PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

MB-Dude · #13 07-13-2007, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyee

Do you have to unhook the ML throttle cable to lube it from the hood area? Or do you unhook it from the pedal to lube it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyee

I can't picture how it works from the photos. It looks like you use it to pry up part of the sheath, then you inject it and it flows down the cable, so how do you keep it from puddling on the pedal end? :-)

Have not done the ML yet, but have done a number of other cables (for years) in various applications. The beauty of the system is the cable does not have to be disassembled or removed, depending on how it's mounted. There probably are exceptions, but I have not come across one yet. On my SL's, lubricating the cables is a snap - literally 90 seconds. The ML looks a bit tougher only because of the way the cable is mounted.

The tool is slotted along its side so that it easily fits over the exposed, movable cable. One end of the tool is fairly tight which creates sort of a seal on the cable end away from the peddle. The other end is a bit larger and is designed to make a seal at the end of the cable sheath, where the movable cable exits. Two thumbscrews on the tool press a clamping bar around a hefty piece of rubber, effectively encapsulating and sealing the end of the cable sheath.

There is a small hole in the side of the tool which allows the small plastic tube that comes with all aerosol lubricants (i.e.: WD40, etc.) to fit into. When you spray the lubricant, it pressurizes the inside of the tool. Since the ends of the tool are (loosely speaking) sealed, the pressurized lubricant flows back through the cable sheath.

My experience is you only need about a second of spray. Any longer and the spray will exit the other end of the cable. When you think about it, the amount of excessive volume in any given cable is quite minimal. So very little lubricant is actually needed. Nevertheless, I place a shop rag around the peddle-end of the throttle cable, just in case.

Let me know if you want me to take some photos of the process.