Originally Posted by Nota

I'm not certain, but I suspect when they say "cable ratchet", they're talking about the mechanism down inside the brifter, that looks like a little toothed gear, that literally "ratchets", as it moves up or down a toothed knotch. It's this ratcheting action that takes up or lets out very small amounts of the shifter cable slack, in order to make the derailleurs move.

Yes, when you blast down inside the brifters with WD40, it WILL run down your bar tape and make a mess. I found out the hard way, right after having brand new white foam bar tape installed, when I switched to a wider set of bars. I'll tell you what I wish someone had told me...WRAP SOME RAGS TIGHTLY AROUND THE BASE OF THE BRIFTER, BEFORE YOU SPRAY IT!!!

Best of luck with it, and if all else fails, take 'em off the bike and send 'em to Andy Zeigler (see his email contact info in my previous post in this thread); he'll fix 'em.

Cheers