Lubricating a Morse-Teleflex control

Poignard

Poignard

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What would you recommend for regular lubrication of a Morse-Teleflex control? I have just installed a new one that came smeared with a yellow grease (most of which isn't ever going to do anything except collect dirt). There's nothing in the intruction leaflet about maintenance.
 
The internal bits (cam/follower etc) got greased about 10 years ago when I took it apart and have not needed any more grease since than. I do lubricate the ends of the cables with light oil every couple of years when I think about it (you've just added another job to my list). If you've got the little button in the middle of the lever, that is the one to lubricate on a regular basis with light oil or a spray of WD40. Also the lever spindle where it enters the box.
 
After I stripped, cleaned, and reassembled the one on Kindred Spirit, I used a generic can of spray grease. This has the grease dissolved in some kind of solvent so that it's liquid for spraying and wicks its way in amongst the parts, then after a few seconds the solvent evaporates and you're left with a thin coating of white grease. I've used it on various light machinery with good results.

Pete
 
Interestingly I have lightly greased the Morse-Teleflex and cables as much as I'm able to given their location each winter. When I had the throttle cable break last summer it turned out that the solid rod at the Morse-Teleflex end had pulled out of the cable, the cable itself was fine and free running. No amount of lubrication would have prevented that problem.

Incidentally when that happened we were coming in to our marina and I sat below with my hand on the throttle lever on the engine and SWMBO on the wheel and by shouting instructions to each other we managed to moor the boat quite easily.
 
Bane of my life, particularly the forward controls which are exposed, and used to seize up, causing cable ends to buckle as the strain of operating them from aft was too much. I replaced the MB twin (spit) with home made S/S levers running on alkathene pipe bearings, this design has been further modified by some, using an acetate disc with lever on the rim and cable attached 90 deg away, just fit to any flat surface. I believe the cables become stiff because the inner S/S core wears a groove in the lining on the bends, which then binds, and wonder if over ending cables would help. I've tried draining oil into a cable via pipe and funnel, it did nothing.

The MB twin I still use has been dismantled and all clearances eased, the alloy/nylon combination is not a happy one.
I will go for Kobelt next time

http://www.kobelt.com/products/cont...tegoryId=bfb33b47-9798-6a94-a253-ff0000f575ed
 
When I had a motorbike, I had a pressure lubricator for oiling the cables. A chamber fitted on the end of the cable and was filled with oil. The end cap had a schrader valve to which you attach a bicycle pump and it forces the oil down the cable - very effective. Perhaps I should start making them for Morse cables?

Rob.
 
rob2 said:
When I had a motorbike, I had a pressure lubricator for oiling the cables. A chamber fitted on the end of the cable and was filled with oil. The end cap had a schrader valve to which you attach a bicycle pump and it forces the oil down the cable - very effective. Perhaps I should start making them for Morse cables?

Rob.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure my cables have a plastic lining. Grease would probably do more harm than good.

I had a cable jump off the gear change lever coming onto a pontoon once, but the only cable I broke was the stop cable because it had too sharp a bend.

I'd better order some spares now :p
 
rob2 said:
When I had a motorbike, I had a pressure lubricator for oiling the cables. A chamber fitted on the end of the cable and was filled with oil. The end cap had a schrader valve to which you attach a bicycle pump and it forces the oil down the cable - very effective. Perhaps I should start making them for Morse cables?

Rob.
Click to expand...
Not relevant to Morse cables which are solid wire and run in plastic linings, so are self lubricating.

The original question was about the control mechanism which does need some lubrication as others have suggested.
 
Strangely enough motorcycle cables were also Teflon lined, but oil ( not grease) made them work so much better. I believe that Morse cables are self lubricating for maybe the first year, but unless you're going to add them to the annual replacement schedule then oiling should greatly improve their performance. My point was added as an aside as no amount of improvement on the lever mechanism will achieve much if the cables are binding.

As to the lever mechanism, the only really effective way to improve it is to strip it, clean all the components and lightly grease it as you reassemble it. I did this once on a friend's boat resulting in amazing improvement - but still couldn't explain the three left over components!

Rob.
 
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