speedo help
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 442
Likes: 45
From: Reading Pa
speedo help
Snow is falling and it's time to start the winter projects. First up is the speedo. Nothing works, no needle movement, odometer or tripmeter. I spun the cable with the drill and got no movement. I checked the cable at the back of the speedo and got maybe 1 more turn on the nut, went for a ride, the speedo needle went up to about 20 then fell back to zero and hasn't moved since. I'm removing the cluster to check it out. What should I look for?
Thanks
Brian
Thanks
Brian
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,553
Likes: 381
From: Strongsville, OH
2016 C2 of the Year Finalist
The first thing I'd do after spinning the cable and getting no response is to remove the cable from the speedometer side and make sure there's a squared end on it that extends to the inside of the speedo. You say you tightened the nut but did you remove and inspect it first? If there's no end past the casing, then you need a new cable and you'll need to fish the broken end out of the speedo before installing a new one. The movement of the needle you had sounds to me like the cable's broken and caught one time enough to flick the needle. If you find the cable's okay then you're in for a cluster removal and speedo rebuild. 
Dave
Dave
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 442
Likes: 45
From: Reading Pa
Yes the trans gear is good and the trans end of the cable is good. I spun the cable from the trans end with the drill and got no response at the speedo so it has to be at the speedo end. The cable is a GM replacement (not a cheap chinese piece) and is only about 5000 miles old. I've read a lot of posts about the odometer not working but haven't seen anything on the whole speedo not working.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 442
Likes: 45
From: Reading Pa
The first thing I'd do after spinning the cable and getting no response is to remove the cable from the speedometer side and make sure there's a squared end on it that extends to the inside of the speedo. You say you tightened the nut but did you remove and inspect it first? If there's no end past the casing, then you need a new cable and you'll need to fish the broken end out of the speedo before installing a new one. The movement of the needle you had sounds to me like the cable's broken and caught one time enough to flick the needle. If you find the cable's okay then you're in for a cluster removal and speedo rebuild. Dave
Dave
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,576
Likes: 118
From: Conroe Texas
The speedo in my 65 didn't work when I got the car. As I removed the cluster I found the end of the speedo cable broken off in the speedometer.
When I sent the speedometer in for repair, they found the speedometer internally damaged. The most likely theory is that the speedometer failed, which locked up internal movement (or just put a lot of additional resistance into the mix) causing the speedometer cable to snap off at the plastic end.
So if you find the end of your speedometer cable stuck in your speedometer, and not on your cable, that's a good first step, but be aware that the cable may have broken because of a speedometer failure.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 442
Likes: 45
From: Reading Pa
The first thing I'd do after spinning the cable and getting no response is to remove the cable from the speedometer side and make sure there's a squared end on it that extends to the inside of the speedo. You say you tightened the nut but did you remove and inspect it first? If there's no end past the casing, then you need a new cable and you'll need to fish the broken end out of the speedo before installing a new one. The movement of the needle you had sounds to me like the cable's broken and caught one time enough to flick the needle. If you find the cable's okay then you're in for a cluster removal and speedo rebuild. Dave
DaveJust pulled the cluster, the cable end is broke off in the speedo. My problem is getting the broken piece out of the speedo. It doesn't fall out if I tap on it. How do I get the magnet piece apart? It has a small brass end that looks like it should come off.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 38,897
Likes: 1,926
From: Washington Michigan
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