• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)

TR6 speedometer cable

Share this page

P

pdplot

Yoda
Offline
My speedometer went haywire, jumped all over and then laid down and died. The speedo end had broken off. Question - Moss has the cable for $16.95, TRF for $26.95. Why the difference? This is the early 1-piece cable.
 
Are they the same color?

As I recall, for earlier TRs Moss supplies a black cable. TRF tries for a more correct color (again for earlier TRs) offering a light silver color - closer to the original which always look like dingy yellowed white to me.

BTW, if you have a local speedo shop they can probably make a new inner cable -- often while you wait and probably for less than a compete replacement. They need the old cable housing brought in to make it to the correct length (housings can vary).
 
Interesting. The only speedo shop I know of around here is Nisonger in New Rochelle, NY. Anyone have any cables made by them ( or any other firm in the NY/CT area?)
 
Nisonger (whom I will never again use BTW) is well known here because they do British instruments - but for a new cable, any shop that caters to Hot Rods and American cars will do just as well.

Bound to be some but possibly not well known to TR owners.
 
The TRF cables are on backorder and not available for another 3 weeks, per email from Albert in response to my order.
Regards, Bob
 
I got mine from TRF. Gray I think is correct for my 4A but took me 5 years to hook it up for no better reason than there was more important stuff to do to drive or I was driving. AutoZone I'd think is a roll the dice, big Two better bet.
 
I broke three cables before someone in this forum explained something to me. . With a new cable it would work for awhile then break again. They told me likely the grease had dried up in my speedometer. It would spin, get hot, expand, seize in the bushing, break the cable. Replace the cable, and it would work for awhile... Etc. I successfully stopped the cycle by taking the Speedo apart, cleaning the old grease out, and regreasing.
 
Hmmn - cleaning the speedo? Might be a good idea but I hate taking out those instruments and getting the wires & bulbs back in the right order. My tach cable is also vibrating and I ordered a new one as well. The tach goes to sleep in cold weather but wakes up with a tap on the glass.
 
cables came in today from Moss. Speedo cable was black - just like the one on the car now. Will probably need a lift to remove cable at transmission end. Messy oily job - rubber gloves needed. Tach cable is easy. Also got air hose to dash outlet but must cut to fit.
 
TuffTR250 said:
What is the recommended lube for the speedometer cable?...
Click to expand...

This will be a matter of 'recommended by whom?'.

I use grease (sparingly) as that has been recommended by the local guy who made my cable and also by the Coventry firm who made my non-TR car. I do not know that Triumph ever specified a specific lube.

Some use graphite. I would avoid oils as being to hard to control. I think the key is not to over-do it.
 
I always used graphite - either powder or liquid. Easier with liquid for a speedometer cable - powdered for locks. WD 40? I dunno. Might leave a stocky residue.
 
When I got my speedo back was a warning that failure is often caused by cable over lubing finding it's way into the speedo.
 
Why do my "routine" repair jobs always turn in a nightmare? I replaced my tach cable first. To save time, I ran the new graphite-coated inner cable into the old housing. Bad idea. It didn't fit - no way. I reversed it -same problem. So I had to pull out the old outer cable, ruining the rubber grommet which was misshapen anyway, fitted the new cable and (finally) hooked up both ends. Then the fun started. Trying to fit those %$#@ bulbs into the correct sockets - even though I had labeled them - while working behind the dashboard took over an hour of cursing and swearing. Even now, I have no large ignition light nor an instrument light for the tach. The bulbs just kept coming out. Put one in, the others pop out. Trouble is I can't lay on my back and look up. I have to work blind or use a mirror. Pulling the tach out doesn't work either. The tach cable will not allow it. To top it off, the ignition was dead. even though I re-connected the battery. I forgot the little black ground wire to the tach. That cured it. It started, ran and the tach worked smoothly. As for the speedometer cable, I didn't even attempt that. i'm taking it to my garage where they have a lift and can get at the lower end easily. At 82 with a bad back,my days of laying under a car are over. As for the grommet, I'll cut a slit in it and try to lever it back in with a screwdriver.
 
Well at 82 congratulations on even attempting stuff like that.
But here's a tip, disconnect the tach cable at the distributor next time you want to get the tach out of the dash...but I hope you never have to again...If there's anything I dislike doing as much as working on the gauges, I can't think of it.
 
pdplot said:
Why do my "routine" repair jobs always turn in a nightmare? I replaced my tach cable first. To save time, I ran the new graphite-coated inner cable into the old housing. Bad idea. It didn't fit - no way. I reversed it -same problem. So I had to pull out the old outer cable, ruining the rubber grommet which was misshapen anyway, fitted the new cable and (finally) hooked up both ends. Then the fun started. Trying to fit those %$#@ bulbs into the correct sockets - even though I had labeled them - while working behind the dashboard took over an hour of cursing and swearing. Even now, I have no large ignition light nor an instrument light for the tach. The bulbs just kept coming out. Put one in, the others pop out. Trouble is I can't lay on my back and look up. I have to work blind or use a mirror. Pulling the tach out doesn't work either. The tach cable will not allow it. To top it off, the ignition was dead. even though I re-connected the battery. I forgot the little black ground wire to the tach. That cured it. It started, ran and the tach worked smoothly. As for the speedometer cable, I didn't even attempt that. i'm taking it to my garage where they have a lift and can get at the lower end easily. At 82 with a bad back,my days of laying under a car are over. As for the grommet, I'll cut a slit in it and try to lever it back in with a screwdriver.
Click to expand...

Paul,
You know this job was going to take 3 hours and now you can see what I was going through behind your dash in 90° heat.
Call me if you need help, we can install the speedo cable much easier.
At least your steering wheel is not bouncing up and down!
 
Back
Top