Posted by From ZSite on Monday, May 29, 2006 at 8:29PM :
In Reply to: speedo cable lube? posted by dave on Monday, May 29, 2006 at 11:32AM :
remove the cable from the vehicle, gently removing the inner wound wire flex cable from it's outer casing with a turning action as you pull. Careful, if too much resistance is encountered, do not keep pulling or you could stretch the cable and damage it.
Once removed, you can clean out the inner and outer friction surfaces by flushing both with gasoline or solvent. Careful, do not soak cable ends that have the old rubber oil seals on them or could destroy the rubber. Blow out the outer casing interior with air and wipe dry and inspect the inner cable for any breaks in the wound wire surface or modest kinks. If all looks good, first spray WD-40 on it to lube internal areas, then coat with a clean motor oil. I also prefer to coat the whole cable with a light weight grease using a rag or my fingers to press it into the wound wire section. If you use heavy axle grease you risk creating too much resistance to the rotation of the cable when the car is cold which could overstrain an old cable and lead to more problems. Use great care to not get any grit or cleaning cloth debris on the lubricated cable before reinserting it back into the outer casing. Laying the lubricated cable on a work bench prior to re-assemble can screw up all your efforts real quick. Be sure you insert the correct into the correct end of the outer cable as well or you'll not be able to hook the cable up properly.