Kevin to Kevin!

Pics no problem, use them where you please.

Your comments and questions
Bad design yes I agree but it works and has for a long time.
With regard to looking at the cable in situ if it has broken strands you want to know about it. It seems that the heart strands go first and these are not able to be inspected in situ. The cable in my pic looked like Freds in the mirror. This aircraft was 8 hours out of annual by a company that looks aftere several 337's.
1/ Broken strands. Just loosen the turnbuckle and undo the nut on the ends and dont bend it 90 if you are of the opinion that the cable will suffer damage from opening it up. Wiping a tissue on the outside of the cable in situ will not reveal the wear on the inside or heart of the cable. Wipe the inside to be sure.
2/ Must be removed to inspect.
3/ Nothing lasts forever and 5000 would seem a realistic life at the moment. Lets see what the lower time airplanes look like before we fix a life.
Why do I think Freds is defective?
Well look at the cable in the same location as ours broke and you will see that the cable has unwound slightly. This I would be concerned is due to wear and broken strands against the bellcrank and or in the heart strands.
Best to be safe than sorry!
Hope this answers all your questions.
Best regards
Kev