Lazy Man's Way To Smooth Cables

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68LC

68LC

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Threads
4
Messages
60
Location
Pahrump, NV
Free-up your sticky choke and hand throttle cables. It took about 6 hours to turn some frozen cables to like new this last weekend. Easier than pulling the dash apart, me thinks.

  • Disconnect the cables from the carb.
  • Take a 10-12 inch long piece of 3/16 ID vacuum hose
  • Push it over the cable end, ½ inch or so.
  • Fill the vacuum hose with penetrating oil.
  • Elevate and secure the open end of the hose.
  • Open a beer, check the cables occasionally.
  • Fill up every couple of hours until done.
  • Reconnect
  • Wipe off any excess from dash
Enjoy
 
You are a genius, cant wait to do this to my cables when I get back home Monday. My cables are out of the dash but this will allow me to soak them and only use a small amount of penetrating oil. Thank you so much for this post, this is a great tip. I hope to post and update Wed about how great it worked.
 
68LC said:
Free-up your sticky choke and hand throttle cables. It took about 6 hours to turn some frozen cables to like new this last weekend. Easier than pulling the dash apart, me thinks.

  • Disconnect the cables from the carb.
  • Take a 10-12 inch long piece of 3/16 ID vacuum hose
  • Push it over the cable end, ½ inch or so.
  • Fill the vacuum hose with penetrating oil.
  • Elevate and secure the open end of the hose.
  • Open a beer, check the cables occasionally.
  • Fill up every couple of hours until done.
  • Reconnect
  • Wipe off any excess from dash
Enjoy
Click to expand...

I am happy to report I personally witness this this miracle procedure first hand, Very effective ....and was able to help with step #6 the Shiner Bock :beer:
 
Substitnted with What?????? Rasta!!!! Well.....back in my 20s I would have....3 kids and almost 40!
 
x2 on the Shiner Bock haven't had any since Texas. liquor stores here just stare at me blankly when i ask for it. :crybaby: I lucked out soaking my frozen parking brake cable in place without removing. I just sprayed the cable and worked it while simultaneously performing step six :beer: I wasn't sure it would work but figured it was worth a try.
 
I have a few cables that have fat bits on the end, so the hose did not fit - I cut the hose down the side, slipped it over the big bits, and fastened closed with a cable tie/tape. Come to think of it, creating a "funnel" with some tape would have worked just as well.

Thanks for the tip - did like #6 too.
 
I didnt realize that any LandCruiser repairs were able to be completed without step #6. Its always worked for me this far, why change now?
 
68LC said:
Free-up your sticky choke and hand throttle cables. It took about 6 hours to turn some frozen cables to like new this last weekend. Easier than pulling the dash apart, me thinks.

  • Disconnect the cables from the carb.
  • Take a 10-12 inch long piece of 3/16 ID vacuum hose
  • Push it over the cable end, ½ inch or so.
  • Fill the vacuum hose with penetrating oil.
  • Elevate and secure the open end of the hose.
  • Open a beer, check the cables occasionally.
  • Fill up every couple of hours until done.
  • Reconnect
  • Wipe off any excess from dash
Enjoy
Click to expand...

Absolute genious! Gee how many times have I pulled the whole thing out and screwed with them until they free up?!:rolleyes:
 
I freed my cables with a can of dirt bike chain lubricant. I'd spray it in the opening of the cable guide, pump the gas pedal. spray the other end of the cable. pump the gas pedal. it's held up well.

Oh, and I'd never get anything done on my Fj40 without step #6
 
I put mine in an ultrasonic cleaner filled with oil and turned it on. I discovered that if the conditoions are just right you can change step #6 to include any iced beverage but thing have to be just right!

For really stubborn cables try a frying pan full of ATF ( it's high detergent) and some heat from the camp stove. When you are finished set the pan aside and go buy the wife a new one. You have just ruined the pan but saved the cable. Once it's freed up dump out the ATF and put in some STP oil treatment and fry it up again. You might be impressed.

Of course all of these methods require removing the cables.
 
I have one soaking now, the beauty for me is how little penetrating oil is needed. I was able to fill the tube with PB blaster from a spray can, every few hours I top it off as more seeps into the cable. If it frees this choke cable up I will be impressed.
 
I have an old motorcycle cable luber that clamps on the end of the cable with a rubber seal and a small hole to plug a spray can straw into and shoot her full. It is a little better than gravity feed cuz you can shoot it thru till it comes out clean giving it a flush and new lube all in one.

Almost any motorcycle shop has them. I have found chainlube works the best and last the longest also.

A can of chainlube with a long chunk of vacuum hose gets inside of doors nicely to lube old regulators and window channels/tracks too.
clube3.webp
 
cable lubers work great and usually run you around 8$ , some sort of actual dry lube works the best , silicone based or a graphite lube that drys . you can buy specific cable lube .
 
Greg, I expect a demonstration, complete with Step 6, when you come in on Saturday!:D

I have found that there is actually a 7th step, which keeps the cables in my '64 really working premium.

Over time the solid core cables get kinks in the line. So once Steps 1-6 provide you with a loose cable, pull the core out of the housing and use a ball peen hammer to straighten out the kinks in the cable. Then you can apply the lube of your choice before reinserting it in the sheath.;)

Best

Mark A.
 
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