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Power equipment Control Cable Lubrication?

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Beemer

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Not sure if this fits the forum, but I have a antique gas powered garden tiller that has control cables that are a steel wire inside metal spiral wound sheathing (no vinyl exterior sheathing).

Since the cables are long out of production, would either lubricating the exterior of the sheathing for the length with a hand held pump oiler or soaking the each entire cable in a bucket of oil get to the inside and help preserve them? They are near 5 feet long so I doubt dribbling on the ends of the inner cable would get very far in.
 

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Rinspeed

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If you don't want to spend $10 for a cable lubricator you can make a small funnel out of aluminum foil, zip tie it to the outside of the cable pour a little bit of oil in it.




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larry_g

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It was standard practice on the farm 60 years ago when I was younger to oil the control cables on the various pieces of equipment. A bit of oil from the pump can applied along the length of the sheath. It soaks in and keeps the wire sliding without problems. Used to be able buy in lengths or rolls and make your own if need be. I'd assume that it is still available and it comes in different wire sizes.


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PCustoms

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I usually just put the straw of whatever my current flavor of spray lube is on the end and give it a few squirts.

Currently working thru a can of PB, but dirt guy gave me a tip to use WD-40 to flush hydraulic QD so have a fresh can of that on the tractor too. Not a great long term lube, but thin and cheap to blast crud out of the cable
 
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gahrajmahal

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You need a zip lock sandwich bag and a rubber band. Freezer bag has a double zip. Cut a small corner off of one side on the bottom. Insert one end of your cable. Secure tightly by doubling and tripling the rubber band so it doesn’t leak. Fill the bag 1/4 of the way with a light weight oil. Zip bag closed. Suspend the bag and cable. Maybe use a clip or clamp to attach it up high enough so the cable is straight. Put the lower end of the cable in your oil drain bucket to catch the oil as it drains through the cable.

This is how I would refresh the cables on my dirt bike.
 
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Beerhippie

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Retired dozer fixer said:
Just oil outside of cable. Should soak in. Sounds like same kind of cable as an old choke cable
Click to expand...
^This is the correct answer. There is no liner on those--just the spiral-wrapped sheath.

The cool tool is for sealed cable sheaths--we had something like it back in the seventies for bicycle and motorcycle cables.
 
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Beemer

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Rinspeed said:
If you don't want to spend $10 for a cable lubricator you can make a small funnel out of aluminum foil, zip tie it to the outside of the cable pour a little bit of oil in it.




1779233883075.png
Click to expand...
I have one of those and have had no success on bike cables that are long like the tiller's.
As Retired Doser Fixer mentioned applying on the outside of my metal sheathed cable casing will leak through to the inside, I have to assume that the reverse would be true so using the pictured device may cause leaking from the inside to the outside. Oiling the outside has to be easier than trying to force oil down on the inside.
 
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Beemer

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Beerhippie said:
^This is the correct answer. There is no liner on those--just the spiral-wrapped sheath.

The cool tool is for sealed cable sheaths--we had something like it back in the seventies for bicycle and motorcycle cables.
Click to expand...
I have that tool for bicycles and motorbikes but discovered replacement cables with inner nylon sheathings was my preference to avoid or minimize lubing and less cable operation effort.
 
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Wamsutta

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Beerhippie said:
^This is the correct answer. There is no liner on those--just the spiral-wrapped sheath.

The cool tool is for sealed cable sheaths--we had something like it back in the seventies for bicycle and motorcycle cables.
Click to expand...
The only problem is, those spirals are wound together so tight it's nearly impossible to get oil going between them.
 
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Beemer

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Wamsutta said:
The only problem is, those spirals are wound together so tight it's nearly impossible to get oil going between them.
Click to expand...
If that's the case, perhaps the environment was sealed out too.
For 37 years old the outsides look pretty good. They appear to have been galvanized.
 
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Beerhippie

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Beemer said:
If that's the case, perhaps the environment was sealed out too.
For 37 years old the outsides look pretty good. They appear to have been galvanized.
Click to expand...
Pull the cable out and carefully run some oil down the inside of the housing. If it gets oily on the outside, it's permeable. I've never seen one "wound so tightly" oil couldn't get through.
 
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rlitman

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Beemer said:
...Since the cables are long out of production...
Click to expand...
It's sometimes easy to fashion a replacement. Depends on what sort of end the manufacturer uses.

The upside to a spring wound housing without a vinyl cover is that moisture has a way to escape. I've seen many coated cables with a U bend rusted shut at the bottom of the U (NEVER allow the coated type to have a U bend with a low spot where water can collect), and avoid equipment that has this built-in.

Anyway, the limiting factor on that open cable is the galvanizing. Once it fails, your cable is beyond repair. Keep it dry and oiled, and it should last a long time.
 
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Beemer

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Beerhippie said:
Pull the cable out and carefully run some oil down the inside of the housing. If it gets oily on the outside, it's permeable. I've never seen one "wound so tightly" oil couldn't get through.
Click to expand...
I oiled the outside of two today and the oil seemed to dry up a bit rather than run away so it appears it's getting inside.
Problem resolved.
 
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Beemer

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Wamsutta said:
Why doesn't it work?

The principle behind the tool is that the spray lube has no place to go except though the cable sheath and out the end of the cable.
Click to expand...
Put pressurized fluid in a confined place. What could go wrong? It tends to seek all places of less confinement and pressure.
 
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