WD40 is Evil

Guys; WD40 is NOT a good cable lubricant; it dries out and gets gummy over time. There are a lot of good products out there, I personally prefer Tri-Flo (contains teflon) it doesn't dry out and is unaffected by cold or hot temperatures. Use WD as a winterization spray-down, or to clean things (like the black parts on your motor) but DON'T lube critical things with it. The subject came up in another post, thought I would take a sec to emphasize the point. I nearly wadded my Norton some years back because of WD40-gummed throttle cables.

 

I this WD is garbage myself. I'd have to second this post. If you must use a good cable lube, I'd free it up first with a little bit of MMO and then use something like PJ1 chain lube or a dry silicone spray would do as well. It would protect from rust and keep your parts moving freely.

WD-40 only protects the can it's contained in, and it's not really even good at that.....

 

i use a standard farm equipment chain and cable lube, its black so you have to protect against overspray, but it works excellent.

 

I think I read somewhere that the WD stands for water displacement and was developed in the space industry initially. I know that WD40 was awesome to dry out the distributor cap on my first car any time it rained, and I hesitate to ever use it as a lubricant.

If it is not too far off topic as cable lubricating was in the initial post, Fitz, has anyone used one of these and if so how well did they work? I'm heading to the big parts store this week and it is on my list to use with the can of cable lubricant I have in the garage.

Cable tool

 

I have always liked and used 3-In-1 Oil to lube the Cables.
I don't use a Cable Lube Tool ... just Gravity flow.

When I don't have any 3-In-1 ... I use Marvel Mystery Oil
Same "Gravity" application.
Get one end of the Cable so I can brush some Oil on to the Cable and let it run down into the sheath.

Oiled Cables are so much nicer than dealing with the stiffness of a dried-out Clutch Cable.

 

Words to live by.

WD40 is great for cleaning though.

 

As an electrician in the Navy, I used WD40 (Water Dispersal Agent) to dry out all kinds of electrical boxes on the weather decks of my ships. And to clean out the windings of motors.

 

I agree with everyone else, WD40 - Good for cleaning, bad for lubing.

I use a liquid graphite product on my cables. It is something recommended by many bicycle makers for cable lube. Comes with a small tip applicator that makes it very easy to apply to the cable and inside the housing. Very little mess. Just add some to the top end and the liquid will carry the graphite lubricant to the other end of the housing. No muss, no fuss. Available at any auto parts store.

 

I buy the special spark plug boot grease, is wd40 OK for spark plug booties? It is a lot cheaper than the dedicated grease packets.

 

I would agree that WD is not the best lube for some things - like speedo cables. However, I think that WD is one of the greatest modern inventions known to man. It cleans, loosens, reconditions, lubes, and smells like heaven. I wish they made ladies perfume that smelled half as good as WD.

 

The grease is a preventative measure, WD40 is a corrective. I wouldnt use WD40 in lieu of the grease and expect the same results.

 

There's no substitute for di-electric grease. On the boot outside, I use Formula 2001 rather than Armor All. I find Formula 2001 much more workable than Armor All and seems to condition a little better.
WD-40 as a release agent is just o.k. At work we use Sprayway Hoil. It protect better and loosens the nastiest stuff you've ever seen. On press equipment, things can get ugly. That stuff is like gold to us.

 

You guys are smart. No go outside and ride!

 

In keeping with my hand grip removal tool, I made a "special" for cable lubing. Replace the needle of a hypodermic syringe with very thin brass tubing (Hobby shops sell it). Silastic will hold it in place. You can then use it to direct the lube of your choice directly into the cable-no overspray, no spillage, no dismantling and no waste.
In addition, the job is so easy you won't keep putting it off to next week.

 

Back to your question, I have one JUST like it, mine is an original "Yamaluber" (says Yamaha on it) that was GIVEN to me by the dealer when I bought my '78 SR500. I've used it with great success ever since, it's quick, easy and you are 100% sure that the cable gets fully lubed every time.

 

i was given a springfield .22 rifle in perfect condition by a guy who sprayed it down with WD40 and put it in his gun safe, a few years passed, when he took it out put a round in it closed the bolt and shot a hole in the wall, lucky
the firing pin was gummed up so bad it never retracted, close the bolt, shoot the gun no trigger involved
bad stuff, LPS1 for me

 

GENTS, WD 40 IS NOT A LUBRICANT!!!!!!! DO NOT USE IT IN PLACE OF ONE !!!!!!

