Unsticking a frozen back brake cable

[zxcvbob]

...on a bicycle that hasn't been used in a while. It doesn't look rusty, but that's probably what it is.

Liquid Wrench, or WD-40?

Bob

[hallerb]

cable may be frayed, i would just replace the cable. better safe than sorry

[willshak]

zxcvbob wrote the following:

New brake cable.

[Jon Danniken]

Thirded, they're only a few bucks. If you bring in the old housings, the bike shop can cut you some new ones the same length for an extra couple of dollars.

Jon

[Tony Hwang]

Does not cost much either.

[Steve B]

What we used to use back in the motorcycle days is soak in acetone, and try to work it loose. Most times, though, it needed replaced. What is great is to take the whole cable out of the housing, but then you have to cut it, making a clean cut, and then to reinsert it all the way through, you have to solder the end to make it smooth enough to pass through the housing without catching. A lot of times, unless it was a specialty rare cable, or expensive, it was just easier to replace the whole thing.

HTH

Steve

visit my blog at

watch for the book

[mm]

Sounds good to me.

Once you get the cable oving in the sheath a little bit, it will work completely loose very quickly.

[Doug Miller]

PB-Blaster works a lot better than either of those. But IMHO you're better off just replacing the cable -- it's only a few bucks.

[Jim Elbrecht]

PB Blaster-

But replacement is the smart move.

Jim

[Stormin Mormon]

The one time I did this, used liquid wrench. Position the bike so that one end of the cable sticks straight up. Expect to be there for a while, with the little dripper can. But, the cable did free up.

I've also got a balky cable for my Blazer. For that, I used a 1 cc syringe, with 25 ga x 5/8 needle. Pull the plunger out, and filled the syringe with silicone spray. Inject under the boot, at the end of the cable. Pump the parking brake pedal and release, five times every time I get in the truck. When I can remember. Seems to be helping.

[LSMFT]

WD-40, it will leave behind some lubrication to prevent future freeze ups.

[hallerb]

over time wd 40 residue turns to sticky goo...........

[Jim Yanik]

Smitty Two wrote in news:prestwhich- [e-mail]:

use a -real- penetrating oil,like PB Blaster.

but for your brake cable to STAY free,you'll need to work some grease down inside it.that means partially pulling the cable and greasing it,then working it in and out,repeating until the grease has worked well into the cable.

it might be more worthwhile buying a new cable assembly. (and keeping the bike indoors,out of the weather.) BTW,your tires may have rotted,too.the sidewalls may crack,fail,and the inner tube blow thru and pop.

[George]

Unless they have recently changed the formulation the light aromatics will evaporate leaving sticky stuff behind. WD40 isn't a lubricant.

[Jeff The Drunk]

Probably stuck near the ends. PB-Blaster works here.

[JohnnyD]

Try a little experiment: spray some WD-40 onto a piece of clean glass and let it sit in the sun until it evaporates. Then tell report back what remains.

HINT: it won't be sticky.

[Doug Miller]

Nonsense. There isn't any "sticky stuff" in WD-40, and it is a lubricant. Not a very good one, I'll grant you, but it is a lubricant. The MSDS

shows that it's somewhere between 17 and 25 percent oil.

[Jim Elbrecht]

How long a time? I'm still waiting for the 150 yr old clock that I 'cleaned' with WD40 in 1983 & only wind up every couple of years to stop keeping good time.

From what I can see- no goo & no dust.

Jim

[Jim Yanik]

[e-mail] (Doug Miller) wrote in news:i1pqg9$m3v$ [e-mail]:

my experience is that WD-40 gums up. it's also a poor penetrant.

[HeyBub]

Motor oil and axle grease are likewise "sticky stuff."

As an aside, WD-40 does as good a job of shining a stainless steel sink as the products made for that purpose.