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I've heard a lot of talk about cable grease. For the last 3 years I've been using the black moly grease used in the German CV joints I use at work. (I have an Audi-VW specialty shop.) In that time I have had no cable failures even when running 1527 1.5Ds and 1Ys with 3/16 cables on 6s and 8s respectively. It's messy and ugly but it works great. Specifically made for high speed-high pressure use. Just sayin'... I wish someone made a 5mm to 1/4" collet though.
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Fast Electrics Have A Small Carbon Wake
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Is this grease only available to professionals?
I use a mixture of Grim Racer Speed Grease and highspeed high pressure heavy gear oil,:http://crcindustries.com/auto/?s=SL2432 I find the gear oil really works on the stinger/strut brass bushing, it does keep temp low, I say this despite that I am a staunch anti-bench tester: if one were to let the shaft spin in a short length of time and run one's finger over the bore of the stinger/strut, you will be surprised at the temp. Now, given the fact that all this is in the water, it is a pointless worry. Nevertheless, there is a temp issue. With the gear oil, it is noticeably cooler. The combination of the two lubricants showed a definite advantage over using just the grease.
I am not saying that the grease did not meet my expectation, but I think the benefits brought on by the ingredients of the so-called high speed /high pressure is not an imagination.
Your high quality grease must be fantastic!
Last edited by tlandauer; 04-13-2013, 04:35 AM.Too many boats, not enough time...
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I use Alisyn Tribolube-12, a synthetic grease designed for sealed bearings in helicopter turbine engines.
it has good body, but very low drag, and is stable at almost any temperature.
'89 Hydrostream Vegas XT w/ Mercury 2.4 Bridgeport EFI - 240hp - 95mph
ProBoat Blackjack 29 - 58mph, Traxxas Villain, Traxxas Slash 4x4, Align T-Rex 450pro, Blade mSR, Blade mCPx, Dynam Cessna 182, Blitzworks F/A-18, UM P-51, UM SU-26XPComment
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One time I was out of grease so I used Vaseline.Comment
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I'm curious as to what is the best lube out there for our boats....NAMBA20...Caterpillar UL-1, P-Spec OM29, P-Mono DF33, P-Spec JAE, Aussie 33" Hydro-LSH, Sprintcat CC2028 on 8s, PT SS45 Q Hydro, PS295 UL-1 power, OSE Brothers Outlaw QMono 4-sale, Rio 51z CC2028 on 8sComment
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I use white moly wheel bearing grease. Prevents leaking around the shaft and seems to do a good job lubricating shaft.Comment
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Doesn't make much difference what grease as long as it has some water resistance, ask 10 people you will get 10 different opinions, IMO there is no "best grease".
The fastest nitro guy I used to know used the same castor oil to lube the shaft as he used to mix fuel. Never had a failure and was fast! Pulled the cable out and dunked it in a bottle of Klotz Benol. Back in the 80's we'd spray the flex with WD-40 before every run.....not the best as you can imagine!
Over on IW I'm positive I read about a guy using vegetable oil in his shaft oiler, claiming no failures and it's a completely "green" product.
My current grease is 5$ for a 1 pound tub. Can't find any difference between it and any other I've used except for the fairly cheap price.
I've used 90w marine gear oil, works but stinks. Mixed it with grease, messy, stinks but also works fine. Also used lithium, moly based, bullshot bearing grease (nice red color). Even used John Deere and Esso farm lube.
Basically if I have it on hand and it's not to thick and it's waterproof I'll confidently use. Not like we're dealing with an extreme pressure, high heat environment.
Shaft maintenance between outings is much more important IMO, doesn't make any difference what grease you use if the cable has rusted.
Only ever had shaft failures on outboards, and none since I stopped using the K&B stock teflon liner, never broken a flex on an inboard setup.
I've also never ran anything bigger than a 7.5cc nitro or P setups in electric, no real high power setups. That may be a factor in my luck.If my boats upside down then who owns the one I thought I was driving the last two laps?
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This is what i use it has teflon in it and it works perfect never had a failure since i started using it it is Mercury Marine 2-4-C
http://www.amazon.com/Mercury-Marine.../dp/B001QGEPQWIm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What You Understand
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.NAMBA20...Caterpillar UL-1, P-Spec OM29, P-Mono DF33, P-Spec JAE, Aussie 33" Hydro-LSH, Sprintcat CC2028 on 8s, PT SS45 Q Hydro, PS295 UL-1 power, OSE Brothers Outlaw QMono 4-sale, Rio 51z CC2028 on 8sComment
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A lack of viscosity can increase wear, but thicker greases can increase drag and slow you down, as well as overloading the motor. The ideal grease is a delicate balance of the two. I use the Tribolube-12 on trumpet kicker slides at our music store, specifically because it has some thickness, but does NOT slow down the slide action. This same quality makes it excellent for flex cables.
Flex cables have a lot of surface area, so there's lots of potential for drag if the grease is thick and gooey.
Using any kind of vegetable-based oil is absurd. These oils break down quickly, especially with any friction and heat. Vegetable oil turns into glue as it breaks down, and nothing completely dissolves it. Even benol tends to thicken and gum up over time if it's not burned up in a timely manner in an engine.'89 Hydrostream Vegas XT w/ Mercury 2.4 Bridgeport EFI - 240hp - 95mph
ProBoat Blackjack 29 - 58mph, Traxxas Villain, Traxxas Slash 4x4, Align T-Rex 450pro, Blade mSR, Blade mCPx, Dynam Cessna 182, Blitzworks F/A-18, UM P-51, UM SU-26XPComment
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Agree totally with Siberian Husky. Use what you got but NEVER put FE boat away after running without pulling shaft,drying it and regreasing. More boats die from lack of maintenance than any other reason. Treat it like a toy and you'll have the longevity of a toy.Comment
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Man if your stuffing tube is getting hot enough to start breaking down castor oil into varnish you have serious problems that no lube will ever cure!
People get all worked up about something that makes no measurable difference to boat performance as long as you use some common sense with regards to viscosity and application.
Brass makes an excellent bearing material and it does not take any more than a surface film of lubricant for the two to ride on. Any more is just drag.
And uh the oil doesn't burn off in a two stroke engine! IN fact it carries away a lot of the heat produced as it leaves the engine UNBURNED, and Castor oil is STILL one of the best at it! Offeres much higher protection for a lean run than synthetics.
Not saying I'd do it but others have and had no issue, the point was it pretty well doesn't matter what you use for flex lube it will work.Last edited by siberianhusky; 04-13-2013, 12:42 PM.If my boats upside down then who owns the one I thought I was driving the last two laps?Comment
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I use 30wt shock oil! lol! Works for me!
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Grim racer grease. It's thick, but not once the cable is spinning 30k rpms..Comment
That is one of the reason why I use the gear oil with the speed grease: it reduces the drag and yet keeps the viscosity. In the end, yes, maitainence is what counts, I lube my cable every time my boat gets in the water, period.
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