Date:         Fri, 6 Jan 95 23:48:23 AST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         smitht@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca (Tim Smith)
Subject:      Re: Sticky Throttle Cable

>Does anyone know of a way to grease a throttle cable without removing it.?  My
>cable in my 1987 Syncro is beginning to bind and makes some weird noises when
>the accelerator pedal is depressed. The problem seems to be worse during colder
>days.                                                       
>

NO, (or at least I couldn't) so crawl under, disconnect it and pull it 
through and out. Not hard to do. Take it inside and pull it apart after it 
thaws out. Then using WD40, inject the tube and flush it out. Put the cable 
back through and wind a strip of cloth around the cable before pulling it 
out. Repeat until the tube looks clean inside. Lube it all with your 
favorite light oil and feed it back into your van. The difference in 
throttle feel was amazing after I did this. I use "RustCheck" spray BTW, 
since grease tends to thicken up in the cold. 
        I had to do this on my '85 a year ago. The guide is a very long 
single piece of plastic tube. Mine was full of fine grit and water, which 
froze up when it got cold. It was sneaky, since at low speeds the cable was 
OK, but after 10-15 minutes on the highway windchill would lock it up. Not 
nice to get THAT close to a transport truck backend. Driver probably 
wondered what all the flashing headlights was about, since turning off/on 
the engine was the only way I could control my speed. Parking and waiting 10 
minutes thawed it out enough for another 5 minutes back on the highway, fun 
trip, 50 miles in the dark like this.     tim s.


about those weird noises? I dunno, mine was quiet. sorry!