push it in to engage fwd or rev... is not needed to pop back into neutral

but you push the round button in for throttle only and the grey one to get the handel to move
 
That's what I was trying to figure out. So do I have to push both buttons in at the same time? I can only use my one hand so will try to figure out how to work that one-handed. That's why I had this question.

As far as the owner not knowing, that's a longer story. They are no longer together and for the most part the boat sat at the dock and they just hung out on it. She may know how to operate it and she said she would drive it for the sea trial if needed. We know the owner so the only times we have looked at it was on our own.
 
Mercury flush mount control. Run/Off switch is for the safety lanyard that Mercury now uses. Button in center of pivot is for engine throttle without engaging gear. Button on top of handle is safety lock. Button in handle is trim.
Looks like an early version of Mercury's 4000 series but you are right it's unique.....
 
Yes, you'll definitely need to use two hands (or a heel of a hand on the lower button?). But this is going to be typical of pretty much anything you see anymore - this setup is the most common thing out there for small boats. If you end up with fuel injected, it'll be rare, if at all, that you use that feature, though.
 
fwebster said:
Have you tried “ clubcrownline.com “?”
Click to expand...
Nothing comes up Frank. There is one called crowniehq but haven't been able to register because the captcha feature is has been down for a couple of weeks. I can go in and read most posts but can't post anything myself
 
Lazy Daze said:
Yes, you'll definitely need to use two hands (or a heel of a hand on the lower button?). But this is going to be typical of pretty much anything you see anymore - this setup is the most common thing out there for small boats. If you end up with fuel injected, it'll be rare, if at all, that you use that feature, though.
Click to expand...
I'm sure I can figure it out but hoping it is TBI so I won't need to do that. Haven't been able to really see the engine bay yet because the electric engine hatch is disconnected. It does have a round air cleaner that says 5.7 Merc. It looks like there may be a plug going to the carb so it might be TBI. The owner would have no idea. She bought it and only took it out a few times and paid the local marina to do everything.
 
In some cases, the round cover could be indicative of carb'd, while a rectangular cover with "5.7 EFI" written on could be the other option. But that's not always the case... and who knows what has changed over the years. Do you have the engine serial number?

This isn't "best practice", but you could disable the top button... or zip tie it "compressed". Obviously there are caveats with this and normally shouldn't be done for safety reasons.
 
Like most manufacturer's, there's going to be "options" when it comes to engines. So unfortunately what one has won't necessarily translate to another.
 
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