Hi All,
Karl has a great solution to sticking cables,  but it can be a little
messy. I am a bicycle mechanic, so I am frequently lubing cables. My
solution was to purchase a motorcycle cable luber. this is  a little
device that clamps around the cable and snugs up to the housing. once in
place you just  insert the plastic tube from your SPRAY can into its
hole, give a squirt, presto, your cable is lubed. this also  works on
throttle and clutch cables.The device is available at most motorcycle
shops for  around $10.

Don
82' Diesel Vanagon(slowly becoming a GTI)

Karl Bloss wrote:

> I had a kink in one of the heater cables, probably due to it sticking
> and I was too forceful with it at the time.  This is worse in winter,
> of course, since everything is more viscous.
>
> For those that don't quite need to tear down their heater cables,
> but feel they could use some PR, try the following:
>
> Get a can of motorcyle chain lube with the long plastic tube for
> reaching into tight places.  It's a spray can, kinda like WD-40.
>
> Remove the ashtray and/or the instrument cluster (eave all the cables
> and wires attached; you can just kinda look in there).  Find which
> lever activates which cables and operate the lever such that the
> maximum amount of cable is exposed.  Put the chain lube tube through
> the lever opening in the dash and drip small amounts of chain lube on
> the cable and operate the lever back and forth to work the lube into
> the tube.  Don't use too much, 'cause it's sticky yucky stuff when
> combined with all the dust bunnies and grime behind there.  Wipe up
> any that drips down (if you can reach it).
>
> I did this for all the cables even though only the hot/cold lever
> needed it.  I bent the kink out and it worked fine all winter because
> the cable had much less resistance.
>
> BTW, I use the chain lube on the sliding door as well.  Easy to get
> into place and then it stays since it's meant to stay on a moving
> chain that would fling thinner lubricants right off.
>
> -Karl
> '87 Vanagon GL Weekender "Beverley"; Trexlertown, PA
> http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/
> VW shop list: http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/vwshops