Spark plugs and throttle cable

[Kristofer Duckett]

Hi all,

Has anyone had experience with Tempest Plugs?

My throttle cable is tough (very tough)...(extremely tough) to move is there a fix or do I need to look at getting a new one?

Thanks all!

[N3322G]

Kristopher,

Some folks will lubricate tough to move cables. I had that done for a number of years. Just bit the bullet and replaced all cables from both engines - 41 years is pretty good wear. Piper sells these for a twin - don't know about the single.

[9089P]

Hi,

As Pat indicated you can try lubricating it although my experience has been that that is a short term fix and ultimately the fix is to get a new cable from someone like McFarlane.

As far as lubrication goes, the method that worked best for me was to force feed the lubrication of your choice into the cable from the firewall side with low pressure air while a second person is in the cockpit with a towel to collect the lube/debris as it comes out the top end. This can be messy so go with low pressure and work your way up slowly. As I recall, I did it in 2 steps, first a penetrant, then a lube. It worked for about 1/2 a flying season and at the next annual I replaced all 3 cables. The copilot (bride) was very happy.

Good luck, Don