Snapped speedo cable

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mogatron
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Snapped speedo cable

Post by mogatron »

Hi team, was driving home the other day and heard a knock and speedo died. the speedo cable has snapped at the gearbox end. any idea what might of caused it?
cheers Ben
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linearaudio

Post by linearaudio »

Old age?? These things happen, often an early warning sign is a wobbly needle! New cable is cheap enough, put a smear of grease on it first to show it you care!
mogatron
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Post by mogatron »

IT WAS ONLY ABOUT 4 MONTHS OLD. CHANGED IT COS HAD A NIDDLE WOBBLE. IS THERE ANYTHING IN GEAR BOX THAT CAN GO WRONG?
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bmcecosse
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Post by bmcecosse »

The outer cable sheath may be worn/kinked and causing the problem. Or did you fit a complete new cable last time ?
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mogatron
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Post by mogatron »

a fitted a new cable and sheath with a thin smear of grease last time. i tried putting the old one back on this afternoon and that snapped strait away.
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PSL184
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Post by PSL184 »

Sounds like the drive gear has siezed in the gearbox...
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Post by bmcecosse »

In which case - the gear would not be turning at all, and would therefore put no strain on the cable. The problem must lie in the speedo - which must be seized up solid. Try it with a (reverse running) electric drill - although I would gently try by hand with a small screwdriver first!
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PSL184
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Post by PSL184 »

Well I thought that first but the speedo head drive is so weak that the cable spinning would sheer the gears. Agree, somethings locking up / binding / siezed but I guess both ends need looking at.....
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mogatron
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Post by mogatron »

ok, will try the speedo. how do you get it out of the dash?
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mike.perry
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Post by mike.perry »

Theoretically you poke a philips screwdriver through the hole in the side of the gloveboxes, slacken the screws and wiggle the speedo head out.
Practically you remove the gloveboxes so that you can find the screws then slacken them and give the speedo a shove from behind.
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bmcecosse
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Post by bmcecosse »

Two little holes - one each side in the glovebox liners - cross head scewdriver in through the holes and loosen (don't undo!) the fixing screws holding the speedo - then pull the speedo forward. Try pulling anyway - most speedos will have been out at least once by now and the screws may be loose enough. How were you replacing the speedo cable if you didn't take the speedo out earlier ??
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mogatron
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Post by mogatron »

i just took one of the liners out. if speedos broken are they expensive to replace? its a gold ish one from a 64 saloon if that helps
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linearaudio

Post by linearaudio »

Ignore- computer running unbeleivably slow!! :wink:
Last edited by linearaudio on Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
bmcecosse
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Post by bmcecosse »

Secondhand speedos are cheap! Hardly worth repairing an old one.
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linearaudio

Post by linearaudio »

bmcecosse wrote:Secondhand speedos are cheap! Hardly worth repairing an old one.
Depends where you are, and how much you want to keep the gold face. I chose to repair mine as I am skint, and don't like throwing anything away!

It was exceedingly easy to strip, clean, and re-grease.
There is a website/pdf document which explains clearly how to do it, very informative!
www.dur.ac.uk/p.d.kuhlmann/speedo.pdf
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Post by bmcecosse »

Oh yes - if you can DIY it, always a good idea. But to 'pay' to have one repaired is going to COST!
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charlie_morris_minor
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Post by charlie_morris_minor »

i used speedycables to recalibrate my speedo a few years ago
http://www.speedycables.co.uk/

they charge from 55 + Vat it obviously depends how / what the damage is to your speedo what the final bill will be. So as bmce says cheaper to do it your self if you can.
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Post by bmcecosse »

There's a Gold face one on ebay - £5 when I spotted it yesterday! I didn't save the link, so you can do your own searching!
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mogatron
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Post by mogatron »

right i've taken speedo out and it was abit seized. given it a bit of wd40 and a spin with a drill. it does move now but still stiff. should it be alittle stiff any way? also if cann't get it moving sweetly does that mean its dead or is there a way of fixing it easly?
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Post by MarkyB »

There shouldn't be any noticeable stiffness.
If you put a matchstick or similar can you turn it? That's how loose it should be.
You could try something with more lubricating properties than WD40, sewing machine oil or similar.
Make a note of the TPM figure and keep your eyes open for another one at a rally or ask here because it sounds like yours is toast.
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