Reparing Transmission Shift Cable (Not Replacement)

[Ramblen Ron]

 Hm? I did a search to see what information there was on shift cables.  Most talk about replacement.  I have a question reguarding restoring the original. The one that was in Rose had a kink on the dash end and the whole works is tight.  I took it out and there apear to be no sharp bends in it so I wonder if I can't get away with loosening it up. Will the kink continue to be a problem if I get it straightened?  How stiff should the arm on the transmission be?

[RV Mech Tech]

Ron - your shift cable may be what's known as a 'Bowden' cable with a spiral wire and rubber or plastic sheath around it with a metal cable inside- this is usually the type used for shifter cables - if you know where the kink is you can straighten it out and if you can disconnect one end (preferably the dash end and force some oil down the cable it will work like new - they used to use these type of cables on everything including heater control cables up until the early 70's - if you have a different style try using the same method and see what happens- if you have to replace it do an internet search as there are companies out there that can make up a cable if required - with a little bit of work you can usually repair/restore the cable - also I would disconnect the cable at the transmission and check to see if something is binding in the trans as well -this could cause a problem in the cable - if not then the problem may be a lack of space where the cable goes into the dash and you may have to do some modification to solve that problem - also  www.allpar.com  has a  topic on shifter cable repairs under "Allpar Repairs' -   Allpar is in the CWVRV resource list