Control cables

[Davey Crockett]

Has anyone had decent results cleaning sticky shifter cables ? My mercury kicker controls were getting stiff so I took them apart and tried gravity feeding Marvel mystery oil . That didn't help so I rigged up a hose and forced mystry oil through them with air, Same thing. Also tried wd-40 with air and they are still sticky. They look like new and have always been stored inside and dry so thought it's worth asking before I replace.

 

[sweeney]

Doesn’t it have an adjustment screw on the center or front of the control for friction? Or does it just shift hard from n to f or r?

 

[risingsun]

If your not having any luck with anything else. Drill a very small hole in the cable and use a grease needle to shoot a little grease in. Then either be very careful and put a little silicone over the hole and tape or use some heat shrink, anything to keep sand, water etc... out. Has worked for me in the past.

 

[eliminator]

The best thing you can do is replace it. I have not had much luck trying to lube them---they should be sealed and if the seal gets bad you get water in them, they will go bad. This has been my experience with them and will save you much aggravation going forward.

 

[Davey Crockett]

Doesn’t it have an adjustment screw on the center or front of the control for friction? Or does it just shift hard from n to f or r?

I had it all apart and the control itself works perfect and the cables look good from the outside with no kinks but they are stiff. I'll most likely follow eliminators advice and buy new cables unless there's a cure. The only think I can think of that they got dry and frayed or condensation set in.

- - - Updated - - -

If your not having any luck with anything else. Drill a very small hole in the cable and use a grease needle to shoot a little grease in. Then either be very careful and put a little silicone over the hole and tape or use some heat shrink, anything to keep sand, water etc... out. Has worked for me in the past.

Last ditch effort I might give it a shot on the outside of the boat where it flexes when the motor turns and heat shrink it shut. That's the most likely place they would be bad.

 

[CatDaddy]

Seems like it frayed somewhere and is binding. No expert here but if lube hasn't worked it would be where I start looking.....good luck!!!!