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Morse Cables


robtheplod

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I believe yes, that is what I have on Legacy. It is just the length that is different. From memory the gear change is 5 feet & throttle is 6 feet, however each boat is different and you need to measure them both for yours.

 

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7 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

thanks!   the impossible question now, how often do they generally fail??

ours seem to last about four years, engineer suggested this was due to the cable having a few too many bends and should be more like 8 to 12?

 

current rate from RCR to supply and fit is £35, I know this as our throttle cable went after leaving Middlewich this year (we had a spare onboard but wanted to leave a spare so paid full whack from RCR)

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10 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

thanks!   the impossible question now, how often do they generally fail??

So many pieces of string to measure !!!

 

Failure mode is mostly water getting into the end fitting, running down inside the cable and rusting up the wire.

Squirt in some WD40 (other brands available) to try and ease the problem, and it gets worse.

 

WD40 (other brands available) actually makes the problem worse as the constituent 'stuff' in WD40 actually dissolves the lining in the cable causing it to jam-up.

 

It doesn't really matter about the 'brand' of Morse / Teleflex cable you use, as long as it is a similar size and length to the current one it'll be fine. There is not a lot of 'load' on them so they don't need to be 'super-strong'.

The critical dimension is the 'available length of inner cable' to make sure it can reach from the sheath gripper to the control lever / gearbox / throttle lever.

 

Rarely used (but in my opinion the best) is the type of cable with a grease in it, you simply give it a squirt of grease every year.

 

Image result for brake cable with grease nipple

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21 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

The one I can identify is this one, but cant see an equiv in midland chandlers?

20191021_130931.jpg

This is 33C 9ft cable in your picture,    Morse cables are now branded Seastar and come in red and black.   I got some replacements from here, much cheaper than Midland.  Morse Seastar cables are measured from end of end of the inner.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Seastar-Morse-Red-Jacket-33C-Control-Cables-3-40ft-available/362145741239?hash=item54519179b7:m:mYOdpDhZyFsDfS-0CFQO89g

 

 

Edited by Flyboy
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My Beta 43 engine (2007) has 33C morse cable ends. I carry a spare, but have not had one fail. I have donated my spare cable to other boaters who have had one break, in exchange for a new one, so they fit many boats. Cable routing, with no sharp bends seems to be key to a long happy cable life. Worth having a look to see how they are connected before having to change one. Particularly at the control lever end, so it will speed up swapping while stuck in a lock, or wherever. On my boat, getting the control lever out of the pedestal is the tricky bit.

 

Jen

Next trip out one is going to snap now I just know it!

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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Having measured mine I got them from Marine Scene Chandlery in South Wales - each then about £17. 

Teleflex 33C Midrange Control Cables - 6 Foot and Teleflex 33C Midrange Control Cables - 8 Foot One of mine had failed by the one end-piece coming adrift from the cable. First time i have  had a cable fail in 18 years but I do regularly run oil into the cable.

   
   
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I've only had one fail in 20 years, at the end where it connects to the controller. It caused a spectacular stop onto the visitor pontoon in Bristol harbour, 30 minutes boating before locking down to the tidal Avon and Severn. Worth keeping a spare and knowing how to fit it.

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4 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

I've only had one fail in 20 years, at the end where it connects to the controller. It caused a spectacular stop onto the visitor pontoon in Bristol harbour, 30 minutes boating before locking down to the tidal Avon and Severn. Worth keeping a spare and knowing how to fit it.

That's a good point, I shall have to do a dummy run to see how it fits the morse …. I'll have to figure out how this comes away... :)

 

 

20190803_111051.jpg

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11 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

That's a good point, I shall have to do a dummy run to see how it fits the morse …. I'll have to figure out how this comes away... :)

 

 

20190803_111051.jpg

Mine isn't the same, but might offer some clues on where to look. Here is how to get at the cable connections on my boat. On the handle, there is an allen head grub screw that holds it to the splined shaft. Opposite end to the handle. Loosen it and the handle comes off. The black plastic cover can be unclipped to reveal a metal frame, held on with four bolts to the steel pedestal. Undo the bolts, then wiggle the mechanism around till you find the way to remove it through the pedestal. Alternatively, drop it down through the pedestal and get it from underneath.

 

Jen

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10 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Failure mode is mostly water getting into the end fitting, running down inside the cable and rusting up the wire.

Many moons ago in my early biking years I bought an aluminium widget that you could attach to one end of a Bowden cable. You then filled it with oil and attached a bicycle pump to it to force the oil down the cable until it dripped out the other end. It used to keep my throttle and clutch cables in good nick. I’ll go Google to see if they’re still available. 
 

I wonder if I still have mine at the bottom of a tool box somewhere...

