Lubricating throttle body spring and cables

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Apr 13, 2013
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My Accord is drive-by-cable. Is silicone spray an okay lubricant to use on the throttle body spring and cables?
 
I used 3 in 1 oil to lube them. I would hang the cable long ways up an down, pull the inside part out as far as it would go. Then start dribbling the oil in the cable housing. Every once in a while I would slide the cable back and forth to move the lube further down the outside housing. It didn't take that long before oil started coming out the other end. Mainly did this on choke cables from >>>>>>>way>>>>>>>back in the day.
 
Any non silicone lubricant will work. I would not use silcone anywhere near the throttle body to prevent O2 sensor contamination.
 
Any non silicone lubricant will work. I would not use silcone anywhere near the throttle body to prevent O2 sensor contamination.
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Maybe I'm missing something... But how does the lube from the throttle cable going to make its way into the air intake system, survive the combustion chamber, and poison the o2 sensor?...
 
I've used silicone spray, light oil etc and both worked fine. I wonder thought if a DRY lube would actually be best? It would spray on wet flushing away dirt and dry to a lubricating state which stays put and will not attract and additional dirt?
 
I used 3 in 1 oil to lube them. I would hang the cable long ways up an down, pull the inside part out as far as it would go. Then start dribbling the oil in the cable housing. Every once in a while I would slide the cable back and forth to move the lube further down the outside housing. It didn't take that long before oil started coming out the other end. Mainly did this on choke cables from >>>>>>>way>>>>>>>back in the day.
Same. Good cure for a bouncing speedo as well.
 
I've had limited experience and mixed luck with lubricating modern cables, but find that some type of silicone works best on the modern lined cables and 3in1, Triflo or LPs works on ancient technology non-lined cables. I just replaced the throttle cable on my diesel LR after lubing it a few times; the inner cable had worn through the (teflon?) liner and was metal on metal, dragging.

As noted, don't get the silicon into the intake. From what I was told once by an engineer buddy, it is the silicone combustion by products that can contaminate the O2 sensors.
 
I ended up lubing the spring and cables with silicone spray. I didn't see any intake or vacuum hose cracks in the area so inadvertent sucking in of silicone should not be a concern.
 
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