I have a 2000 Hunter 380 and have never lubricated the throttle/shift cable. I think it’s s due. Who has a tried and true method?
Throttle Cable
- Thread starter TheTY
- Start date
These cables aren't meant for lubrication as they have a self-lubricating liner, and there really isn't a way to lubricate them. Other than just the exposed ends, which should be regularly clean and lightly oiled.
You will hear lots of stories about hanging the cables, putting funnels on the end and pouring in oil, but they are useless procedures.
If your cable is sticking, lubricating it won't help. Or at least won't help more than a very short time before it breaks for good.
Cables are relatively inexpensive. If you think yours is bad, or it feels stiff, or it is simply old (and yours might be 26yrs old) - just replace it. A 15' push-pull cable is <$50.
What you don't want is the cable breaking just as you are maneuvering around other boats and docks.
Mark
You will hear lots of stories about hanging the cables, putting funnels on the end and pouring in oil, but they are useless procedures.
If your cable is sticking, lubricating it won't help. Or at least won't help more than a very short time before it breaks for good.
Cables are relatively inexpensive. If you think yours is bad, or it feels stiff, or it is simply old (and yours might be 26yrs old) - just replace it. A 15' push-pull cable is <$50.
What you don't want is the cable breaking just as you are maneuvering around other boats and docks.
Mark
This will definitely cast a pallor on the day, especially if done within view of a large restaurant overlooking the marina. Also be sure to check the nuts and bolts holding the transmission and throttle cables to the engine. Sometimes the nuts will fall off and well, you don't want to have that happening while trying to set an anchor or maneuvering in a tight marina fairway with an audience. Just saying.
You will find your throttle/shift, stop or etc. similar to the old cable construction shown below :
As previously mentioned, once the cable becomes difficult to move, it's shot. Nothing is going to rejuvenate it because the spring-steel wire and the previously polished SS shaft have become corroded by water getting through the small "O" ring gland which tightly surrounds the SS shaft and forms a seal .............. back when the SS shaft was smooth. Think crevice corrosion on the SS shaft. If you read through the attached literature, you will see that the interior of the jacket is lined with HDPE. Corroded steel does not slide easily over HDPE even when oiled over a 15 foot length. You may be able to find the cable(s) you are looking for in there.
All you've got to do is remember to grease that "O" ring (which grips the shaft) every couple of years and the cable should last forever.
One last note here is : before you invest in new cables which BTW are not cheap for Teleflex, check that the device (throttle/gear shifter etc,) being moved by the cable is not the cause of the resistance to movement which you are experiencing. Obviously a new cable will not help much in that case.
Let us know what you find.
All you've got to do is remember to grease that "O" ring (which grips the shaft) every couple of years and the cable should last forever.
One last note here is : before you invest in new cables which BTW are not cheap for Teleflex, check that the device (throttle/gear shifter etc,) being moved by the cable is not the cause of the resistance to movement which you are experiencing. Obviously a new cable will not help much in that case.
Let us know what you find.
Davis does make a lube for steering cables for motor boats. The seal that they sell probably wont work on a sailboat. Even the steering cable I put on my motorboat said not to lube it. I don't know what the Davis lube is made of but it might degrade the plastic liner if it's oil based
So here is a related and funny story. I was delivering a 50' catamaran from Guatemala to Belize for a charter company. The boat was in a Guatemala yard for extensive maintenance (which will be important information later). Luckily, I was not the captain fully responsible for the boat.
We needed to check out, so our plan was to approach a cement wall bow first, the captain would step off to go to immigration and port captain while I moved the boat away and kept station until I had to pick him up.
There is a strong current with us and I'm bringing the boat into the wall trying to keep speed down. As I approach the cement wall bow first and in reverse by this time, speed seems to be increasing and the boat rotating more than expected. I'm thinking the current is taking over, so I give it more juice in reverse, which seems to propel us at frightening speed toward the wall. By the time we hit the wall, I'm at full reverse and the boat is not stopping.
Bang. Tore off a big part of the bow and ended up scraping the side of the boat as we got lines to people on the wall and they were able to stop the boat.
I'm feeling pretty stupid by now, wondering how I messed up so badly since I pilot around a similar sized catamaran every day. My only solace was I wasn't the captain, but I did feel full responsibility.
It turns out that the saildrives were removed for maintenance by the yard and when they reinstalled them, they did not install the cotter pin on the shift cable. The shift cable fell out sometime while we were motoring the boat to the wall, and when I was in full reverse, I was actually in full forward!
Not a broken cable, but the same practical result of a broken cable.
Mark
Maybe we should start a thread on cable failure woes, I've had more than my fair share of them starting with the first week I owned the boat.
After a 5 day trip down the Erie Canal, I was leaving the dock to have the mast stepped. It was a calm day, so I started the engine, untied the lines, and pushed the boat back and hopped on. Shifting into reverse, I gave it a little throttle and nothing happened. By now I had drifted into the middle of the fairway and still moving. I shifted into forward and the boat slowed a bit. Increasing the throttle did nothing. Eventually the boat stopped and began creeping forward in idle. I managed to get to the T at the end of the dock and tie up. The problem, the nut at the end of the throttle cable had fallen off, I could shift gears but not give it fuel. That was the first lesson in cable management. I've taken several refresher courses.
After a 5 day trip down the Erie Canal, I was leaving the dock to have the mast stepped. It was a calm day, so I started the engine, untied the lines, and pushed the boat back and hopped on. Shifting into reverse, I gave it a little throttle and nothing happened. By now I had drifted into the middle of the fairway and still moving. I shifted into forward and the boat slowed a bit. Increasing the throttle did nothing. Eventually the boat stopped and began creeping forward in idle. I managed to get to the T at the end of the dock and tie up. The problem, the nut at the end of the throttle cable had fallen off, I could shift gears but not give it fuel. That was the first lesson in cable management. I've taken several refresher courses.
Guess it would help if I had posted the link. I can't find that exact link now, but here is a screaming clearance deal from West Marine for a 19' control cable: https://www.westmarine.com/seastar-...OsjEeeDa3K3QhzPUIjwzY6vG222Zih_nR6VMj9j2MYi96
Otherwise, here is another $50 example: Teleflex Cc23019 Control Cable-3300 19Ft
I just picked 19' at random since I don't know what length you need. The purpose was to show that these aren't expensive.
Mark
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 24,454
Thanks Mark. I find I may need to replace my throttle cable this year.
Just a heads up, Seastar Solutions was acquired by Dometic. They are rebranded as Dometic SeaStar Steering Systems, a brand of Dometic Marine.
Just a heads up, Seastar Solutions was acquired by Dometic. They are rebranded as Dometic SeaStar Steering Systems, a brand of Dometic Marine.
Thank you for the advice. The boat is on the hard and wrapped up for another couple of months but I will try lubricating the O ring before I purchase another cable.
ty
Hate to be a Dougie downer but I'm afraid the damage may already be done i.e. the shaft and internal wire may already be corroded.
But why not ? As I always say, "Start with the cheapest (even free) maybe solution and work up from there." Try polishing the shaft first with 1500 emery rubbing in a longitudinal direction first. Same goes for the internal wire as far as you can go. And as a last "I tried everything" lament disconnect the device being driven and see if the cable is still tight. It's all free.
Then you can safely purchase a new cable without
.