Fuel Stop cable snapped - how crucial is length of replacement?

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KAL

KAL

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Our stop cable snapped at the handle yesterday, just after craning in. I haven't had time to take out the old one, but would like to get a replacement to take out to her and fit.

I can guess at the length, but was planning to buy a longer one than necessary to guarantee it would reach. The cables seem to go up in 25 cm lengths though which makes me wonder if you've got to get it as spot on as possible.

Can anyone advise? Will a few extra bows and bends on a replacement affect its efficiency?
 
Shouldn't matter too much so long as you've not got too much extra length. From what I can remember when I replaced mine you can cut them down anyhow.
 
KAL said:
Our stop cable snapped at the handle yesterday, just after craning in. I haven't had time to take out the old one, but would like to get a replacement to take out to her and fit.

I can guess at the length, but was planning to buy a longer one than necessary to guarantee it would reach. The cables seem to go up in 25 cm lengths though which makes me wonder if you've got to get it as spot on as possible.

Can anyone advise? Will a few extra bows and bends on a replacement affect its efficiency?
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its the "throw/ travel" that actuates the stop lever not the cable length, if over long you will need to possible "lose" some length when you install it
 
No it won't be a problem if you buy it too long. You will probably be able to shorten it anyway by cutting the inner and outer seperately with sharp cutting plyers. If it is very long clip it with cable clips to pipes etc. to stop it flexing about.
 
The Yanmar ones have fittings both ends so can't really be cut shorter. They also come only in 3 metre lengths. My stop pull is directly above the engine, a 2-foot cable would probably reach. So I have an awful lot of surplus cable to lose; it loops all the way around the engine and across the roof of the engine bay to use up length.

A few centimetres overlength will be no problem :)

Pete
 
prv said:
The Yanmar ones have fittings both ends so can't really be cut shorter. They also come only in 3 metre lengths. My stop pull is directly above the engine, a 2-foot cable would probably reach. So I have an awful lot of surplus cable to lose; it loops all the way around the engine and across the roof of the engine bay to use up length.

A few centimetres overlength will be no problem :)

Pete
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Exactly what I needed to hear Pete. Phew. Many thanks.
 
The correct way to run a push pull cable is long straights laid in a tray in excessive and 8-9" bends as long bends incurr greater resistance and backlash which is worse if its a positioning cable ie throttle or gearselection .But as in this case for pull only you don't need to worry too much about backlash.
 
prv said:
The Yanmar ones have fittings both ends so can't really be cut shorter. They also come only in 3 metre lengths. My stop pull is directly above the engine, a 2-foot cable would probably reach. So I have an awful lot of surplus cable to lose; it loops all the way around the engine and across the roof of the engine bay to use up length.

A few centimetres overlength will be no problem :)

Pete
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I would urge caution.

My last boat had a Yanmar engine and also had an excess length of cable on the stop control.

Was never any problem until one bright sunny morning just come off the berth in Bangor marina when there was a loud bang and the engine went to full revs.

Embarrasing in a marina

Managed to stop it by blocking air intake with my hand while a protesting SWMBO steered

The excess had for some inexplicable reason caught in the generator drive belt and smashed the front cover of the casing of the governor.

Not cheap!
 
Beadle said:
The excess had for some inexplicable reason caught in the generator drive belt and smashed the front cover of the casing of the governor.
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That's quite some smash - it seems like pretty solid metal on a 2GM20.

Fortunately, my excess cable is properly clipped and secured along its roundabout route, so the same shouldn't happen here.

Pete
 
As already said. Pull the inner out. Snip the outer to the required length. Fit and put the inner back in. Snip the excess from the inner after fitting in the nipple.
Amazing how many people misjudge it and cut the inner too short.
 
Lakesailor said:
As already said. Pull the inner out. Snip the outer to the required length. Fit and put the inner back in. Snip the excess from the inner after fitting in the nipple.
Amazing how many people misjudge it and cut the inner too short.
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Yes, but do the morse cables come as adjustable or fixed lengths? The Ellesmere Port source which VicS quoted seem to supply unterminated cables, but the present (snapped) one is a fixed length with a built in termination that prevents adjustment of the length.

If I could find a source which would supply a cable which I could cut to length and then terminate so it would fit nicely into the bracket, I would be very interested to hear.
 
morse cable size/ length codes

if your cable is the morse style cable, they have the inner core and the outer shield type construction. these have some numbers stamped along the outer red sheath. these numbers tell what the proper length and size is of the replacement cable is. for example as i recall from the yanmar 2gm20F engine install , there are certain optimal minimum and maximum install radiuses specified for the particular cable lengths needed for the gearbox , stop, and throttle controls. the stop cable ran from the cockpit down under the pedestal, looped around the back of the engine and controlled the stop solenoid. if you get too short a cable and bend the cable sharper than the radius suggested , you may not get a smooth flow of the inner control cable in the sheath.. and the cable may not work properly when you need it. too long a cable is better than too short a cable if you have a choice...


now here's a stupid mistake i made with a too long morse cable: if you have extra morse cable be sure not to run it where the outside sheath will get fried from the engine or exhaust manifold heat. this heat will seize the outer cable around the innner, and cause you to lose all gearbox operation when the innner cable breaks off..i lost reverse gear coming in to the pier due to a heat-seized gear cable. fortunately there was a headwind and all that was hurt was my pride. but for the next 2 weeks, i changed gears using a wire tied into the gearbox lever running to a stick in the cockpit . ...no fun.


if the cable that you had worked well , try to get the same length, diameter and make.
 
KAL said:
Yes, but do the morse cables come as adjustable or fixed lengths? The Ellesmere Port source which VicS quoted seem to supply unterminated cables, but the present (snapped) one is a fixed length with a built in termination that prevents adjustment of the length.

If I could find a source which would supply a cable which I could cut to length and then terminate so it would fit nicely into the bracket, I would be very interested to hear.
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Now you have confused me. Your OP said it was an engine stop cable, which is normally a straightforward inner and outer cable with no end termination. This is how it is on both my Yanmar 3GM30 and on my BMC 2.2. Now you are talking about Morse cables, which are used for throttle, gear and steering controls. They have terminations at both ends and are made to length. Which do you mean?
 
vyv_cox said:
Now you have confused me. Your OP said it was an engine stop cable, which is normally a straightforward inner and outer cable with no end termination. This is how it is on both my Yanmar 3GM30 and on my BMC 2.2.
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My Yanmar stop cable does have a terminal on the engine end. It's threaded, with two nuts that are done up either side of a hook-shaped piece of metal on the side of the engine. This is crimped on so the cable can't be cut to length, although the ASAP link given earlier has a removable one that would do the same job on an unterminated cable.

Pete
 
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