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I am using wd 40 on the OD linkages, I’m not fond of all the grease being all over the external mechanical parts , to me it’s easier to spray on a lighter lubricant more frequent than smearing a lot of grease on the parts.

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WD-40 is not a lubricant. If you don't like grease, use an oil.

WD-40 is not a good long term lubricant. It is designed to displace water and protect something from rust by forming a film over the items applied to. It is too thin and because it leaves a film that turns gummy and attracts dirt before too long, can actually cause some issues. Suggest you use a light spray on water resistant lithium grease for the OD cable sleeve and the rod that slides inside the sleeve. It can also be used for the rod end and lever joints on the shift linkage.

I would also suggest you try to get some thin oil inside the actual OD cable from the dash bracket down to the sleeve. The old Bowden cables consist of a steel wire inside a steel outer housing and inner wire can rust and bind. If you push the dash knob in and wire is binding the cable housing can be pushed out of the pot metal crimp at the rear of the dash bracket. Depending on how and where damage is done when the cable housing separates, repair can be difficult. In other cases it is not a terrible job but it will still be an inconvenience and the OD may be inoperative until it is fixed.

It is not easy to get oil inside to the wire because of the way the housing is snugly coiled around the wire. There is normally no space for oil to get in but a gentle bending of the housing will open the coils on the outside of the bend a tiny bit and if you apply drops of thin oil some will seep inside. If you can find thin oil in a pressure can, holding the bent cable in a rag and squirting oil under pressure into the slightly open loops may help oil get in. Just make sure when bending it is a gentle curve and not enough to cause cable to kink.

The OD cable should move smoothly and easily. A light oil will usually loosen a stiff one up. Forcing a stiff cable will cause damage.

WD-40 has a line of other spray lubricants that work well in different situations. They have a spray dry lubricant that is pretty much spray Teflon that works well on hinges and stuff like that. Also, its clear.

Also, they have a no-drip gel lubricant that works well on other items.

Those are the only WD-40 brand products I use. I prefer PB-Blaster for spray penetrators. It also works well at rejuvenating petrified rubber.

A very poor choice of words on my part, i should have stated use of a spray lubricant with low sling quantities.

My OD CABLE DETACHED FROM THE POT METAL DASH MOUNT, so someone tried to solder the cable to the pot metal unsuccessfully but left a blob of solder stuck to the wire coil, so I slid it up to the potmetal piece and used a tiny hose clamp around the two and it is holding well. This was fortunate. The OD took a while to get the hang of, but I see the benefits now.

I used PB BLAST on the tubes of the shifter to great effect.

That failure is typical if the wire cable was binding in the housing or if the rod that slides in the sleeve down at the OD lockout lever rusts or gets covered with road tar. Hopefully the cable was lubed at the time the bracket was broken but if that was years ago it would not hurt to do check the entire length and do a refresh lube.

If the end splits letting the cable just slide out the hose clamp has been used but can sometimes be a bit unsightly. 2 piece shaft collars also work well and if painted to match the bracket, have a bit more of a finished look.

If the entire crimped area along with a bit of the back end of the bracket is pushed off as has happened to a couple of people the repair is much more difficult.

I have a couple of quite stuck OD cables. Truth is, it is quite likely that they are all stuck. I'm pondering the idea of removing them, coiling them gently and putting them at the bottom of a five gallon bucket and then letting them soak in EvapoRust. One first, to see if it works. And then maybe doing something similar with light oil to keep it/them movable.


But this won't be done next week . . . .