frozen cables

[Irv 115]

I'm betting I'm not the only one that gets frozen throttle and choke cables this time of year. Anyone have a tip to help with this? :D

[rickv1957 70]

Some WD40 placed inside of cable casing should do it,Rick

[wallfish 15,930]

I solved the problem by pulling the wire completely out of the conduit, greasing the wire up and reinstalling it. I also blew air through the conduit and spayed WD-40 into it.

[stevasaurus 22,230]

Are they froze or rusted?? Electrolysis may free them up if they are rusted. Otherwise, once they are thawed out, pull out wire and use graphite for the lubricant. Graphite will not freeze or get sticky. :ychain:

[COMMANDO1 23]

pb blaster........

[wheel horse man 56]

my old 1276 cables always freezes up when i do a lot of plowing when the water melts off the warm hood it runs down on the cables and freezes offer that nite you go to fired it up and you cant pull out the choke :ychain:

[GlenPettit 1,714]

WD-40 will help free it up initially but may actually wash away the lubricant that was there, allowing rust to form. When dry, be sure to lubricate the cable; I believe a dry lubricate like Graphite may be best, there are some sprays that go on moist and quickly dry to a graphite.

If the inside of the cable is lubricated, there is a lot less chance of moisture getting in to allow things to freeze up, but grease would also keep the moisture out . . .

[mavfreak 11]

Back in my dirt bike days I precessed a cable luber. You can get them from your local bicycle shop. It clamps on the end of the cable and you insert the little tube that fits in the nozzle of a WD40 can and spray. It works wonders. I used it on my snowmobile in the winter and used the spray for deicing your windows on your cars. freed it immediately. Then I used a graphite spray that I bought for cables. I would recommend this cause wd40 can freeze or get gummy when cold also collects dirt were the graphite doesn't

[Redbirdman 7]

when the water melts off the warm hood it runs down on the cables and freezes

In the old days when I had to live like you poor devils in the blistering cold and pay my way by plowing and blowing snow we used to douse the blowers with a 25 percent mix of used antifreeze to keep them from freezing overnight....

And spraying the cables and foot pedals with Prestone Windshield de-icer to keep them loose for the morning. And in really cold weather we stole a trick from the track machines and parked the tires with chains on block of wood.

Now........I just worry that the beer stays cold.. :ychain:

[Retired Wrencher 4,879]

:ychain: IRV Find your self a Cable luber for motorcycles. to me this works the best that I have tried,as long that your outer casing is good shape the fluid will flow all the way up to the handle. If not wrap some good quality electrical tape tightly around the bad areas. check it out I have done this with all my power equipment this way. Also I use white grease spray for the lube this resist moisture. Hope this helps Gary B.............

[rmaynard 14,906]

Here is a solution you can try. It's not a quick fix, but if you have time to do it, it is a permanent fix.

Remove the cable from the tractor. Remove the wire and clean it with steel wool. Throttle wires are easy since they have no hooks on the end. Chokes require bending straight to remove. Soak the housing (conduit) in PB Blaster, then rinse it thoroughly with mineral spirits. Blow it out with compressed air and let dry completely. Remove any of the outer covering that is coming loose (if yours has a covering).

Purchase a couple of 48" lengths of 3/8" (O.D) black shrink tubing from McMaster & Carr. Slip the cable housing into the shrink tubing and heat it until the tubing conforms to the cable. Trim the ends flush. Then, take some end caps (also from McMaster & Carr) and slip them over the ends. This will give you a new water-resistant cable housing. Next, coat the wire with Permatex (copper) never-seize, and insert it back into the cable housing. Reform the end of the choke cable if necessary.

Problem solved. Not cheap, but effective way to keep your cables from freezing or seizing.

Links to McMaster & Carr:

Shrink Tubing

Shrink End Caps

Bob

[buckrancher 2,675]

Throttle wires are easy since they have no hooks on the end. Chokes require bending straight to remove.

must just be your tractors Bob mine all have z-bends :ychain:

[rmaynard 14,906]

I should have said that all of the above info is based on my B-100's.

Bob

[876wheelhorse 46]

my 856 did it this year i simply got it in the garage and put the heater to it got it free then sprayed pb blaster in it hopefully no more worries :ychain:

[harleyjj 2]

I had this problem with mine and in the process of trying to free the cable the outer jacket came undone from the mount up by the choke lever. how do i re attach it?

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[rmaynard 14,906]

I had this problem with mine and in the process of trying to free the cable the outer jacket came undone from the mount up by the choke lever. how do i re attach it?

Put the cable back into the the little "fork" and squeeze with pliers. Don't squeeze too hard or you will not be able to move the wire.

Bob

[harleyjj 2]

thanks bob!