# Speed Control with Merc 9.9 Kicker?



## Meerkat (Aug 10, 2008)

Anyone have issues on throttle control in their Merc 9.9 "Pro-Kicker"?

My issue is that at idle it will give me about 1mph but if I try to bump the speed up to about 1.5 mph, even just touching the throttle (tiller handle or control-king dial) it jumps to about 2.5 mph. It is impossible to get it to run at any speed just above idle.

Would appreciate any input. It is driving me nuts!


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

might try just turning the idle screw to what you want,my yamaha has remote control and it does that. so I popped the lid set my troll to two mph and gave up.


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## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

I was having the same issues when I bought mine. I put on a Control King.....same thing. There was no difference at all. I have heard folks say it's the carb. I couldn't say for sure though. Mine still does it and bugs the Heck outta me.


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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

I must say my merc 9.9 was terrible until I installed a controlking and cleaned the carb. They'll put a man on Mars before merc makes an injected kicker that can actually run unassisted at trolling speeds.... Ughh

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

There has to be a way you can tweak the linkage to reduce the throttle plate travel in that one area....


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## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

Meerkat - is it possible to move the throttle linkage rod closer to the center of rotation of the white disc that is your attachment point to the servo (see pic)? This would reduce amount of throttle movement associated with servo movement.


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## Meerkat (Aug 10, 2008)

Thanks for the responses guys! I played with the stainless wire positioning and got it a little better but it still needs a lot of attention. I am thinking I might follow Seaturd's suggestion. & move the pivot point in towards center of the white wheel. I only need about 2 clicks on the dial on the controller of my Controllking to go from 1mph to 2.5mph so losing a little travel by doing this is not going to hurt. 

Also going to see if I can add a "helper" spring to the throttle butterfly so as to reduce the play between the Merc throttle control mechanism & the Controllking throttle control mechanism. Moving the pivot point on the while wheel will also help here in giving me more leverage to counteract the stronger spring on the throttle.


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

Pretty sure you have a new rig. Did you get dealer input on this issue?


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## Meerkat (Aug 10, 2008)

Yes it is a new rig & I intend to pursue it with the dealer but I also wanted to have the information in my back pocket as to whether this is a problem that other folks have experienced with the pro-kicker. 

I already talked to the dealer on the phone & they are happy to look at it but the dealer is an hour away from where the boat is located so if a simple tweak on my part can solve the problem then that is what I would prefer to do. 

Moving the pivot point on the white wheel would take me 5 minutes. Driving the boat to the dealer would take me an hour each way & I would have to leave it there & make another trip to go pick it up.


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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

Meerkat, I assume that you have a 5 pitch 4blade high thrust prop on you kicker. Similar to what my friend Seaturd mentioned, it took some adjustment of the stainless steel connector rod to the servo to finally get my kicker to work in the speed range of desire for walleye on Erie. I still have to turn my controlking knob very little to fine tune in the 10 to 1.5 mph range. This adjustment might be difficult for a boat dealer without dipping a lake, but that is not to say I would lack confidence in Vic's to make it right as they know their stuff from my experience with them. Good luck. 

Just happen to be going to Larain with Seaturd tomorrow for some trolling...


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## Brahmabull71 (Jul 30, 2014)

Meerkat,

I installed an iTroll last week and LOVE it. My '15 Mercury 9.9 was the worst of the three kickers I've owned. It had a sweet spot that I couldn't troll at from 1.1-1.5 SOG. I took it back to the dealer that installed and they couldn't get it any better. So, I decided to put on the new iTroll and had an issue where the adjustments were not minut enough, so I called Joel at iTroll and he offered help. On iTroll there is an arm rather than a round servo as Seaturd pictured but the concept is exactly the same as mentioned. Move the fulcrum of the throttle cable inward and ALSO make the servo hole you use be as parallel to the throttle cable as possible. In picture above, the set screw and center of servo should be as close to parallel to the throttle positioning rod as possible for most minut travel of servo. If the throttle rod is at 4:00 on clock dial, then make the servo the same at the "idle/run" position. If you want it to "open" throttle greater, set "idle/run" position more towards 6:00 on the clock dial. Hope this makes sense! Good luck!


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Seaturd's suggestion is a good way to start adjusting the problem or you can also reset the servo wheel as noted above.
The servo's supplied with the system are generally of a fairly low torque design and can be replaced with a high torque servo available through at R/C model shop.


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

Meerkat said:


> Yes it is a new rig & I intend to pursue it with the dealer but I also wanted to have the information in my back pocket as to whether this is a problem that other folks have experienced with the pro-kicker.
> 
> I already talked to the dealer on the phone & they are happy to look at it but the dealer is an hour away from where the boat is located so if a simple tweak on my part can solve the problem then that is what I would prefer to do.
> 
> Moving the pivot point on the white wheel would take me 5 minutes. Driving the boat to the dealer would take me an hour each way & I would have to leave it there & make another trip to go pick it up.


I hear you there. Better to fix yourself if possible. 
I do not have this issue on the same motor with Trollmaster Pro2 added. It really sounds like some sort of carb/linkage issue given it does it with either control method. I do get "flat spots" in throttle response areas occasionally, but the symptoms are different than what you are experiencing. And quick carb cleanout solves it. Can't see how you would have a dirty carb on a new rig.


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## Meerkat (Aug 10, 2008)

Shortdrift said:


> Seaturd's suggestion is a good way to start adjusting the problem or you can also reset the servo wheel as noted above.
> The servo's supplied with the system are generally of a fairly low torque design and can be replaced with a high torque servo available through at R/C model shop.


Yeah on my last boat the kicker was a two stroke & I was having trouble burning through the standard servos because on the two stroke you are advancing the timing as well as opening the throttle so it takes more effort. As you suggest, I found a source of servos online (hobby shop) & ordered the same size servo with a much higher torque rating. So I am going to try what Seaturd said & if that does not work order an higher torque servo.

Here is a pic of my current setup. Looks very similar to Seaturd's & Controllking says it is okay but would welcome any additional input.


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## Meerkat (Aug 10, 2008)

And here is the high torque servo I used.
http://www.hobbyhorse.com/hitec_hs625mg.shtml

This website has all kinds of different servos listed...


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

Worth a shot, but still sounds like problem is on motor itself.


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## Meerkat (Aug 10, 2008)

tomb said:


> Worth a shot, but still sounds like problem is on motor itself.


Agreed but I am a tinkerer. Cant help it!


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## Meerkat (Aug 10, 2008)

One thing I did find on the Merc marketing website was this comment:

"Maintain Your Troll: Slow-speed throttle advance has been improved, making it easier for anglers to find and hold their optimal troll speed."

Which would indicate to me that they know they have a problem...


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

All of my trouble has been with kicker itself, or fuel supply. Likely none of this will apply to your new motor, but down the road. Had to replace quick disconnect at motor, small primer bulb on the motor, and clean the carb out a few times since 2011. Especially watch that little primer bulb. Mine was likely cracked for over a year before it got bad enough to find it. Local lawnmower shop had it for 50 cents in a clear version.


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## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

"Here is a pic of my current setup. Looks very similar to Seaturd's & Controllking says it is okay but would welcome any additional input."
For clarification, that was not a photo of my motor. I have an Itroll on my Merc. I copied the pic from the web.

And what is this "small primer bulb" you are talking about? Am I missing something on my motor?


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

There is the large primer bulb on the fuel line and a small one on motor next to the choke. The small one cracked and kept stalling motor while trolling. Lawnmower place said plan to replace it every 3 years or so as general maintenance.


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