Trojan Boat Forum

I need to replace the port shift cable from the bridge to the lower station on my 1978 F30. Sadly the cable does not have a length stamped or printed on it. Do any of you know the length of this cable, i am guessing about 20 to 21 feet. Any advice or tips on how to replace this would also be appreciated. Is this something that i should leave to the Marina or attempt myself?

I know you said you've looked...but there must be some print on the cable. It will say something, somewhere. But, give Bob a call at Beacon Marine and see if he can help. I am sure he has the specs for you. 609-713-4602

Thanks, I will call Bob, my original plan was to tape the new one to the old and pull it through, but if i don't know the length I guess I guess I will tape a fish tape so I can pull the old out and measure it and then pull the new one through with the fish tape. I am kind of concerned about how tightly the passages are backed with wire and cables, any tips or thoughts would be appreciated.

Yeah it will be a tight fit.

But if you are going to do one, I would recommend doing both.

What happened to the cable? Mine are stiff. I oil every season and it seems to help. My problem is there is a lot of cable coiled on the floor so if you are putting oil in, it doesn't get very far because of that coil.

lawyerdave71 wrote:Yeah it will be a tight fit.
But if you are going to do one, I would recommend doing both.
What happened to the cable? Mine are stiff. I oil every season and it seems to help. My problem is there is a lot of cable coiled on the floor so if you are putting oil in, it doesn't get very far because of that coil.

How do you oil them, under pressure? I have yet to be stumped by stiff cables as this has always solved them.
This is what I do, make your own as below:


Directions for a Throttle and Shift Cable Oiler

You need a foot and a half of 3/8 ID reinforced plastic hose from Lowes, a tire valve, three hose clamps, a tire pump or small 12 volt air compressor with a gauge, and some MMO (Marvel Mystery Oil).

Shave the tire valve down and clamp it in one end of the hose.

1. Remove the fittings from one end of the cable.

2. Put 3 inches of Marvel Mystery Oil in the hose for every 20 feet of cable length.

3. Double clamp oil filled hose over cable.

4. Apply and maintain 50 PSI of air to the tire chuck. DO NOT EXCEED 50 PSI.

5. It will take 10 to 30 minutes for oil to appear at the other end, then your done. Have rags to catch the oil if your in a sensitive area.

I suggest safety glasses just in case somethings blows apart, but I have never had a problem. My save rate on cables is about 75%. I did all my cables every 2 years as PM (preventative maintenance) but I was not on salt water.

Ready123...... Excellent DIY tutorial!
I was planning on putting a new cable on to remedy a sticky upper helm throttle, but thought I'd try this first.
So I did it today and it went off without a hitch. It helped quite a bit with my sticky cable, and it was easy enough that I'll do it to the rest as soon as I get some more time.
Thanks for the tip.

Scorpion07 wrote:Ready123...... Excellent DIY tutorial!
I was planning on putting a new cable on to remedy a sticky upper helm throttle, but thought I'd try this first.
So I did it today and it went off without a hitch. It helped quite a bit with my sticky cable, and it was easy enough that I'll do it to the rest as soon as I get some more time.
Thanks for the tip.

Glad it worked for you. One of mine was quite bad and repeating it a second time made it like new. Now I do it as a start of season item.....

Bringing this back to life. You disconnect the cable from the shifter and then blow the MMO through that end? Am I reading that correctly?

I believe so

Dangar Marine on youtube has a tutorial that sounds like the same strategy. I've been meaning to try it on my upper helm throttle cables.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j2xD_8k5yo

I don't want to assume, but is this the same procedure for the upper station shift cables.

Yes