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Please see the attached picture. My choke cable sheathing moves from the housing each time I try to use it. IF I hold it in place, it works, but I would like to fix it if possible.

If that tube that cable sliding out is meatal ,than just crimp it, or squuize with plyers .Dan

Thank you, I will try that.
I was also thinking about that flex tape or that tape that is supposedly as hard a steel when used? If not, maybe a small hose clamp (not sure if they make them that small though...)

Tried the crimping, it didn't work. Not sure if I can buy a new crimp for it or not. If not, I am going to have to think of another way.

I recommend replacing the entire control cable assembly. I’ve never had any luck trying to repair them. Any methods I’ve tried end up breaking and I’m back to square one.

Ok, that is what I was thinking next. I was going to try some gorilla tape until I can get a new one - the season for lawn cutting is just about done here anyway.

Tape will not do the job.
Several layers of glued heat shrink tube ( it comes with glue & without glue, guess which is the cheaper one ) over the top after a few punches with a fine centre punch some times works
But the cost of the tube is more than a replacement universal cable.
A cable maker should have ferrules of the right size to rip yours off and fit a new one but most of these places have a minimum charge and again that is less than the price of making a new one
Not familiar with your machine but usually a choke cable is clamped tight at the carb end and some times at the control end as well
The outer only needs to be clamped in one place to stop it moving.
What generally happens is the inner rusts solid to the outer so way back when it started to become stiff, you were stretching & compressing the outer rather than moving the inner through the outer if the clamp is tight
If not you were moving the entire cable and the clamp has fallen off .
The throttle cable on the HRC mowers down here are notorious for doing this because the cable run is poor so the cable must be lubed regularly which no one ever does
You need to remove the cabe both ends then try to move it back & forth to check it is running through the outer and the best test is to grab on end with pliers & try to rotate the inner without the outer moving ( cut finger warning applies )
If the inner is actually free you can buy "Bowden Cable Ferrules " from cable suppliers but they generally come in bag sizes of around 100 which again are more expensive than a replacement universal cable .
All real mower shops will have rolls of replacement cables some might even keep ferrules, if not push bike shops may keep them

Pull the sheathing out, clean the cable and the interior of the crimp material well, apply JB weld and insert it back in leaving it for 12 hours. Before using spray the cable sheath full length with your favorite lubricant.

JB weld
Really ?
All that stuff is actually good for is filling cracks & dents in crankcases and even then it is hit & miss.
Devcon is 1000 times better and I would not use that for this purpose either
And the choke cable has a Z bend at both ends so no chance of removing the inner from the outer without cutting the end off
Then you have to cut the outer off to compensate for shorter inner
I have a feeling you have never seen the actual cable nor repaired one

Seen this done a couple of times and love it, as now there is no other resolution than full replacement. Have also seen where DIY guys have taken a heat gun to the casing and melted it around the cable shell.

So go ahead and invest more money into that foreign crap economy rather than making it work as intended. To each his own.

If it were me, I'd try using a hot-melt glue gun. A big glob of hot-melt plastic filled between the cable and plastic housing should hold.

And as others have recommended, think of replacing the cable assembly. I don't know what exact model you have, but if you look on ebay, you'll see that replacment cables run around $10 with free shipping.

If you post your model someone can look up the part number.

Senior, I don’t know if you know that to separate the inner and outer cables you must cut the inner cable to remove the Z-bend and pull it out. If you then glue the outer cable to the casing it will be nearly impossible to reinstall the inner cable and put a new Z-bend on the inner cable. Can it be done your way, yes, but not without more labor than it is worth and if not done perfectly you then have to replace the assembly anyway. As a retired tech I recommend do it right the first time and not worry about it . Your way 1 hour labor minimum, my way 20 minutes and I know it will not come back to haunt me.

enigma-2 said:

If it were me, I'd try using a hot-melt glue gun. A big glob of hot-melt plastic filled between the cable and plastic housing should hold.

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Hot melt glue does not have the strength for this purpose .
JB weld has next to no tensile strength and hot glue is even weaker .
They are the sort of things that rat bags do in order to sell a turkey to an unsuspecting mug for profits .
The only real fix is a replacement , but the reason why the outer came loose has to be addressed first or it will become an annual event .
There are a lot of things that are in the temporary work around category that you would do to complete the days work or keep it running till a proper repair could be done

bertsmobile1 said:

They are the sort of things that rat bags do in order to sell a turkey to an unsuspecting mug for profits .

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Thank you. That was very helpful.

I have some "plumbers tape" 'All Round' that has multiple holes punched in it. Cut a length with 2 holes. Fold it tightly over the black area of the cable with holes aligning. Squeeze tight with pliers. Drill a small hole in the handle and fasten with a metal screw and washer to hold the cable sheath from moving AFTER you get it where it needs to be. Crimping the Brass may work or may crack it..

netrate said:

Please see the attached picture. My choke cable sheathing moves from the housing each time I try to use it. IF I hold it in place, it works, but I would like to fix it if possible.

Click to expand...

Looking at the picture is that a hole on the hex where the spiral metal cable goes? It may have had a set screw in it that fell out. If not you could probably pull it back and drill and tap a place for one.

Perhaps a cable clamp would be a solution. Drill a hole to accept the nut and bolt and tighten to hold the cable sheath tight to the handle. The sheath is then secure and the cable an move inside of the sheath. Fishing reel "hot sauce" is a great lubricant!

Safety wire

Why not try using a screw type hose clamp (say ~3/4" dia) and clamp the choke cable directly to the tubular handle right next to the choke control lever? It's cheap and might be worth a try ?

Or, https://www.mtdparts.com/en_US/miscellaneous-classification/throttle-cable-clamp/708-05084.html

Looks like you could get a new one shipped to you for @ $20.
I would do that.

netrate said:

Please see the attached picture. My choke cable sheathing moves from the housing each time I try to use it. IF I hold it in place, it works, but I would like to fix it if possible.

Click to expand...

A simple zip tie will work.

Shaunhr said:

A simple zip tie will work.

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till it stretches & gets loose
Remember it is just a choke cable so only is used once every mow
The big worry is not allowing the choke to fully open .

Just like someone already said use a hose clamp!
I Do this on all my old mowers with throttle controls. It works very well for me and it doesn't cost much.

SeniorCitizen said:

Pull the sheathing out, clean the cable and the interior of the crimp material well, apply JB weld and insert it back in leaving it for 12 hours. Before using spray the cable sheath full length with your favorite lubricant.

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This would work. I'd say make sure you can insert all the way in after cleaning, apply JB weld to the end, maybe a little in the tube, insert, and crimp again, after set maybe put some heat shrink to it.

It's amazing what a farm kid can do with Balen Wire or Copper Wire. Will probably fix / crimp that pizzy thin sleeve.

Just buy a replacement cable. Cheap enough and permanent.

Nobody likes a cheap fix more than me, but in this case, just buy a new cable.