Morris Minor Owners Club

Trying to get the throttle cable housing off - the bolts unscrew easily enough but I can't keep hold of the nuts on the other side under the dash. Are there any tricks to this or do you just have to find another body?<br><br>

I use a vice grip on the nuts, if the threads are not too rusty the weight of the grip is enough to hold the nut from turning.

If the theads are a bit rusty, as maybe is the case here, the vice grip should be big enough to lock against some other obstacle in the vicinity, thus posing some resistance to the nut turning,

hope this helps

Em - don't think I've got one of those. Think I will just disconnect it from the other end and pull it through. Having said that undoing the nut on the other end is a real b*****!!

There's an art to doing things single handedly....
Mole grips (of various sizes) are essential. Also useful is a socket set and extensions (use the extensions as handle and make it long enough to snag on something.
Also sometimes need a lump hammer and/or stack of bricks to stop things turning.

Phone a friend

Ani,
If you are just trying to replace the throttle cable there's no need to remove the throttle cable housing shown in your photo. Pull the old cable out from inside the car. Sometimes it's tricky to fish the new cable through from inside the car. I use a piece of insulation stripped off single solid core 1.5mm² electical cable as a "tube" to pull the new throttle cable through. Push the insulation through from the engine bay and stick the new cable about one inch into the "tube" from inside the car and pull through from the engine bay. It's done in a few minutes and I keep the tube, the copper wire and a spare cable in my car tool kit just in case.

Nice tip - thankyou. Now got it out and disconnected. You're quite right I didn't have to remove "that" bit - now all I have to do is try and tighten it up again I'll invest in some molegrips - small ones!

mike.perry wrote:Phone a friend

Of course the best idea Problem is since getting involved in Morris Minors most of them think I've gone a bit mad They think I should be going shopping and having dinner parties

I don't understand why you can't reach both sides. I've always done it by myself. Perhaps the doors weren't on but still think you should be able to reach both sides.
The only bolts I need help with are the handbrake cable plates, just can't keep the wrenches on and usually quite stubborn.

You must have a very long "wing-span" I think your doors must have been off!

On another note - is there a good tool that will take off the outer cable without damaging the inner cable. I've tried various cutters but none of them seem to be able to cut through it!!! I'm using a bicycle break cable by the way - maybe they are stronger.

Thanks for any advice on this one and then I can get it finished:-)

Slide the inner out. Cut the outer and slide the inner back through....

It took me so long to get it in I didn't want to do this!! I've since learnt that its best to solder the wire before you cut it. Those frayed bits - drove me nuts but now done Funny how you learn to do this best after you've done them

or you could have taken off the big elephants trunk from the heater and put your hand through the large hole

I managed the handbrake plates single handed (well two actually) although it was a bit of a stretch!
Sometimes it is possible to tape a spanner in place, once the fixing starts to bite it will often provide enough resistance to then be able to be done up.

I bet you've just got long arms

You really MUST solder up the cable if cutting - otherwise it will unravel and jam. It is a great idea to use bike cable - just be sure to carry a spare in the car. And - the longer the cable - the smoother the curve you will have on the cable, and the smoother the operation of the throttle!

Still got the bruises across my chest to prove it!