Lubricating throttle/shift cables

[banderberg]

The throttle control on my boat is pretty stiff and requires a decent amount of force to push it forward.

I've seen a few videos where people force lubricant, either a liquid lube for bike cables, or a graphite lube, into the cable body.

Or, should I just replace the cable(s)?

Then, is it standard to just replace both the throttle and shift cables at the same time?

 

[itsathepete]

The cables are pre-lubed and not designed to have lubricant added. If you were able to add any lubricant it would be a minimal amount and likely not help anything for any appreciable length of time

 

[Bondo]

The throttle control on my boat is pretty stiff and requires a decent amount of force to push it forward.

I've seen a few videos where people force lubricant, either a liquid lube for bike cables, or a graphite lube, into the cable body.

Or, should I just replace the cable(s)?

Then, is it standard to just replace both the throttle and shift cables at the same time?

Ayuh,.... Disconnect the cables, one at a time to find the problem,....

 

[Scott Danforth]

Cables generally wear thru the inner sheath. Just spend the $30-40 and get new

 

[Dubed]

When I was younger (much younger) I raced dirt bikes for many years. We had a gizmo that clamped onto the end of the throttle cable, brake cable, etc. It had a rubber end with a small hole in it for the nozzle on a WD40 can.
We would lubricate a bad cable at the pit stop to make it thru the race then replace the cable when the race was over and the bike was back in the barn.
If you made it back to the dock then your race is over, replace the bad cable! (Providing of course that is the problem)

 

[flashback]

Some controllers have a tension adjustment or the controller itself may need attention.