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speedo cable

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stretchit2

stretchit2

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BCFellas,

Standard disclaimer, newbie, not much of a mechanic, pretty lame to begin with, blah, blah, blah. Having said that I was looking at changing out my speedometer cable (MK II BT7 w/OD)after jacking her up and sliding under her I took a look at where the speedo connects, looks pretty tough to get to. Are you supposed to remove the transmission tunnel to get to it, or can it be done from under the car?

Thanks,

Jeff
 
It is far easier if you remove the tunnel. :yesnod:
 
stretchit2 said:
BCFellas,

Standard disclaimer, newbie, not much of a mechanic, pretty lame to begin with, blah, blah, blah. Having said that I was looking at changing out my speedometer cable (MK II BT7 w/OD)after jacking her up and sliding under her I took a look at where the speedo connects, looks pretty tough to get to. Are you supposed to remove the transmission tunnel to get to it, or can it be done from under the car?

Thanks,

Jeff
Click to expand...


I've done it. You'll probably need a small pair of pliers--I used small Channellocks--to loosen and unscrew the cable sheath's collar. You can only turn the pliers a few degrees at at time--it's laborious, but doable. It might be possible/easier to unscrew the angle drive (and lube it while you're at it).

If you just want to replace the cable and not the sheath, you can unscrew the sheath at the back of the speedometer and pull the cable out.
 
Since posting this I have read many previous postings on this subject and have concluded that I will remove the tranny tunnel, as I plan to install some heat insulation anyway. But now I am concerned about messing with the cable and the angle drive. Here is what I am concerned with, the indicated speed on the speedometer is bouncing around and I don't know what the likely casue is. Could it be the speedometer itself, the cable or even the angle drive? If I am going to have the tunnel off should I address all three at once? I don't know the vintage of the angle drive, but I am concerned with replacing this with an inferior product. Any advice?

Stretch
 
One cause of bouncing I know of because it happened to me is that the cable needs a smooth/gentle arc or curve to connect to the back of the speedo. If the curve is too sharp/tight, the cable will bind and cause bouncing. You can fiddle with it (moving the cable around by reaching behind the speedo) while your are driving and see if it affects the bounce. I'm pretty sure that bounce could also be caused by binding in the angle drive from lack of lubrication.
 
:iagree:

Mine bounced around until the original angle drive seized up.
When I was ordering a new one from the Moss catalog, I discovered that it was missing the original brass washer / spacer that fits between the angle drive and the mounting location. That may be what led to the angle drive failure as I had already replaced the speedometer cable to try and correct the " bounce ".

Ed
 
Hi Jeff and welcome to the Forum. It sounds like you need to remove the tranny tunnel first. The angle drive and associated cable probably need to be removed cleaned and lubricated. This is not a difficult job. first, unscrew the cable from in back of the speedo. Then remove the tunnel. The cable passes through the tunnel.

Once the tunnel is off you'll see the angle drive on the passenger side. 'Gently' unscrew the cable from the angle drive. Pull the inner cable out of the sheathing and soak in mineral spirits over night. It'll be greasy and oily etc. but very necessary. Check the cable to see if it's kinked anywhere, if it is you have to replace it.Clean the sheathing as best you can but do not soak in anything as the outer sheath is plastic tubing and you'll destroy it. I've run cleaner through or if you have a rifle cleaning kit that might help. Just pull some rags through it. By some of the special speedo cable lubricant from any auto parts house, lube the cable well and place back in the sheath. IF your inner cable is kinked take it with you to the auto supply house, they may have a replacement or can make one up for you.

Remove the angle drive as well. Clean it thourougly. Take out the flat washer/seal with a punch or screwdriver to get to the innards. After cleaning and lubing put the washer/seal back on and 'stake' the outer rim to keep if from falling out
 
Well, as luck would have it my speedo completely quit working today. It has been bouncing for a while and just as soon as I start thinking I should do something about it, it quits working. Well thanks for all the advice and I will report back when I get finished with this job.
Stretch
 
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