Replacing all of the control cables

[hls30.com]

I am going to replace all of the control cables(heater, choke, throttle) in my S30, and my SRL311. I am considering using goodies from this company.

http://www.azusaeng.com/brk_thrttl/cablesconduit.html

Anybody been there and done that-I am far more interested in smooth and trouble free operation than authentic look-though I do plan on using the original hardware other than the cables.

Will

[240ZX]

Hi Will,

I looked at the cables on the site you posted. These cable assemblies are intended for a "pull" type application. The cables you will need are a " push/pull" type and are generally made with a solid wire, not a muti-strand wire. You might consider just disassembling your exsiting units, cleaning, lubricating, and re-installing. Should yield a much smoother operation....and no modifications required. If you choose to purchase new push/pull cables, other than OEM, be prepared for some work, getting them to adapt. Good luck Will.

Tom

[26th-Z]

The original cables on a 1969 240Z were woven strand type and were later replaced by solid wire. The solid wire will perform better, but thanks for the link!

[moonpup]

Hi Will,

I agree with Tom. If your main objective is to insure the smoother operation of your cables, then I say save your money for something you really need.

I removed, cleaned and "re-lubed" all mine in addition to lubricating all the pivot points on the items they operated, and the difference was night and day. Never had a problem for the next ten years.(Don't know about after that cuz I sold the car! )

Graphite might be the best way to go for the cables but I just used WD-40 both to clean and "lube" and like I said they worked great.

[Arne]

I used Tri-flow on mine. The teflon in it seems to last a long time, also.

[mlc240z]

when i pulled them all out to do the heater core, i removed the cables from the housings.

did a quick clean with thinner, light scuff with emery paper and relubed with a little white lithium grease. fed back into cable housings, worked back and forth to distribute the lithium and reinstalled.

between that and cleaning/lubing pivot points, operation was smoother and bind-free.

if your heart's set on replacing, i've read that motorcycle cabling is the same solid wire as OEM.

[hls30.com]

I have a set of NOS cables for the heater, and I had considered using a powered teflon(a variant of triflow) to lubricate them before installation-sounds like that is the answer for tha specific application(I have always cleaned and reused them in the past).

The real replacements will be the stranded cables for the choke, and throttle. In the case of those cables, they are not only highly worn, but rusted\fused inside the sleeve. I could replace them with a cleaned and lubed used set, but I want to secure the stranded ends to make them more cooperative upon insertion and removal. I figure either crimp a thin sleeve/cap on the end, or apply a wee bit o solder to secure the strands.

Cleaning and reusing the stranded variety has never given me a long lived repair-hence my desire for a replacement using newly available materials.

For the spirally wound stranded cables, I have always setup a pint of mineral spirits to drain throught the sleeve overnight to clean them out, then runt what ever remains through while working the mechanism, when the mineral spirits comes out clean...

I have them lubed the cables with thinned wheel bearing grease put in the same way.

Will