Snapped throttle cable?

well.....having issues with the throttle and its pissing me off... i went out to my 82 xj550 seca to start her up and it was kinda a cold day and when i revved the engine the throttle got really difficult to turn, it almost was grinding a little bit when i turned it and obviously it didnt snap back when i released it. It no longer affected the engine at all when i turned it either. I have a feeling that i snapped the throttle cable. If my feeling is right....could someone please explain to me how to remove the handle properly and how to properly replace the cable.....btw i freaking love this website and all you veteran guys who help out the not so sharp guys like myself are awesome

 

Was the weather freezing ? any moisture inside the cable would seize it up.

 

ya id imagine that at the coldest tempatures at night it was around freezing.....im so green when it comes to working on bikes...that i have no idea what to do to check out everything on the throttle and the cable. so any advice on how to remove it and check it out would be awesome

 

Underneath the right hand control will find a couple phillips-head bolts that hold the top and bottom of the contol together. Take those out, being carefull not to lose the little "wishbone" that holds the throttle cable lip in place. Open the "clamshell" and see where the white plastic throttle tube comes out of the inside of the grip and into the housing. There will be a small recess in it where the cable comes up to it's terminus. Work the ball of the cable out of the throttle tube.

Lift off the tank so you can easily access the top of the carbs. Loosen the cable clamp, remove the ball, and lift the cable out. Test the cable, lube it if needed, or replace if needed in reverse order.

Let us know how things go. If you have more questions, ask away. That's what we're here for.

Dave Fox

 

Take a few notes on which way the Throttle Cable is rooted along the path from the Carbs to the Handlebar Control.

You can bring the Cable to a Bicycle Shop for repair.

An experienced Bicycle Tech will be able to fabricate a NEW Cable for you; sometime while you wait.
NEW: Sheath, Wire, Ferrules and Knarps.

 

Or order a proper replacement cable from XJ4Ever.

BE CAREFUL. On the 550s, the throttle cable itself atttaches to a "stub cable" about 5" long that attaches to the linkage on the bank of carbs.

Replacing the cable without "losing" the stub cable requires removing the gas tank. Trust me. Pull the tank beforehand, or pull it AFTER you drop the stub cable; if you do it beforehand you control the situation.

Have you ever LUBED the cable? It may be time for a new one now, but that one will need to be lubricated too.

 

Oh yeah, Fitz...........I forgot to mention the little shorty one, didn't I? Oops.

 

probably stupid question. but ill need to empty the tank right? and if so, um, how?

 

Not necessary to drain tank. Just make sure petcock is in the run position, not prime or reserve and, without engine vacuum, the tank won't drain. Assuming petcock working properly.

 

And if you want to follow where to run the cable, tie a one end of the string to the cable and the other to the frame before you pull it out. It'll trace a path for you that you can use to guide it back in.

 

Learned the leader trick while pulling computer cables through deep dark hard to reach places. You can also use electrical tape and temporarily splice your old cable to the new by wrapping them together at the end with the tape [ new---------==----------old ]. You just want to minimize any bumps-keep it nice and smooth then put a bit of cable lube at the front end of the splice-and you can pull out the old and it will pull in the new. If it gets stuck at all back it off and go again. Undo the tape and you're there.

 

Run, or reserve is ok....both of those settings are vacuum operated. Prime is the only one that is a free-flow.

Dave

 

Guys, it's a 550 trust me. If you don't pull the tank and just replace the cable "the hard way" you end up pulling the tank AFTER you drop the stub cable anyway.

The "string trick" is way cool; I've used it countless times in the last 43 years; but on the XJ550 the bloody stub cable sort of negates it. Works great for the choke cable though.

 

Yeah, we know it's a 550, says so right in the original post.

Funny how the term "the hard way" is being taken so literally. It's not difficult to remove the tank......pull a bolt, disconnect the hoses to the fuel valve, pull the tank. Now that the tank is off, you can see everything.

As far as the stub cable, I gotta admit that I am fortunate enough to have long skinny fingers and can easily reach down in there are get the center links. For those that can't, tools are a wonderful thing. Take your time and don't get mad. You'll get it apart.

Dave F

 

Pull the tank would still be on my list even using the pull it into place method. It's too tight to maneuver my hands down there from the side anyway. Running it w/o the trick works just fine too since it's not really hard to route that cable through. I have big hands so I need all the room I can get to do anything. Lube that new cable before you route it so it can be done with gravity easily.

 

Don't forget to make sure the return spring for the carbs is clean. Kinda like a garage door spring, it can cause a lot of resistance when dirty and makes for a short life on the cable. I don't let mine get too dirty, but I do hit it once in a while with dry silicone lube.

 

Mr Fox said to ask questions so i wouldnt want to let him down I removed the tank and the throttle control to find that at the base of the cable right at the carbs is snapped and frayed. The stub cable is fine, but at this point i would like to lube that as well. My first question is how do i remove the frayed cable and replace it with the new cable i am ordering, and how to i properly clean and lube all components of the throttle cable, including the return spring. Thanks Guys

 

nevermind... i just realized how simple it is to remove the snapped piece. always try to make things harder then they have to be. i am my own worst enemy haha. still need help on the lubrication and replacment though

 

I've got some skinny fingers myself and the one time that damn short cable dropped down it was a bitch to get back up on top of the intake boots. I keep that thing in mind everytime I'm down there.

