Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
When I replaced my angle drive after my speedometer quit, I discovered that the square-shaped pin that comes out of the device the angle drives attaches to was sheared off. The part appears to be compressed wires or springs. I have searched the usual parts suppliers catalogs and do not see this part listed. Am I not seeing it? If A new one cannot be purchased can a substitute be made?
-
Hi Guest!
If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
There are some perks with a member upgrade!**Upgrade Now**
(PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Speedometer
- Thread starter bucaneer
- Start date
Share this page
BoyRacer
Jedi Warrior
Offline
I'm not sure if this will help explain things with your situation, but I have been in a speedometer shop when they fabbed up a new cable for me. The way they formed one end into a square shape was to put the cable end (which is twisted wire) into a vice like fixture and then hit it with a hammer. That is how they forged the twisted wire cable into a square end. Is that possibly what you are seeing?
TR3driver
Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
I think what you are seeing is the broken end of the angle drive, where it twisted off. Just pull it out, the new angle drive should have a little section of speedo cable sticking out to go into the hole.
You might also want to look into why it twisted off. A common cause is that the bearings in the speedo head are dry. They may turn easily enough cold, but heat up and bind during use. When I bought my second Stag, the previous owner had just replaced the angle drive ... it lasted probably 30 miles before it broke again. When I got the speedo out, it was only a little bit stiff, still fairly easy to turn with a jeweler's screwdriver but stiffer than it should have been. It was much freer after cleaning out the tar that had once been grease and adding some fresh.
Another thing to watch for is that the little stub cable doesn't bottom in the drive gear. See https://www.mossmotors.com/graphics/products/PDF/021-511.pdf
You might also want to look into why it twisted off. A common cause is that the bearings in the speedo head are dry. They may turn easily enough cold, but heat up and bind during use. When I bought my second Stag, the previous owner had just replaced the angle drive ... it lasted probably 30 miles before it broke again. When I got the speedo out, it was only a little bit stiff, still fairly easy to turn with a jeweler's screwdriver but stiffer than it should have been. It was much freer after cleaning out the tar that had once been grease and adding some fresh.
Another thing to watch for is that the little stub cable doesn't bottom in the drive gear. See https://www.mossmotors.com/graphics/products/PDF/021-511.pdf
Great Pumpkin the shaft extending from the angle drive in your picture is the part in question. My part is twisted on one end. I installed the angle drive over a year ago and installed a new cabel with the new drive and the speedometer bounded. I went back to the old cabel and it worked fine for a while and quit. I used my GPS for a spedometer and put that project on hold until I replaced my U joints this week. Since I had the gearbox cover off I thought I would try again.The washer that is discussed in the product description is it the brass one that came with the angle drive kit? Does it have to be installed in special way? The way the angle drive is threaded where it attaches to the gearbox is that an adjustment feature or do I just tighten it down as far is it will go?
Lotuswins
Jedi Trainee
Offline
Bucaneer,
The short stub of a cable extending from the angle drive is repairable. On the opposite side is a flat, round plug which is peened over to hold it in place. Remove that plug, and you can slide out the gear and what remains of the cable. You can then press out the cable from the gear. The cable is pressed into a sleeve, which presses into the gear. I bought a cable kit from the local O'reilly's, cut the square end off, and soldered it into the sleeve the pressed the sleeve back into the gear. So far 500 miles on the car and cable and its still working. My problem though was that the speedometer was locked, which caused the angle drive to sheer. I had to disassemble the speedo and free up the main gear bearing which apparently seized due to corrosion from sitting for 40 years.
Good luck,
The short stub of a cable extending from the angle drive is repairable. On the opposite side is a flat, round plug which is peened over to hold it in place. Remove that plug, and you can slide out the gear and what remains of the cable. You can then press out the cable from the gear. The cable is pressed into a sleeve, which presses into the gear. I bought a cable kit from the local O'reilly's, cut the square end off, and soldered it into the sleeve the pressed the sleeve back into the gear. So far 500 miles on the car and cable and its still working. My problem though was that the speedometer was locked, which caused the angle drive to sheer. I had to disassemble the speedo and free up the main gear bearing which apparently seized due to corrosion from sitting for 40 years.
Good luck,
Marvin Gruber
Yoda
Offline
I have been repairing my angle drives for years. I keep old tack and speedo cables that have twisted or broken. I'll cut the good end off, disassemble a bad angle drive and weld the end into it. I save them up and fix several at a time. I have a several I need to fix now.
Marv
Marv
TR3driver
Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Probably. Is it sized so the outside diameter fits well in side the threaded collar (that screws onto the gearbox) ?
Nope, just gets clamped in the joint. The effect is to move the angle drive just slightly farther away from the drive gear inside, so the stub cable doesn't bottom in the hole and apply pressure to the angle drive.
Just tighten finger tight.
PS the speedo in my "new" TR3 would jump around wildly. After trying the usual solutions, I finally realized that the odometer and trip meter mechanisms were binding due to rust between the wheels (where it isn't visible without removing the wheels). After polishing the friction surfaces (two on every wheel) and phasing the drive gears so only one mechanism (odo or trip) moves at a time, the waver is almost completely gone, just 1 or 2 mph now.
Last edited: