Speedo Cable Removal at Transmission

[Sunroof]

I had a recent issue with my speedometer cable and it turned out it broke (cable portion) about eight inches south of the speedometer itself (metal fatigue perhaps). My local speedometer shop in Atlanta says to remove the cable portion from the transmission. Apparently he can make a cable that will fit in through the tranny end and clip the speedo portion on the other end at the speedo. [I]t sounds like a simple, cheap fix without replacing the whole cable assembly.

Now, without even having jacked up the old "t" I thought I would ask just where is the cable attached on the tranny for fear I might let something else loose or it is so obvious even a cave man can figure it out!

Thanks

Bob
73.5T

[ossiblue]

Yes, it's obvious but a bit awkward to reach. The connection is above the transmission support and the space to grasp the connector and unscrew it is limited, but it can be done.

[ecostellodo]

Make sure your speedometer is functioning properly. My cable broke because the speedometer "locked up."

eric

[Grady Clay]

Consider yourself lucky, there can be far worse issues disconnecting the speedometer cable.

Common is the aluminum nut (27 mm wrench) threads stuck on the magnesium (’72-~’75) 915 nose piece and the later aluminum version prior to the electronic speedometer. This is also a common problem stuck on the speedometer drive ’71 and earlier back to ’65.

All of the cable issues can simply be resolved by replacing the cable core or the entire cable assembly as necessary. The cable core is available separately and simply pushes in the cable housing from the transmission end.

The issue becomes significant if the inside of the housing has damage. This can then damage the new core and repeat the failure. Yes, replacing the core is the ‘easy fix’. I would try it until it fails again and then replace the assembly.

Most cable issues are caused by lack of lubrication in the cable assembly and (very common) sticking in the speedometer unit. This may be somewhat the ‘chicken-egg’ syndrome. If in doubt, both replace the cable assembly and repair the speedometer unit.

On pre-’71 cars, the VDO speedometer drive can need servicing, repair or replacement. Rarely does the 915 drive fail unless poorly serviced.

Best,
Grady

[Sunroof]

Thanks...

When I took the speedometer out to find the broken cable, I had the speedo shop run a test to ensure it was not the speedo. The speedo worked fine on the bench. They recently went thru it replacing the odometer gear. I was wondering as well if the rotating busted cable can literally wear away the inside of the cable housing seeing its spinning around missing eight inches of length!

Bob
73.5T

[moneymanager]

Removing that nut at the transmission is one of my favorite tasks. On my car, it can actually be removed when you are lying under the car. But then try to get it connected again! I always take the car into the shop at that point, pleading a bad back or something.