Replacing 944 Cruise Control Cable

Talk and Tech about turbocharged 924/944/968 cars
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Tom
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Gaspowered wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2025 9:42 am
Tom wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2025 9:27 am
Yours is the original design with the nylon lining inside the end. The nylon prevents the cable from rubbing on the metal and fraying. I'd have to check, but seem to recall the cone replaces (or at least supplements) the internal nylon lining, to keep the cable centered and not rubbing on anything but nylon.
My apologies.
Learn something new every day.

Cheers
No apologies needed. :) Looking at pictures in the FSM, it looks like the original style cable might have come with a cone too, or at least some of them. Perusing online pictures shows some with them on, some with them hanging loose on the cable, and many of the missing. Quite possible they just cracked off over the years as people dislodged them to moved the cable out of the way.

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dr bob
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Don't know if this helps --

There are bicycle brake cable boots at the caliper end that do a fabulous job of protecting the exposed cable (so you can add some silicone grease...) where it slides through the nylon sleeve. I suspect that what was once a soft silicone 'wiper' cone gets hard over time and eventually fails, leaving the cable unsupported and unprotected. Adding the accordion boot doesn't support the cable much, but IMO does a better job protecting it especially if you add some grease there.

The little boots are commodity replacement pieces available cheap at your local bicycle shop. My car is in hibernation or I'd snap a picture.
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Tom wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2025 10:57 am
No apologies needed. :) Looking at pictures in the FSM, it looks like the original style cable might have come with a cone too, or at least some of them. Perusing online pictures shows some with them on, some with them hanging loose on the cable, and many of the missing. Quite possible they just cracked off over the years as people dislodged them to moved the cable out of the way.
I often go to BaT and look at pics of low mileage "original" cars to get ideas on correct cable, electrical and vacuum routing. Also to see if I may be missing any small bits and pieces.

Cheers

NB...
Looked at a few on BaT and didn't see any with that cone on @Darwin's new cable.
Doesn't mean it wasn't there are some point though.
Brian
'88 944 Turbo S / Silber Rosa

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Darwin
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Great news! It took finding a wrench that had the same ID as the OD of the threaded portion of the end of the cable but I was able to get it off. Man was that hard. I may have put a small crack in the cone but I don't think its anything to be overly concerned about. Cable is installed! Now all I have to do is figure out how to secure it in the clamp on the intake. Going to wrap the cable in some harness tape and see how that works before I worry about buying a new clamp.
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Darwin wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 1:44 am Great news! It took finding a wrench that had the same ID as the OD of the threaded portion of the end of the cable but I was able to get it off. Man was that hard. I may have put a small crack in the cone but I don't think its anything to be overly concerned about. Cable is installed! Now all I have to do is figure out how to secure it in the clamp on the intake. Going to wrap the cable in some harness tape and see how that works before I worry about buying a new clamp.
I got an assortment of cheap-o cushion clamps from Amazon when I was replacing my engine harness (like 9000 clamps for twelve cents...) and one of them fit just right. :)

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A FWIW ---

One of my first 3D printing projects might be making a three-piece cavity mold for silicone cones. They only seem to last a few years before they are yellow and cracking. And to replace one I have to replace the whole cable.

The bicycle brake boots I use are a workaround for function but fail at originality.
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dr bob wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 10:33 am A FWIW ---

One of my first 3D printing projects might be making a three-piece cavity mold for silicone cones. They only seem to last a few years before they are yellow and cracking. And to replace one I have to replace the whole cable.

The bicycle brake boots I use are a workaround for function but fail at originality.
Check out "TPU" (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) filaments. Comes in various stiffness levels and holds up well under the hood. I have several vibration mounts/isolators printed in TPU on the 944, some going on more than 5 years... It would make a fine cable cone. :) Not sure there'd be any way to get if over the connector on the end of this particular cable though...

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Tom wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 10:42 am
dr bob wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 10:33 am A FWIW ---

One of my first 3D printing projects might be making a three-piece cavity mold for silicone cones. They only seem to last a few years before they are yellow and cracking. And to replace one I have to replace the whole cable.

The bicycle brake boots I use are a workaround for function but fail at originality.
Check out "TPU" (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) filaments. Comes in various stiffness levels and holds up well under the hood. I have several vibration mounts/isolators printed in TPU on the 944, some going on more than 5 years... It would make a fine cable cone. :) Not sure there'd be any way to get if over the connector on the end of this particular cable though...

The install requirement drives the decision to make a 3-section mold for a silicone piece. Base piece of the mold includes the detail where the cone fits over the end of the cable casing, plus a pin that will be the minor ID where the cable fits through. It needs to be stretchy enough to get the threaded end of the cable through it . There would be a split top section of the mold to form the outside of the cone section. Making the top pieces split allows you to dress/polish the inside so the outer part of the silicone cone is smooth. Dressing finished silicone is pretty tough; easier to just mold it smooth. There are some very clear silicones available for the part itself if/when we get to that point.
dr bob

1989 928 S4, black with cashmere/black inside
SoCal 928 Group Cofounder
928 Owner's Club Charter Member
Former Ex Bend Yacht Club Commodore Emeritus

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