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Fixed the problem by disconnecting the throttle lever from the forked fitting at the binnacle end of the throttle cable, unscrewing the forked fitting from the end of the cable, drilling two holes about 1/2" further down the fork for the clevis pin and reattaching the fitting to the throttle lever on the binnacle. This had the effective of shortening the cable and thus allowing the throttle control  to provide the full power of the engine if required. More details available if anyone is interested. Thanks to all for suggestions.

Now back to the problem of my tempermental alarm switch...

Thanks both. I have adjusted the threaded fitting at the engine end until it was impossible to shorten the cable any further. When I hit the helm throttle control hits the binnacle tube, the throttle can still be advanced further. If no further adjustment is possible at the helm, it might be possible to move the cable clamp aft by drilling new holes in the plate on the engine to which the cable clamp is fastened. I am assuming that aft is the direction I need to go to allow the Morris control to access the extra throttle 'room'.

I used to be able to reach 2900 rpm, but recently the throttle control on my 1999 Mk II M35B is hitting the binnacle stainless steel support tube at about 2500rpm. It feels like there is slack in the cable as I push it forward.  The cable is as tight as it can get at the engine end. Before opening up the binnacle, I would like to know if it is possible to adjust the throttle cable tension at that end. Does anyone knowing that is the case and, if so, how the adjustment is made?

I used a hole saw. The saloon roof is thick but it worked fine. The deck fitting cap for the propane stove is designed so that sheets slide over it without catching. I'm not sure what the diesel cap looks like.  Sheets will catch if the cap provides an opportunity.

I've got a Dickinson Newport propane heater on that bulkhead with the chimney straight up from the heater through the saloon ceiling. It's the larger of the two Propane heaters. The deck vent is far forward but is constructed so that the foresail sheets do not catch on it. I put a snap on sunbrella cover over it however when underway because, being far forward, I have had spray and the occasional wave wash over it. I also left almost a foot between the bottom of the heater and the port settee to allow room to stretch out on the settee. Diesel can be finicky and the exhaust dirtier than propane which leaves no deposits on the saloon roof. But I did buy a second propane tank so I didn't run out.

I see that you survived your move Ken. If you have any thoughts on the results I posted for the tests you suggested I would love to hear them.

Andre
If you don't have any success renting a digital tach meter, you can buy one from Amazon.ca for around $25.

I have been dealing with a noisy damper plate and commented on that today on a parallel thread. My only extra point on this thread would be that the Westerbeke recommended idling range for the M35B engines is 800 to 1000rpm. I would be concerned that idling in the 1300rpm range would put significant strain on the clutch when going into gear.

Hi Andre
A noisy damper plate at idle seems to be a common complaint for M35BC owners. I was idling around 850rpm and when I would engage the forward gear the damper plate would make a lot of noise. As an interim solution I have increased the idle speed (using a laser rpm meter) slightly above the manufacturers parameters (850-1000rpm) so that the damper plate is much quieter when I go into forward. In my experience, the problem is less of an issue in reverse. I am now at 1050rpm. The issue here seems to be finding a balance between a rattling damper plate and an idle rate that could do damage to the clutch when shifting. I am experimenting at the moment. BTW, I have around 2200 hours on my engine.

Of course, there is a possibility that my damper plate is damaged and needs replacement. On my boat to get at it I probably would have to release the aft motor mounts and loosen the forward ones to lift the engine enough to pull the transmission and Bell housing over the top of the half coupling. Because I have a PSS shaft seal there doesn't seem to be enough room to push the shaft far enough aft to do the job without lifting the engine up. I also am not sure if the job can be done without detaching the heat exchanger and other wiring and hosing that lie across the aft end of the engine.

Other readers may have had experience with this problem and have views on idle speed adjustment and the process for getting at the damper plate if required.

Be sure when you buy a replacement LED bulb for your anchor light that it is built for the kind of treatment it receives on a boat. Specifically, it needs to be protected against corrosion and it needs drivers that will accept the kind of voltage variations that our batteries can provide. I had a bad experience with a bulb that apparently was designed for automobile use.

No problem Ken. I'm in no rush. The boat works even if the alarm doesn't at this point. This engine hasn't lost a drop of oil in its 20 years of service and I monitor the oil daily when cruising.

I hope you don't hate moving as much as I do.

Hi Ken
Reattached the alarm switch and ran the engine just to make sure I hadn't crossed any wires while testing yesterday. No alarm at start up but strangely when I shut down got an anemic oil alarm. Opened the panel and checked the voltage at the alarm and it was 3.78 volts which might explain the anemia. With the engine switch still on and the buzzer still bleating, I checked the voltage at the fuel pump. It was 13.75v. And when I did that test the alarm buzzer stopped sounding and then started up again when I removed the test leads. I went back to the panel and turned off  the engine switch. I then bypassed the ignition  switch and applied power from the positive feed at the buss bar to the P terminal on the alarm switch. Still anemic and under 4v despite being fed from a source measuring 14 volts. Does this suggest some kind of ground issue in the alarm circuit?

Hope those might be a useful observations.

As promised

Answered my earlier question. I just finished the four tests.

I measured voltage across plus and minus alarm terminals. Zero reading on P terminal. 0.368v on C just out of interest.

Took the alarm switch out of circuit. Check tabs and they seemed solid.

Grounded the P terminal and got solid alarm signal. Much stronger than usual.

Checked continuity between P wire and panel ground at panel buss bar, 960 ohms.

Voltage on P wire with power on is 0.06 and with preheat added is12.26v.

Finally, can't tell if fuel pump is operating during pre heat. No ticking as noted earlier.

Will send picture of preheat solenoid.

Thanks again for your willingness to pursue this with me. I am learning a lot even if an answer hasn't emerged yet.

Ken,
Re the third test, checking the continuity of Alarm P wire to panel ground. Is it the continuity of the disconnected Alarm P wire or the P terminal when the P wire is disconnected
?