Replace or repair accelerator cable?

[kevino]

The twist-grip accelerator cable was frozen.  I took it apart  and left it soaking in solvent all night.  Now it's hanging from my daughter's  swing-set to dry.    On Ebay I found a replacement for $12.   But the original still works, it's just dirty.   No idea whether the replacement is the right length.   The ad says it fits most scooters.   The cable and sheath is a unit.  The cable has barrels at both ends.   NO way  to separate the two to lubricate.   Assuming it arrives but won't fit is there any way to oil the sheath?  I tried filling a syringe with oil and injecting it alongside the cable but that only gets in about 3 inches on each end.    Any ideas?

TIA,

kevino

[classacted]

any way you choose to access the cable will also allow water and dirt in. the casings I have dealt with were spiral steel (covered with plastic) and I have had that issue numerous times. I (carefully) took a grinder to the problem cable down the entire length of the casing which allowed gaps for a lube of some kind to get inside. I was able to make the cable work again. I recommend getting the new cable, but while you wait what is it going to hurt for you to try to rejuvenate the old cable. having a new cable for later is a great idea.

[snaker]

There are numerous control cable lube systems out there.
Most involve some sort of clamp that you attach to one end of the cable and insert the nozzle of some of their (usually expensive) aerosol oil.
I had the Motion Pro brand and it sorta worked.
With that setup being pressurized and all, its described as forcing the lube through the housing, downhill and uphill with the cable not having to be removed.
I didn't find the uphill part to work so well.

I gotta say that I had better luck using a sandwich bag with a corner cut out.
Hang the cable vertically from something, yes you do have to remove it from the machine, which you will likely have to do for any of these to actually work.

Take a sandwich bag, cut out a corner just big enough to slip over the high end of the cable a inch or so, and use a lot of rubber bands to wrap and seal the bag over the cable.
Put a puddle of very light machine oil, not motor oil, in the bag and suspend it for a day. Of course the oil has to be above the housing opening.
Spraying a puddle of oil from a spray can will be fine.
If your having trouble getting the bag to seal over the cable housing, you can RTV it and let cure for a day before adding the oil.
Or even a goop of heavy grease in that corner of the bag will usually seal it.

The oil will migrate down the length of the housing and you will find oil coming out the bottom end.

Cutting slices down the length of the housing? Not this cowboy.

[geoffh]

I,ve never done it but forming a cup around the top of the cable with putty,clay etc and leaving to soak is a method I would plump for.

Geoff

[FrankenMech]

You can use the cable lube attachment or plastic bag or a putty/clay cup to conduct lube into the cable assy. I use speedometer cable lube, nasty black stuff with graphite for cable lube. It can be purchased at any good auto parts store.

Do NOT damage the casing.

[kevino]

I had it nice and clean. The cable moved easily within the sheath when it was stretched out in the garage. But once it was back in place under the foot pad with its multiple bends from the handle to the carb it is again frozen. I'm guessing rust inside the sheath and the cable rubbing against it causes it to stick. I reordered the generic accelerator kit. Mr Google says it'll be here late tomorrow. So now I can try to find why my speedometer doesn't work. It's simply a cable from the axle to the speedo. I've seen this on a dozen VW beetles. Generally the cable is broken but sometimes it's not seated deeply enough into the axle.

I don't mind the wait.  

[GrumpyUnk]

My experiences with dead speedo's is that the gear at the bottom of the forks has somehow moved away from the lug that makes it turn when the front wheel turns. A check is to remove the cable from the back of the speedo head, and spin the front wheel(on a center stand or a box o' bricks...). The cable should rotate if the gears are meshed and the cable is intact. Have yet to see a broken cable. Likely because it is almost a straight shot from end to end with minor bends needed. The gears at the bottom must mesh, and the one around the axle must be hooked so it will turn. The driven gear must have the cable square stuffed in, duh. It is possible to get the front wheel and axle assembled and have the speedo gear not be meshed with the lug on the wheel.
Most times you take it apart and you see what's wrong. Good luck and have fun getting the front axle, wheel, bearings, spacer(s) and speedo gear to all line up ... it was not a fun task.
tom

[kevino]

When I bought the scooter within days the starter button froze. The dealership gave me a replacement module. But first I sprayed WD-40 under the button and it worked. And has continued to work. I didn't use the module but kept it in the garage. The problem is the original module has wires that don't match up with the replacement. And worse, the Haynes schematic doesn't agree with either module. Both have a black wire, red wire, blue wire, yellow wire but only the schematic shows a brown wire.

[GrumpyUnk]

To get better response to the question just raised, you should start another thread.

You should look for a schematic on-site or the web as it will help a lot in understanding the system.
There are several to choose from. 90%+ use 90% of the same circuit when they wire them at the factory.
You can see the wires, and you will have two switches I can think of. Starter button, and kill switch.
The starter button will be connected to power and to the starter relay on most. The kill button will be connected to ground and the CDI to kill the ignition when moved to the STOP position. In RUN, the kill button should be connect to ... nothing. The plug from the right hand switch would have 3 wires...
Are you sure which switch assembly you have pictured?
tom

[kevino]

Reading a schematic is like deciphering clues. My dad was in the army signal core for 20 years. Then upon retirement he got job in Colorado Springs working with satellites. He said the colors of the wires were standard for most electronics. That is, Red meant voltage like a 12 volt car battery. But the Chinese used their own scheme; Black was 12 volts, etc. Then phone companies used their own scheme. Dad said their scheme made the most sense. Is there an un-intended joke when Brown means ground? Brown means earth (ground) I'm belaboring the point because I want to use the right handlebar switch that was given to me by the dealership.



This last photo of the replacement switch shows four wires. Black/white, red/yellow, green and green/yellow.

[FrankenMech]

Buzz out the wires and which switch they go to with a meter. I hope your dad showed you how to do that.

Your dad was wrong about colors. Chinese parts and scoots have no absolute standard color codes, they vary according to what color wire they have in stock that day. There are some industrial standards but the Chinese don't use them, some US and EU manufacturers do but many don't.

[FrankenMech]

dup

[GrumpyUnk]

Sorry. Went brain dead on the number of wires...shoulda noted it was referring to the IGNIION switch that had so few conductors(3). Not the handlebar switch. The starter button supplies ground to the starter relay. the brake switch(both) supply 12v battery to the other side of the relay, perhaps through a kick-stand switch. They likely do it that way because the power to the brakes light switches is controlled by the ignition switch in most cases, so would be 'protected' against accidental action.
FWIW.
tom

[kevino]

www.amazon.com/Empi-Accelerator-Cable-Barrel-Buggy/dp/B0046VSD6W/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ZXPGB4PX932C&keywords=barrel+throttle+cable&qid=1689091807&sprefix=%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-1

I wonder if these barrels might solve the problem. If I cut of the end and pull the cable out, can the sheath be cleaned?

[classacted]

I was unable to check out the link. it flashed to a white page and immediately vanished. all in the timespan of about half a second. it could be the website settings. I've been to numerous websites where links weren't allowed because the link could contain malware. just fyi. I see it's amazon cable barrel.