Looks like an updated version is still available. Probably worth using one with each engine service :)

 

HYDRAULIC MOTORCYCLE / MOTORBIKE / QUAD / CAR CABLE OILER, PROFESIONAL QUALITY https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006GGNVLW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nnU1DbEM9180H

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Throttle cable broke at 3 years of CCing but that was I accidentally stood on the fuel pump end.

Coming out of lock 3E on the HNC this year I put it into reverse to stop but then found it wouldn't come back out do belted the lock gate. Gear change cable at broken at 12 years/6500 hours. So an enforced overnight stay by the Uni buildings before getting a new cable in the morning.

Pretty sure I've got it in the wrong hole on the gear lever as it is now stiff into reverse.

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I carry a spare of the longest one . It fits the shorter length, so problem does not exist. Oiling the top end is not easily done, so it doesn't get done, but there is a shroud over the outer which would make it difficult. When I have used one, I buy another at the first opportunity. Carrying spares, and knowing how to fit them is an integral part of worry free cruising. I carry a control cable, filters, flexi fuel hose and jubilee clips, fuses ,plumbing bits, cooling hoses ,domestic water pump, Morco diaphragm and thermocouple and alternator. I'm also Bronze RCR, as I can't afford a spare starter motor which are only available service exchange, drive plate.

I carry bits so I don't have to be too held up for simple jobs, unable to wash or have a light on.

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3 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

I carry a spare of the longest one . It fits the shorter length, so problem does not exist. Oiling the top end is not easily done, so it doesn't get done, but there is a shroud over the outer which would make it difficult. When I have used one, I buy another at the first opportunity. Carrying spares, and knowing how to fit them is an integral part of worry free cruising. I carry a control cable, filters, flexi fuel hose and jubilee clips, fuses ,plumbing bits, cooling hoses ,domestic water pump, Morco diaphragm and thermocouple and alternator. I'm also Bronze RCR, as I can't afford a spare starter motor which are only available service exchange, drive plate.

I carry bits so I don't have to be too held up for simple jobs, unable to wash or have a light on.

So, apart from that, you're basically just winging it and hoping for the best? 

 

;)

 

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Unless the construction of the cables has changed I don't really see how normal water drops and damp can cause  any problems and don't know how oiling it will help and may well cause problems. The ones I have had apart used a single strand stainless steel inner cable that ran in a nylon tube. However If you drop one end in bilge water for the winter they certainly will stiffen up.

 

Of far more concern to me ref. breaking are the brass/alloy trunnions inside the control head. keeping those lubricated is vital.

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On 21/11/2019 at 19:18, WotEver said:

Many moons ago in my early biking years I bought an aluminium widget that you could attach to one end of a Bowden cable. You then filled it with oil and attached a bicycle pump to it to force the oil down the cable until it dripped out the other end. It used to keep my throttle and clutch cables in good nick. I’ll go Google to see if they’re still available. 
 

I wonder if I still have mine at the bottom of a tool box somewhere...

Looks like an updated version is still available. Probably worth using one with each engine service :)

 

HYDRAULIC MOTORCYCLE / MOTORBIKE / QUAD / CAR CABLE OILER, PROFESIONAL QUALITY https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006GGNVLW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nnU1DbEM9180H

 

Not a good idea unless your Morse cables happen to be the rarely used type shown in Alan's post above that require oiling/greasing. As Tony says, the more common type of cable that most of us use run inside a nylon tube and any oil or grease will damage the nylon.

Edited by blackrose
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Current brake fluid is non corrosive and silicone based so should be good used sparingly

Old stuff was horribly bad on painted surfaces and attacked some rubbers and plastics.

As all cars now use plastic reservoirs it would seem that new stuff is compatible with the plastic/nylon liner in flex cables.

Beware though, it is now very flammable, one of the main reasons for car fires after a good shunt, the pushed on reservoirs fall off and the fluid goes onto hot manifolds.........

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1 hour ago, blackrose said:

 

Not a good idea unless your Morse cables happen to be the rarely used type shown in Alan's post above that require oiling/greasing. As Tony says, the more common type of cable that most of us use run inside a nylon tube and any oil or grease will damage the nylon.

Ahh, I didn’t know that. Good info :)

1 hour ago, Boater Sam said:

Beware though, it is now very flammable,

Summat else I didn’t know :)

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Ours is a Beta 43 and our throttle cable broke 2 years ago. Called RCR to fit a new one. The new one broke 3 months ago .....at the point where the cable joins the top cylindrical thingy that is held in the morse control. Called RCR out again. I asked why did it break so quickly? Is there a problem. The RCR guy was their head technical bod...and said 'No', cant see anything wrong - call us out next time it breaks - more likely to just be a bad cable.

Following week I went to midland chandlers to get a new cable - a 9ft one. Yes, both cables are the same but different lengths, so I have a spare for when it goes next time...but i will call RCR out again as it was a right pain juggling the morse control out to get at the cable.

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