[ARC5] Two questions

[jcoward5452 at aol.com]

Thanks Mike,I had a greasing the shaft experience many years ago with 
my first VW van.The VW speedo cable runs off the left front 
wheel,anchored to the axle dust cap through a square hole and circlip. 
I, in my youthful endeavor to beat the Germans at their own game, 
packed the wheel bearings and the dust cap full of good high temp wheel 
bearing grease.Well, the grease traveled up the speedo cable just as 
you described and thus lubed the speedo dial clutch quite well.One 
feather touch to the gas pedal and I had the speedo pegged! New speedo 
was $125.00,there were not many in the junque yards yet as these were 
still relatively new cars at the time.Lesson learned!
  I think I will try just a few drops of 30W and let it drool down the 
cable. A rag will wipe any leakage and the outer sheath probably needs 
a little help in its arthritic state too.
Jay

-----Original Message-----
From: AAF-Radio-1 at cox.net
To: jcoward5452 at aol.com
Cc: arc5 at mailman.qth.net
Sent: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 7:13 PM
Subject: Re: [ARC5] Two questions

jcoward5452 at aol.com wrote:

> Question 2: What is an acceptable method for lubricating a mechanical 
 > tuning cable?A few drops of oil on one end and hang it up 'till it > 
drips out the other end?

Just about any light grease should do the job - the application isn't 
critical. I still have a tube of speedometer cable lubricant from my 
Corvette restoration days that works quite well, but I doubt if it is 
the only thing that one can use. The inner flex cable has a light 
"threaded" pattern around the outside caused by the way it is designed, 
and all you have to do is squirt a small amount of grease in one end 
between the spline drive end and the outer sheath. Turning the inner 
cable with an electric drill will gradually drive the grease down the 
cable between the inner and outer flex shafts. A heavy oil would be 
fine as well from a pure lubricating standpoint, but it will leak out 
between the turns of the outer sheath.

- Mike
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