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It soon became clear why. The steel cable that runs to the steering interlock must have gotten pretty dirty over 50 years. See the bend in the transmission end? Turned out the cable could no longer overcome the friction in the sheath and bent instead. Once it bent, that's the way it stayed. Just a word of warning I suppose. If you still have your interlock in place, it may be time to spray some graphite in there.
I think it goes without saying, these are not easy to get to.
Totally agree, it's probably one of the last places that gets any attention..... until it REALLY needs it.
I've often wondered it they could be reversed if they get kinked (a little, not really really kinked) so that end was being pushed out and pulled in. Never looked into it very far since I've already dealt with mine but...
M
I've had good luck repairing much worse looking cables than yours iggy.
Soak it with PB Blaster and a pair of pliers will correct that bend in the cable.
Cheers, Greg
I've had good luck repairing much worse looking cables than yours iggy.
Soak it with PB Blaster and a pair of pliers will correct that bend in the cable.
Cheers, Greg
It is original. I was kind of thinking of clamping it somehow and sweating it a bit with solder. I ordered one from Mid-America. They had but two. If theirs looks wrong I'll go with the original somehow. Thanks Greg.
This happened to my cable and it was the start of nothing good. I'm working now with a new cable, but it doesn't exactly fit like it should, I had to do some bubbaing on it I'm embarrassed to say. Good luck to you.
This cable is just part of what GM calls the "backdrive system", and is not one of GM engineering's shining designs. Cables are meant to pull, not push as this one does. You'll note that the cable connects to a lever at the bottom of the steering column. If the internals of the steering column are corroded and/or dirt laden, the operation of the backdrive system is very much compromised. The Chassis 'Service Manual has a step-by-step procedure for adjusting the backdrive system. After cleaning and straightening the existing cable, or installing the new one, you might want to follow GM's adjustment procedure. How do I know this? I've had problems with this cable for years. I recently had my steering column rebuilt, and purchased an NOS cable. You may already know but, there are different cables for auto and manual. I'm going to follow the Chassis manual to the tee to try to eliminate this problem forever.
Last edited by REDONBLACK69; Feb 8, 2022 at 10:28 PM.
Removed my cable almost 30 years ago when I put a Hurst Shifter on the T-10. Then went Tremec (3550 followed by T-56 Magnum). Never had an issue.
This is a solution looking for a problem. Only reason that I can think of that GM wanted the car in reverse to shut down the engine was weak parking brakes.
Replacement cable showed up today. The length between the two clips is different by about 3/8's of an inch. Notionally I thing that just means there is a little more material under the car. So it should work as a replacement. We'll see, but I must admit I can make no sense of the back drive adjustment directions without crawling under the car to see if I can figure out what they are talking about, and even get to whatever that is. Thanks for the dialog in any event.
Greg: I might get to it on Sunday. No interest in this SuperBowl. Buffalo was my home town and they got wiped out, then the Niner's in my adopted town, so I don't care.
I've got my Z06 up on my lift right now and going through it inside and out. It's for sale on Bring-a-Trailer so that's the priority I am working with. Five days or so left on the sale.
Or to keep a passenger yahoo from reaching over and shutting off the car, or worse locking the steering wheel as its going down the highway! GM was not the only company that had reverse lockouts to release the key.
Originally Posted by SteveG75
This is a solution looking for a problem. Only reason that I can think of that GM wanted the car in reverse to shut down the engine was weak parking brakes.
Sure a lot of "fiddly" bits to this installation. I figured if the throw was right, it still would be, provided there was no length difference in the exposed part of the cable. Sprayed some graphite in there, everything moves smoothly, time to button things up.
What made this job not as freaking bad as it could have been was having the exhaust pipe easily removable. I forget what these joints are called but they work quite well.
If anybody wants my old one, I'll send it out in a mailing tube for $25.
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Reverse is pushing back?
