Best lubricant for sticky shifters?
 

My shifters (kiekaufer)sp? are starting to take a little work to get them into forward or reverse from neutral. What's the appropriate lubricant to fix this situation?

Re: Best lubricant for sticky shifters?
 

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Re: Best lubricant for sticky shifters?
 

I would rather be dealing with that kind of lubricant, but really. How about a serious reply.

Re: Best lubricant for sticky shifters?
 

Actually, I like a white lithium grease. You can also get the stuff in a spray version, but be carefull. A misplaced shot will make a heck of a mess.

Re: Best lubricant for sticky shifters?
 

I was told to use graphite like they use in locks. I gave it a try and it works great. My local hardware strore had a tube of the powder.

The product MC is talking about is good if you are one used to getting a "running start" towards your target. Splurt. :p

Re: Best lubricant for sticky shifters?
 

I'm sure there are a number of lubes that will work, but we have removed the shift cable (from the shift bracket to the out drive) and pulled the actual cable from the cable sheath and lubed it up with "Anti-Seize Lubricant" by Permatex. Seems to work well.

Re: Best lubricant for sticky shifters?
 

The problem is that the anti-seize reproduces faster than a welfare family. Which gets us back to the above pictured lubricant...

Re: Best lubricant for sticky shifters?
 

Yeah, if you have your cables routed like most are, the thought of replacing them is frightening. As was mentioned, you can remove one end and pull the entire inner cable out of the jacket. It is then easy to clean the inner cable with lacquer thinner and lube it with WD40. Then you can hose WD40 from one end thru the jacket and then run the inner back thru for a good "plunger-ing". Remove it and clean it again. Blow the jacket out with compressed air, and then lube it with a permanent lubricant.

White lithium is good. Be careful of tacky lubes because they "gel" over time. Rub the inner down with lithium grease and re-insert and replace the end connector.

Dry lubes are good but hard to get throughout the jacket.

Re: Best lubricant for sticky shifters?
 

Okay you guys, I'm no lube expert and I am always open to something that works better, but I am not quite sure what the above statement means.

Also, I am not sure what a "tacky" lube is or a "dry" lube is. (???)

Anyway, I think I can at least read between the lines (from the both of you) that Anti-Seize is not really a good lube to use in this case. Could you please explain your statements a little further---just interested in knowing...thanks! :)

Re: Best lubricant for sticky shifters?
 

Dry lube is exactly what it says. It's a dry powder, usually a graphite base. It does come in a spray can and it's mixed with a fast evaporating solvent to allow the graphite to penetrate. It's also very messy if you're not extremely careful and damn near impossible to remove if it goes where you don't want it.

Tacky lube is a grease that is very stiff. Doesn't soften up and get runny when hot. It stays where ever it's applied. Best for surface applications. Doesn't penetrate.

The problem with anti-sieze compound is that the more you try to wipe it off, the more it spreads. A tiny bit goes a looong way.
Besides the fact it isn't really a lubricant. It's designed to prevent bolts from siezing in aluminum. Works well in steel and stainless steel parts too.