Lubricate Steering Cable or Replace?

[caswensk]

The steering on my 77' Marlin is very hard to work back and forth, I assume due to the cable. I'd rather lubricate it than replace it, but both ends are sealed as part of the rack and pinion unit. Is there a way that it can come apart so I can lubricate it, or am I $hit out of luck and in need for replacement? Where to buy if so?

[jetboatperformance]

Years ago I watched my "pops" spend days trying to free up his frozen steering dont waste your time call if I can help Tom

[Cas]

The steering on my 77' Marlin is very hard to work back and forth, I assume due to the cable. I'd rather lubricate it than replace it, but both ends are sealed as part of the rack and pinion unit. Is there a way that it can come apart so I can lubricate it, or am I $hit out of luck and in need for replacement? Where to buy if so?
if you have a something at least 10' high you can hang it from and a lot of time, try using transmission fluid or any other lighter weight oil. Just attach a funnel to the pump end of the cable, hang that side and pour the lubricant into the funnel and let sit until it all seeps in.
More than likely, the reason the cable got tight is because moisture has entered it. Since the moisture got in, so can the lubricant.
I was able to revive a couple of different cables I had....one lasted a couple of years, the other had to be replaced within a few months anyway.

[IMPATIENT 1]

ok, i read this thread and still didn't see a good way to free up a cable so i'll throw in my 2 cents and technique:D :rolleyes:
get a 5/8ths piece of heater hose about 3ft long, on 1 end clamp a air hose fitting in it with a hose clamp, clamp the other end of the 5/8ths hose over the cable end, fill the hose 1/2 full with motor oil, hang it up so that the oil is a the bottom of the heater hose, then regulate your shop pressure down to say 40psi and attach the air hose to the air fitting. give it a bit of time and the oil will start shooting out the opposite end of the cable;) done many a flozen cable this way and it cures it everytime:devil:

[Nubbs]

I tried to "revive" a bad steering cable in my boat. It was so bad I needed two hands to steer. I unsuccessully tried to lube the cable while it was still installed in the boat. I then removed the cable and lubed it, but it was still hard to slide the cable in and out. Rather than reinstall the bad cable and try again, I ended up getting a new cable. The new cable was so much easier to slide in and out, even after lubing the old cable. If you have the money, I would get a new cable. If you're trying to save some cash and don't mind the extra work, you could try lubing it. There's my $.02. Good luck.
Nubbs

[HammerDown]

ok, i read this thread and still didn't see a good way to free up a cable so i'll throw in my 2 cents and technique:D :rolleyes:
get a 5/8ths piece of heater hose about 3ft long, on 1 end clamp a air hose fitting in it with a hose clamp, clamp the other end of the 5/8ths hose over the cable end, fill the hose 1/2 full with motor oil, hang it up so that the oil is a the bottom of the heater hose, then regulate your shop pressure down to say 40psi and attach the air hose to the air fitting. give it a bit of time and the oil will start shooting out the opposite end of the cable;) done many a flozen cable this way and it cures it everytime:devil:
Sounds like a good idea...even better if there was a way to get a thin waterproof grease injected.

[IMPATIENT 1]

Sounds like a good idea...even better if there was a way to get a thin waterproof grease injected.
sure, i agree, but most of the time i just grab what i have:D i've used 80-90w syn gear lube, it works pretty good to but takes a while to make it thru the cable.
anytime a cable is stiff, there's rust on it, and if you're able, replace it;) but in most cases guys have already dropped their wad on sooo many other parts, cables are the last to get done.