 

hold the new cable straight up and down, spray the lube in the top between the sheath and cable until it drips out the bottom. let a bit of the excess drip out and yer good

 

Invest in one of these: (A cable luber.) Less than $20.




Available at most "dirt bike" shops (most contemporary street bike riders don't do their own work anymore apparently.)

It clamps onto the cable sheath, and you insert the "straw" from your favorite spray lube in the little hole in the side, and spray until lube starts to spit out into the rag you have wrapped around the other end of the cable. It allows you to force lube through the cable without making a big mess or removing the cable.

I do all of my control cables (throttle, "choke" and clutch) every spring.

Personally, I prefer this: http://www.triflowlubricants.com/Tri-Fl ... icant.html but you can use any good quality LUBRICANT or "cable lube" from the same bike shop.

DO NOT USE WD40!!!! It will gum up under heat, and can cause a stuck throttle. This happened to me and I almost wrecked my Norton.

 

Fatabe.........when you get the new cable, it will be a complete cable and housing, not just a bare cable. You'll have to disconnect the other end of the cable inside the right-hand control where it hooks into the right-hand throttle tube. Once that is disconnected, you'll pull the whole thing right out of the control clamshell after you remove the little fork or wishbone that holds the cable sheath lip in place.

When you have that out and the rest of it is pulled out of the bike, throw it away and install the new one. Re-assemble everything and go for a ride.

Dave Fox

 

If you customize your Bike.
Bob
Swap Handlebars
What-have-you, ...

You might have to Fabricate a Clutch, Brake or Throttle Cable.
Here's where you can get the Parts:

http://www.flanderscables.com/contact.html

Here's a primer on how to put-on the ends.

http://www.dirtybobbers.co.uk/forum/ind ... pic=2544.0

 

fellas, thanks for the help so far. got the new cable from ebay and it was NEW....got some triflow lube and a luber thanks to fitz. sadly i dropped the can while using it and broke the top off. my luck. anyway one last question. i have the cable lube and put on using all the techniques you guys suggested, and the throttle will turn and snap back like its supposed to, but now there is a little extra "slack" in the wire. so the handle jiggles instead of being firm. what did i do wrong and how do i fix it. thanks

 

Nothing is wrong. Adjustment required.

On the cable at the top is a curved metal piece (or should be anyway.)

Where that piece meets the cable is a locknut and a threaded sleeve; this is used to adjust the slack out of the cable. Loosen the locknut, turn the adjusting sleeve "out" (not too far) to remove the excess slack and then while holding the hex on the adjusting part, tighten the locknut. A pair of miniature adjustable wrenches (about $3 ea. at Home Depot) comes in very handy for this and many other cable adjusting and tightening tasks.

This assumes the new cable exactly matched the old one and has the aforementioned adjuster.

If you don't have a service manual, you might want to at least jump on eBay and track down an owners manual for your bike. Don't spend more than $15~$20. The guys asking $50~$75 are on crack. I paid $5 for a brand new one.

 

Fitz, i adjusted the sleeve until it was nearly disconnected, however the throttle is still loose. any suggestions or am i just gonna have to live with it?

 

How much slack do you have?

And no you don't have to live with it. That cable can be modified if required, but unless it's not the right cable or your bike has been modified-you should be able to take out the slack. Do you still have the old cable so you can lay them side by side and compare them? Even though the old cable itself is broke you should be able to tell if they are compatible.

Oh and seriously I would consider changing your signature line about sucking - you don't want a negative self-fulfilling prophecy. How about the first part and "student who's learning the trade of..."

That's a funny line bigfitz about the price gougers! I think they are trying to get some money to buy their crack!

 

prolly a little more than a quarter of an inch. i ordered it off of ebay and it seems to be the same length but the j shaped part is shorter. ill take a look at the old cable tomorrow and compare and let you know.

 

Run both adjusters in all the way, and lay the cables side by side. Unfortunately, the truly important dimension (cable inner-to-cable sheath ratio) will be impossible to compare since the old cable broke.

If there's any signifcant difference in the two, it's probably just the wrong cable. eBay is NOT a good reliable source of spare parts if you don't know exactly what you're looking at. eBay sellers commonly mis-list or claim parts from one bike will fit another when they simply won't.

Chacal (XJ4Ever) can supply the correct cable for you.

 

If it's just a fraction of an inch, ...
Loosen the Fasteners securing the Handlebar Control.
Run the Cable-length Adjuster to give you a few turns to add some slack.
Move the whole Handlebar Control until the excess slack is removed.
Give it a teeny-tiny bit of slack.
Tighten it up.

 

Awesome instructions. Surprisingly my shop book didn't mention any of the handle bar items whatsoever.
Check one chore off the list; a hundred more to go :/