Freeing a sticky throttle cable

Freeing a sticky throttle cable

Watch the walkthrough

Watch on YouTube ↗ · Jetboard Australia — "How to free up a your annoying sticky jetsurf throttle cable" (~13 min). Timestamps below follow the video's own time. This is the throttle-cable section of Carburettor, fuel tank & throttle cable service, on its own.

A cable that pulls back and won't return, tight when you probe it with a screwdriver — but the wire isn't frayed. If it's only corroded, not damaged, you can often save it: lube penetrates right through and it comes back to life. If the outer is bubbled or the wire is frayed, replace the whole hand control instead.

Remove the cable — 0:35

1. 0:52 — Diagnose — pull the throttle and watch it return; probe the cable with a screwdriver for stiffness.
2. 1:05 — Undo the cable bracket at the cylinder with a 4 mm Allen key (leave the clamp).
3. 1:26 — Ease the cable back through. If it snags in the gears, remove the clutch/gear cover (two small Allen keys) to see what's fouling — the cable can catch in the gears.

Lubricate the cable — 2:17

4. 2:34 — Use a motorcycle cable oiler. JetSurf cables have no end lug, so wrap a little insulation tape around the cable end to build it up and seal it in the tool, then clamp the oiler on.
5. 3:32 — Use a graphite penetrating lube (Würth Rust Off or similar) — it lines the cable and breaks down rust and corrosion. Hit it, catch the mess with a rag; it pressurises the cable.
6. 4:26 — Keep working it in — force it past the blockage, spray a little into the far end too, rotate the whole assembly.
7. 6:02 — Keep going until lube comes cleanly out the far end (you'll see it bubble through) — that's it reaching all the way through. The cable should now move freely.

Reinstall the cable — 7:02

8. 7:12 — Route a draw wire (speaker wire) through the path first: under the washer on each lower seal-assembly bolt (holding the cable against the crankcase and away from the gears), between the pulse-line tube, onto the carb arm. Tape a loop on the cable end and pull it through.
9. 9:24 — Push the cable end onto the carb arm with a flat-blade screwdriver; check it's seated.
10. 9:44 — Fit the cable into the bracket: thin side against the cylinder, thick side against the fuel tank, cable on the top side.

Adjust the free play — 10:29

11. 10:34 — Pull the cable until it's almost tight, then check the throttle — you want near full throttle with the tiniest bit of play at idle, returning cleanly.
12. 11:04 — Nip the clamp only. Over-tight squashes the cable and the throttle stiffens and won't return (the carb return spring is weak). Test it's smooth, then refit the gear cover.