What is it called please?

[belfry]

The cable between the heater control valve and the heater control lever on the dash of my 1977 Maserati has snapped. I have spent the weekend looking for about a metre of the very rigid 1.25mm steel cable to repair it. However, I am being met with blank faces when I ask for this! The boy in Halfords was the most gormless as he suggested that the heating will be controlled by electronics not cables.

I ended up buying some woven 1.5 steel wire but this just ended up kinking when the lever was pushed downwards. The cable needs to be able to push and pull the control valve lever. Everything that I have found so far has been too soft and malleable to be useful.

The broken cable is a solid wire with almost no flex in it, which stops it bending when the lever needs pushing backwards.

Does anyone know what this cable is called? And where I can buy some? I have looked online without success, and I'm hoping that the correct search term will change my luck.

[Dave.]

Pics of the existing broken cable?

It's it sheathed like bicycle brake cable, or more of a rod than cable?

[Athlon]

Bowden cable (sp?) It has rigid wire in an outer case so it will push and pull.

Found here: https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/black-push-pull-cabl...

Edited by Athlon on Sunday 5th January 23:20

[leyorkie]

Try your local lawn mower repair shop.
Throttle controls on lawn mowers are push pull solid wire size.
Can’t guarantee that you will find the correct end to fit your controls, but you should be able to make do.
I’ve got some hanging up in my garage if you can’t source any local to you.

[harrycovert]

Some choke cables from classic cars are solid steel wire you could try googling that

[Berlin Mike]

I think the rigid wire is called piano wire.

The good old MGB has solid wires to control the heater valve and flap, at least according to the spares suppliers. I had the opposite problem with the flap and it only worked when replaced with a bicycle brake cable.

[Mike-tf3n0]

My VX220 has a solid wire heater cable so I would imagine all the Elises and probably most of the current Lotus models are likely to be the same. Look at the website for Eliseparts, they should be able to help. Another thought, WWW.T7Design make everything to do with heaters including very nice replacement heaters for the chocolate original fitted to the Lotus Elise / VX220 and they supply the solid wire cable for them so can probably make a new cable for your car.

[john2443]

This looks like it's solid https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Defender-Cab...

That came from searching Heater control cable.

Halfords are good for pushbike and car bling but what are known in the trade as a bunch of fking useless tts for car spares! Any proper motor factor should easily find you a cable, eg Jayar, Andrew Page.

[HealeyV8]

I needed something like this for my Healey internal door lock mechanism. I eventually used some metal coat hanger (what you get from the dry cleaners). It's held up quite well for everal years now.

[Auntieroll]

It's proper name , as mentioned above , is piano wire.

Lengths of up to a yard are easily obtainable from specialist model aircraft shops, try SLEC in Watton for mail order.
Piano manufacturers , not surprisingly may be able to help you also.
In the past when I needed 4ft lengths for model helicopter tail rotor drives , a Skoda RWD choke cable inner was used ,these were about 6ft in length , excellent quality and inexpensive.
Forming the z bend on the end(s?) Will require a bit of practice and a really good pair of pliers. There are specialist z bend pliers used by some modellers which will probably be cheaper than a replacement Maserati cable if my past experiences are anything to go by!
HTH

[Athlon]

Bloody hell lads, I posted a link to the sodding stuff way up the thread, it's not even expensive..

[belfry]

Athlon said:

Bloody hell lads, I posted a link to the sodding stuff way up the thread, it's not even expensive..

Thank you. This is perfect as I was struggling to find a supplier.

I did end up going the a lawnmower repair place yesterday, but they don't use 'solid' wire anymore, nor can they source it, everything is now 'woven' which doesn't have the same rigidity for pushing the valve/throttle/choke open.

I ended up in a Citroen independent garage (as suggested above). After a 5 minute search though the used parts store he handed me a 2CV heater cable which looked similar. He didn't charge me for the cable as he said "Don't worry about paying. It's just nice to keep another old car on the road" (https://www.bragg-of-briston.co.uk/)

I pulled out the inner solid wire and threaded it through the Maserati cable, tightened the adjustors and evrything now works again.