[AT] OT lubricating a cable

[Charlie V]

John, I will tell you what a friend taught me to do for snowmobile throttle
cables some 45 years ago.  Can this work for you?  Your decision.

Due to the environment they work in, the throttle cables would take
moisture inside and then possible freeze inside, locking the throttle and
sometimes in the wide open position, so watch out.  Those particular cables
(Polaris) had a junction block about in the middle where they went from one
cable to two cables, one for each carb.  We drilled a small hole (under
1/16 inch) into one side of that block.  This allowed us to inject WD-40
through the hole to protect the cable in both directions.  We then taped
around over the hole to seal the unit back up.  The tape (silicone would
work) could then be removed to again lubricate the cables periodically.

I realize this is an entirely different problem from yours.  We were
fighting moisture rather than rust.  Just thinking that small holes here
and there on your cable might give you access to the inside.

What not to do:  If there is a plastic or nylon liner in the inside of the
cable, DO NOT USE HEAT.  I tried that once with an automotive parking brake
cable.  That welded everything into a solid mess so I had to face up to the
cost of a new one.

Charlie V

On Sun, Nov 2, 2014 at 8:07 AM, <jtchall at nc.rr.com> wrote:

> Maybe someone here has a great idea other than me giving Deere $200. The
> transmission shift cable on my 3300 combine has gotten really hard to move.
> I’ve unhooked it from the transmission and it is still hard to move. The
> gearshift lever and the quadrants are not binding, they actually are so
> loose they need the bushings replaced. This cable is about 15 ft. long if I
> had to guess. The OD is about 5/8-3/4” so  I imagine inside there is a 3/16
> or 1/4” cable or rod. There is one damaged spot on the cable where it got
> into a pulley years ago and wore away the rubber casing. Beneath the casing
> it is wrapped in wire strand. I can separate the strand slightly and spray
> penetrating oil, but haven’t forced it open enough to see what's inside.
> Unless I am missing something, you can’t pull the cable apart. Last night I
> rigged up a hose clamped on one end filled with a few ounces of diesel
> fuel. Hooked this up to my air compressor with the tank valve barely
> cracked open. I’ve got the hose positioned so the diesel is around the
> cable. I’ll check it this evening to see if the fluid went up the cable or
> if the pressure managed to bust something—I wrapped some rags around it to
> keep the mess down! Any ideas how to free this thing up?
>
> John Hall
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