Uh Oh! Broken TV Cable on 86 Merc

[78Tbird1]

Hey all, been a bit since I posted, been super busy.

Anyway, when I last posted I was working on changing the fuel injectors in my Merc as I had one that was leaking into the intake. The replacements are working well, but during the removal and install of the manifold and throttle body, the adjustment on the throttle valve cable got thrown out of whack. Probably something to do with how I accidentially got the throttle cable jammed when replacing the throttle body multiple times, I'm not sure.

Anyway, I noticed the transmission shifting kinda funny and after thinking about it for a bit I realized that the TV adjustment was probably incorrect. So I stopped driving the car while I looked into how to adjust it myself, or find a shop who could do it. And then life happened and some time passed and here we are today. I went out earlier to do the adjustment, and in lifting the latch arm on the cable I broke both the little ears that keep it secured to the mounting bracket. So obviously that's a pretty big problem, and needs to be fixed ASAP.

But, I can't find a single replacement that will work for my car. Not only are the originals all gone, the OE replacements discontinued, and aftermarket options obscenely expensive, but since my car is a 1986 and does not have the bushing that later cars have, even the expensive aftermarket ones won't work.

So... I'm at a loss, what do I do?

Thanks,
Scott

[gadget73]

1986 is a specific and different part from every other year.

If its the ears that hold the cable into the bracket, you can safely cobble that up with zip ties or whatever. The worst thats going to happen is it will pull away from the bracket and give you a bit too much pressure. Its not going to fail in a way that causes it to go to zero. Thats what kills transmissions.

if it makes you feel any better I broke those ears off too. First I broke the end that goes to the throttle body, and bought a new cable from Ford. 2 years later I broke those ears. I don't honestly remember if that cable is still on the car, or if I replaced it. I know it was on there broken for a good while though.