One thing Triumph DID get right...

[Guest]

So I took the dog out for a drive in the TR6 last night. (She likes convertibles, what can I say).

A few miles down the road the speedometer goes dead. Aargh... Visions of hours of work dismantling the dash to get at the speedo cable attachment ruined the rest of the drive (for me at least - the dog was still happy).

It turns out that replacement is a snap. Nothing at all to dismantle as it just unscrews from the back, and you can reach up underneath to get to it. The hardest part of the job will be waiting for the cable. (It is the cable btw - I checked when I got back).

For that I can almost (but not quite) forgive them Lucas electrics...

 

[sammyb]

When you own other sports and classic cars, you actually begin to appreciate how easy it is to work on a Triumph. And for as much stink that is made over Lucas electrics, they are no more trouble-prone (and much easier to fix) than C3 Corvettes (and certainly any Corvette 1984 and newer!)

And look at it this way-- you could have a Porsche 911 and have to drop the engine and transmission to fix the right-angle drive for the speedo! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif I also replaced a speedo cable in my 911 a few years ago, and found it to be a total pain, since it snakes through the interior of the car.

TRs might not be the most luxurious cars in the world, but they are usually easy to fix.

 

[Geo Hahn]

This may be too late for you, but FYI -- replacement cables are usually available locally for about 10 bucks. Any speedometer shop can take your old cable housing and make a new cable to fit it. Takes them about 3 minutes -- I just have them do it while I wait.

An advantage (other than price) is that (at least on TR3s & 4s) if you are still using the original housing you can keep the original look (many replacement cables are black, TRF has one that is silver/gray), the originals were white (sort of yellowish white after 40 or 50 years).

 

[Guest]

Mine's already black, so it looks like it must have been replaced; it doesn't matter to me that much - the oil leaks would turn it black anyway /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Also I have no clue where a speedo shop would be in my area - I can't even find someone who wants to work on carbs locally. Thanks for the info though...

 

[JPeter]

The cable is spiral wound and it must have the correct hand wind to it or you will have troubles with it. Check which way the cable rotates and make sure that it winds "tighter" as it operates. The usual suspects do not know this fact any more.