New Hood Cable ... Lube it or not?

I just got a new hood cable, and I'm thinking of putting graphite in there.

Anybody else lube their cable or should you leave it dry?

lube up all moving parts connected to it under the hood.

yes, lube it

lube the parts it connects to

JrTxJ said:

lube up all moving parts connected to it under the hood.

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ehall said:

lube the parts it connects to

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Yeah, I've already lubed everything else ... the bell crank in the middle and both latches on either side. Got them super smooth. I'm just wondering about lubing the metal cable inside the cable housing. Are you saying it shouldn't be lubed? I'm thinking that any kind of liquid or grease would attract dirt into the cable housing, but a dry lube like graphite powder would be fine ... just work it into there before installing. Any other ideas on what kind of lube to use?

And by the way ... I'm thinking of pulling the bell crank (the thing in the middle that the cable attaches to), and rebuilding it with brass bushings, etc. It's got a little bit of end play and wobble in it. Mostly, I just don't ever want to deal with a broken cable again.

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A dry cable will rust. Oil it. Graphite will lube, but will not prevent rust. Any minuscule amount of dirt attracted by the oil will cause no problems.

Just don't use a heavy oil, or else it will turn to wax eventually. I suppose you could shoot a bunch of white lithium grease until it dripped out the other end.

Tim_MN said:

A dry cable will rust. Oil it. Graphite will lube, but will not prevent rust. Any minuscule amount of dirt attracted by the oil will
cause no problems.

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I think the cable strands are made of stainless steel. The old one is 20 years old ... dry but no rust. Even the part that never got into the jacket. The bell crank arm (what the cable attaches to) was rusted, but the cable itself is still shiny.

ehall said:

Just don't use a heavy oil, or else it will turn to wax eventually. I suppose you could shoot a bunch of white lithium grease until it dripped out the other end.

Click to expand...

They make cable lubers for motorcycles that attach to the end and allow you to shoot lube up the cable:

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/9/205/4838/ITEM/Motion-Pro-Cable-Luber.aspx

Looks interesting. Looks like they sell a bunch of special lube for cables too.

I wonder if lubing is also a good idea for parking brake cables.

I lube both the XJ and the ZJ with graphite in the spray can, stand the hood up as far as I can and let it dribble into the end, it gradually flows down. I keep meaning to pickup a cable lube widget that attaches on the end of the cable, used them to lube MC cables years ago but can't find it now.

powdered graphite suspended in rubbing alcohol works wonders-- pour it through a funnel into the cable sheath until it runs out the other side. The alcohol will evaporate and leave the graphite behind on everything.