IT IS A MILITARY DEVELOPED PRODUCT TO CLEAN THE BREACHES AND
MECHANISIMS OF FIREARMS IN WET , HUMID, JUNGLE TYPE ENVIROMENTS, IT BLASTS MOISTURE AWAY FROM THE METAL, SO THAT
"" THEN"" A LUBRICANT CAN BE APPLIED TO THE METAL......

DO NOT DEPEND ON IT AS A LUBRICANT !!! IT IS NOT ONE.

 

I use lock-eze on my cables.

You can get it at any hardware or grocery store.

It's graphite dissolved in light oil.

The oil goes away and the graphite stays.

 

No need to yell, we get the message!

 

Be advised, 3-in-1 is vegetable based oil and will dry out to a gooey mess. I would HIGHLY recommend you look at using 30 (or any other weight in a pinch) oil to lube cables. A pressure lubricator is a great way to speed your tune up along but there is nothing wrong with letting gravity do the job.
WD-40 is just that Deadulus, Water Displacing Compound number 40. Intended to remove water and light lubricating jobs. Works great on a bunch of things but is not meant to keep chains loose nor keep bearings from grinding themselves into powder. Works great as a cleaning solution for sure. We use it by the gallon here in the machine shop.

 

If you ever get tar on your hand from roofing or sheeting nothing works better at taking it off!, other than that leave it on the shelf!

 

We've got a lot of new members, and a lot of new mechanics in our midst this season; and before somebody learns this lesson the hard way, I thought a shameless "bump" was in order.

Go back and read the whole thread if this is news to you.

 

WD40 is great for removing the adhesive left from tape!

Kenneth

 

WD 40 makes a great blow torch!!!!!!!!

 

I have a old inspection sticker fused to my front fork.
Will WD-40 dissolve it?

 

It won't dissolve the sticker, but it will lift the glue behind it.

I cleaned out a 7ft long, 2 1/2' diameter shell and tube oil cooler last spring. It had several decades of sludge build up on the brass tubes. You could press it out of the way with your fingertips like congealed gravy. I sent out the tube bundle to get professionally dip cleaned since the 300 brass tubes were packed too tightly to reach all of them, even with a pressure washer. It took them three days and several tries with different agents to get the tubes clean. Meanwhile, back at the plant, I had to clean out the cast-iron shell which was still bolted vertically to the wall. I tried lots of stuff which wouldn't budge that slime, but one pump spray bottle of WD40 had it running off like muddy water. I made a big swab with a piece of round wood covered in rages and pushed it through. The case came up so clean it looked like it had been freshly coated with primer.

 

Come onnn what are you talking about?? I had a creaky door the other day, and a little spritz here and a little spritz there of WD40 and that creak was GONE. I mean, someone could have entered my house uninvited and I would have never known. THATS how quiet the hinge on my door was. I just went ahead and sprayed my carpet down (there was a creak in the floor), saturated my kitchen sink faucet (yep, had a creak in the knob....the water even flowed out faster...how about that!!), went ahead and bought a gallon tin of WD40 and poured it on the bed (creaky springs, can't have that now...the lady was furious but it's all for a good manly cause)

 

Did you know some people swear wd40 helps arthritis check out this article. no petroleum products for my body. http://www.articlesbase.com/health-arti ... 43728.html

 

Tri-Flo is the way to go. I've been using it on my bicycle cables for years. Started using it the other day on my clutch cable.

What is the best method of application? Can I just shoot some where the cable comes out of the sheath and let work its way in?

 

A Cable Lubricator. Any good motorcycle shop will have them, or you can find them on-line. It clamps over the end ot the sheath and the straw from the lube goes into the little hole in the side, and it "pressure-feeds" the lube into the cable.

You wrap a shop towel around the other end of the cable and when it starts to catch lube, you're done.

 

WD-40 is one of the best starting fluids I've ever found, fires easily and provides lube to your cylinder walls and pistons prior to buring off and oh yeah, I'm on a 4 stroke forum....and lubes the valve guides<LOL>......

and it protects chrome from rust when you are storing a bike......


jeff

 

And the point being, for all the new guys,

WD40 IS NOT A LUBRICANT and should NOT be used as one, especially on CABLES.

I love how every time it gets brought up, we get another dozen creative non-lubricant uses for it.

 

It's the nature of threads on forums. I belong to forums for each of my bikes and some for bikes that I don't even own anymore and they are all the same. I think it's human nature.



jeff