'84 manual, broken shift cable - custom cable sourced!

['84toyvan]

Broke the R. trans control shift cable, which runs from the stick to trans, and having zero luck locating this obsolete part. It's my only vehicle, so I need to work out some kind of fix ASAP- can't drive to work, etc. Nothing from wreckers, n/r to Wanted posting placed here on the forum. Could anyone rec. any posbl fix option pls?

Thank You

['84toyvan]

A member suggested splicing the cable w/ clamps- surprised I didn't think of that. This fix should work for now, as the cable broke only a foot or so behind the stick, so a bulky splice ought to work, w/ the housing tube trimmed back somewhat.

Thanks, Toyotavantech people!

['84toyvan]

Splice looks to be a no-go: the break is right behind the guide-tube that's at the rear of the shifter assembly, so a bulky splice wouldn't feed through. There's a larger protective hose surrounding the cable hose, and it's crimped together w/ a metal hex-band, so I'd have to really butcher the hose-within-a-hose that contains the cable to try and jerry-rig a temp. fix. Does anyone know if Toyota or anyone makes a longer cable of the same dia. having a compatible fixture at the trans end? Then I figure I could run it through the whole guide hose / tube apparatus and possibly attach it at the stick end. Could anyone tell me if it's true, as the mechanic who looked up the part states, that cables from '84 - '87 will fit correctly? I've only located one junked van in this year range- an '87, but alas, auto-trans. If this could be verified, I'd at least have the correct search info. Quite the ordeal...

Thanks Again

['84toyvan]

Dancing w/myself, mostly: A different person at the same local dealership parts dept. says '84 - '88 cables fit my '84- NOT '84 - '87. Called a couple of other dealerships, who concur that it's '84 - '88.

Looks like I'll be cutting the outer hose back and splicing cable to an extended rplcmt rod at the stick (stock rod to which the cable is swaged is threaded, so should be easily removable). A jerry-rigged bracket / support will immobilize the new mouth of the hose, and the exposed stick-travel length of cable seems plenty stiff to feed properly on return stroke.

['84toyvan]

Attempted temporary fixes proved suboptimal. Fortunately, an experienced mechanic eventually was able to locate a custom cable manufacturer for me:

Control Cables, Inc., Santa Fe Springs, CA
(562) 959-0455.

For just over $150 plus shipping, I received, in under a week, delivered, a complete cable assembly (except for original 90° ball-jointed mounting bolts at either end), which functions flawlessly and seems very well made. All hardware is well-fitted, nicely polished s.s.; cable is low-friction type; containment hose heavy-duty; swages appear uniform and properly seated. My mechanic examined the wear marks on the actuator rods where they fit into their containment tubes, measured the trans. control lever travel, and provided the measurements for the on-line order form. He chose to reduce over-travel a bit, and the shifting is flawless- now with a noticeably shorter stroke and substantially reduced slop. The 2 screw mounts were a drop-in at the original clip mount positions, and no post-installation adjustments were required. New actuator rods were threaded to fit the original swivel mounting bolts perfectly. Very pleased with the quality of this part and the company- no affiliation. Hope the info is useful to anyone who may experience cable difficulties similar to mine.

Best Regards

[timsrv]

That is awesome! Thank you for sharing. This will no doubt help out others in the future. Tim