Replacement Throttle Cable is Too Long?

l008com

l008com

Well-Known Member
I'm helping my neighbor fix is broken mower. The throttle cable snapped years ago and its just been sitting. I changed the oil, zip tied the throttle, and was able to get it running. And in fact after a few minutes, it was running really good.

So I hopped on jackssmallengines with the machine's model number ( 12AV566N011 ) and looked up the cable number. I believe the number it told me was 946-1130
I ordered the cable (off ebay) and installed it last night. All of the fitting etc were right, but the cable itself was a few inches too long. When you pull the lever, it doesn't touch the throttle. Its just enough to pull all of the slack out of the line but doesn't actually pull anything.

There doesn't appear to be any way to adjust this, but I could be wrong?

If not, what is the deal? Is this a defective cable? Or did jacks give me the wrong number?

I may have found a clue. The bag the cable shipped in says "Replaces MTD 7461130" Is 7461130 a different cable from 9461130?
I also can't re-check the info I got off of jacks because their site is currently down. Checking troybilt.com, it looks like both of those part numbers are for the same cable.

The troybilt website calls it a "40" cable", anyone know exactly how to measure the cables? I can double check the new one and see. Do I measure just the cable? Or does that include the fittings on each end?

I can also include a video tomorrow. But I can describe exactly what the video will show you right now. A cable that fits in place perfectly at both ends of the cable, and both ends of the housing. But that has enough slack that the cable is hanging down when the run lever is released, and is just tight enough to take up that slack when the lever is held down.

The specs on the cable I bought - from the ebay listing - call it a 40" conduit length, which I assume means the housing. And a 53" cable length.

I suppose i could make it work by putting some kind of loop in the cable to eat up an inch or two of slack. But I'd much rather just get the right cable. Especially since there may be some homemade pizza in it for me if I can get this thing fixed right.
 
If it's a metal sheath , I've cut the outer sheath before and then cut the inner cable to length , you'll need to re bend the end to fit the carb linkage and that's a little tricky ,
 
How would you put the "Z" end back on the cable after you've cut it? It appears to be permanently molded on. Not like cables on a mountain bike where one end is molded on but the other end is just pinch fit with a screw
 
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So how do you know which one your specific machine takes, if the same model number machine has four different cable parts? Also the old cable snapped and was stuck in the housing so I had to cut the other end off and ended up tossing the whole thing. So even if i picked it out of my trash, it won't be easy to measure.
 
StarTech said:
Well that was a mistake as the cable PN was on the cable housing usually. If you can still retrieve the old cable look along its length for the part number.
Click to expand...
This thing was stored outside for 20 years, I don't think I'm going to be able to read numbers off the cable housing.
 
To further complicate/confuse the issue, when I look up my model number on troybilt.com, it lists 5 different cables for this machine. But the one I ordered is the shortest one of the bunch. All the others are longer by at least 10 inches. Yet, my cable is too long.
 
Or maybe the solution is simple. A tiny nut and bolt where the Z fitting connects to the motor, and just snip teh cable to size, bolt it up like a bicycle derailer, and hopefully be done with it forever.
 
I found an old broken mountain bike rear derailer, I should be able to pull off the cable clamp bolt, retainer and back threading piece and adjust that so it works here. I'm probably going to cut a little groove slot for the cable on the motor part, so mimic the derailer itself. Derailer cables never slip and they're getting pulled pretty hard and a lot more often. So hopefully this works. I might have to drill the fitting hole a little larger though, we'll see.
 
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