The most common PM questions I get concern RPM, props and throttle adjustment.

The question really is, can I make my mud motor go faster.

Chances are, you probably can. I haven't seen one yet that we can't make go faster for under $200 and many times do it for nothing. Self help is best.

Longtails with lever style throttle.

Set the friction adjustment screw to hold your throttle wide open. Have someone hold it open, if necessary.

Loosen the throttle cable clamp located by the muffler. Pull gently until the throttle lever hits its stop. In many models this is a high speed governor adjustment screw or fixed bracket. Tighten the cable clamp snug. Do not over tighten.

Start the engine, let idle for one minute and then run wide open. Check tach for 3850 to 4000 rpm depending on the mm manufacture engine spec requirements. Most can be run at 3900.

If the engine does not run at least that high, you will need to adjust the governor. Now this gets tricky and why many manufacturers prefer not to give any more advice.

As long as you do not run more than 4000 rpm out of the water, the only way you can screw up a governor is by not tightening the adjustment screw causing it to loosen and over-rev later.

Here goes. The governor is connected directly to the butterfly lever on the carburator. The throttle you use is connected to the governor by a governor spring. The governor isn't magic and doesn't control your life, however, without adequate pull by the throttle through the spring, its objective, to slow down the engine can limit your max RPMs.

So, we want to exert more pull than the governor, thus controlling top speed RPM out of the water. I will talk about how that relates to the in-water, under-load speed later.

The governor either has an adjustment screw or a tab. The adjustment screw obviously moves the stop allowing the throttle to pull further on the spring, or a tab that does likewise. Many Vans have a tab, Kohler and Kawi, a screw. So, adjust the screw or tab to pull further or harder on the governor spring. Each time, incrementally. Check the RPM, each time doing so more carefully to ensure you don't over adjust and cause over-revving problems. If this doesn't work, there is another option.

The Governor Spring: The governor spring on your mud motor is designed to exert a set amount of pull on the governor. Most springs are color coded reflecting what RPM they allow the engine to achieve. You can get a new spring if one is old and stretched, or replace it with a color code that is stiffer with more RPM.

Governor Spring Arm: The governor spring on most motors is connected to the governor arm or throttle arm. There is normally more than one hole to connect the governor spring. When we can't get an engine to the desired RPM, we move the spring out further on the arm to another hole, thus providing more leverage.

With this knowledge you can adjust your governor for the performance your manufacture intended.

Governor and in-water performance. The governor when properly adjusted has nothing to do with how fast the motor runs in the water. However, there are exceptions and a simple test, provided the engine under load is running less than 3900. (But, first be safe, be in open water, have full control of your motor and be familiar where the carburator throttle linkage is located.) (This test is not subject to motor type, boat type, load, elevation, or any other conditions.) With the throttle wide open, and RPMs running lower than 3900 RPM, reach around and press the carburator butterfly arm or governor linkage and see if there is any additional throttle left. Visually, you might be able to see the throttle arm pegged out on its stop or not. If there is throttle left, replace the governor spring and/or give us a call for help.

When all this is done, then we fine tune the propellers for a given load. We can talk about this later.

Hyper - The twist or squeeze throttle both adjust the same as above, except most of the Hyper motors run at 4000 RPM by design.

Tip: While you are adjusting the throttle cable in step one, add a fingertip of grease to the cable near the cable sleeve, and tie the cable up on any part of the motor so it is higher than cable end. This will keep water out of your throttle cable and prevent freezing later on.