72 Bus Left Heater Cable Stuck

[whc03grady]

You do not want the cable and the sheath to snap with remnants still inside the tube, so take it easy with twisting and stick to a more straight pulling.

As I pulled out the millionth foot of untwisted cable, it snapped off barely forward of where it exits the tube. I have maybe 5mm of cable coming out; not nearly enough to grab ahold of let alone pull on.

Is cutting the tube itself an option? One could take out a section to get all the old cable and sheathing out, then use a chunk of rubber tubing to replace the cut-out section. Yes? No?

[twinfalls]

Just make sure to remove the nylon locking grommet type thing at the rear end of the under tube before pulling forward.
Steve

Doubble check about this.
Can't you grab what's left at the front with a vice grip ?

You've got a lot pulled out from the front, now can't you pull what's left from the rear ?

[whc03grady]

Just make sure to remove the nylon locking grommet type thing at the rear end of the under tube before pulling forward.
Steve

Doubble check about this.
Can't you grab what's left at the front with a vice grip ?

You've got a lot pulled out from the front, now can't you pull what's left from the rear ?

I cut off all the stuff at the back end, so it was just a bare cable going through the tube (I kept those little white thingies and the accordions they live in, so don't worry).
The center part of the cable pulled right out (I think it might've been a mistake to allow that), so all I was pulling was the spiral wrapping, or whatever you want to call it. Once in a while a big chunk of plastic sheathing would come out. There's nothing left at the rear end to pull.
I think I can get a vice grip on it, but given how hard I was having to pull it before it broke, there's no way I can do that strong of pulling in that space.

[twinfalls]

I had a hard time to get it from the front. Close to break it.

I understand you have no good clearance to pull it, strong and straight.
May be a jack could help pulling the vice grip holding on the cable.
May be hammering on the vice grip to make sharp pulls. Sometimes I have luck hammering on stubborn frozen parts, sharp shocks break rust bounds I guess.

[Amskeptic]

Just make sure to remove the nylon locking grommet type thing at the rear end of the under tube before pulling forward.
Steve

Doubble check about this.
Can't you grab what's left at the front with a vice grip ?

You've got a lot pulled out from the front, now can't you pull what's left from the rear ?

I cut off all the stuff at the back end, so it was just a bare cable going through the tube (I kept those little white thingies and the accordions they live in, so don't worry).
The center part of the cable pulled right out (I think it might've been a mistake to allow that), so all I was pulling was the spiral wrapping, or whatever you want to call it. Once in a while a big chunk of plastic sheathing would come out. There's nothing left at the rear end to pull.
I think I can get a vice grip on it, but given how hard I was having to pull it before it broke, there's no way I can do that strong of pulling in that space.

You do not try a dead-pull straight out. You try an unravel type pull as you maintain a decent but not fatal pull. You will have to rotate the visegrips as you unravel. Can you shoot some PB Blaster in the tube?
Colin