stmyrick

My '67 speedo stopped working; manual tranny (rebuilt 2 years ago). Was very accurate the past few years; recently, began "bouncing" around, moving 5-10 mph intermittently. Then it completely stopped working, without me noticing any noise from under dash. Remainder of gauges working, electrics ok(but for gas gauge fuse repeatedly blowing). I pulled the cable and was surprised that it wasn't broken; perhaps VERY minimally angled at speedo end. Especially the tranny end of cable quite "square", speedo end maybe a little rounded. Cable came out complete with a gentle pull. The cable at the speedo end was dry, but the last 24 inches or so toward tranny was well lubricated; the lubricant was quite black. Now what do I do? Replace cable, reinsert less lubricated one (and what to lube with?), or what? Thanks!

Nowhere Man

pull the cluster and have the speedo rebuilt and restored

R66

Did you try turning the cable with a drill in reverse from the trans end prior to disconnecting it at the speedometer? Have someone watch and see what the speedometer does then. Also did you pull the plastic driven gear at the trans and inspect the teeth?

Ron

Frankie the Fink

stmyrick

I just looked at the tranny end and see that there is an oil leak from the attachment to the Muncie 4 speed where the speedo cable connects. The screw on cable is loose and the adapter connecting to the tranny likewise.
Looks like I'm going to have to get it on a lift and have my mechanic that pulled/reinstalled the tranny check it out. Should I leave the cable out of the housing?

R66

You can leave the cable out, but screw the sheathing / housing on the transmission to prevent minor oil leakage. The nut on the cable helps seal the oil into the trans.
If the nut was real loose, it could be your problem is the cable backed out of the plastic gear and was not being driven by the gear. If you have the car in the air, you can loosen the bolt (7/16" wrench) that holds a small 1/8" bar to retain the adapter. Swing the bar 90 degrees and the adapter should pull out with the plastic gear in tact. You will see there is an O-ring around the adapter. Inspect the plastic gear and the drive end of the plastic gear shaft for the square hole to mate with the cable.
The O-ring should fit tightly into the hole in the transmission.
But, if you paid the mechanic to R&R the trans, take it back to him and let him do it for free if you don't want to fool with it.
If you have the cable back in the sheath, you can test the speedometer as mentioned above.

stmyrick

I'm having trouble with the speedometer cable housing attachment at the tranny end. As I mentioned it is leaking oil (wonder about dislodgment of the O ring?)and is "loose" as I described earlier. I can't see any bolt to loosen and it is a VERY tight area to work in. The frame support for the tranny keeps me from easily loosening the cable housing connecter.
I've tried to thread the cable after lubricating it lightly, but can't get it completely into the black cable sheath; seems like it is "kinked". Looks like I'm going to indeed get it to the mechanic that R &R the tranny. Pretty frustrating!

R66

It is extremely hard to align both the square drive of the cable to the square hole in the plastic gear. You have to turn the cable a little at a time to get it in. Also, as you say, it is almost impossible to get the nut started straight and tightened to the housing. If you are within 1/4" or so of getting it in, you probably don't have the cable aligned with the square hole.
Which side of the trans is the speedo cable on? The passenger's side or the driver's side? I have one car that has it on the driver's side and have to drop the shifter linkage to get to the speedometer cable nut. Also removing the bolts on the trans mount to slide it over a bit helps.

Ron

stmyrick

The cable is on the passenger side; it is about 2 inches from being completely in at the level of the dash. Let me ask another stupid question; when I pulled the cable there was a small bulbous "washer" on one end of the cable; it seemed to me at the time I lubed it and began threading it back in that that end of the cable was to be at the tranny level. Did I put it in backwards?!!!!

R66

OK, so if you have the dash end disconnected, the end with the washer is at the dash end. The transmission end is just a square formed on the end of the cable about 1" long.
It slides into the plastic gear within the housing. It can be difficult to align as the square hole and square cable end are a tight fit and must be perfectly aligned to allow the cable to slide in. If the nut is loose and leaking oil, your cable was probably not engaged and may be your problem.
The housing is held in by the small bar retained by the 1/4" bolt (7/16" head). The bar fits into a slot in the housing to hold it in the transmission.

Sometimes you can remove the transmission mount bolts and pry the transmission toward the driver's side to gain an inch or so of working room.

I have attached some pictures (not the correct side of the car for your application), but they are not very good.

Ron

stmyrick

Ron: Thank you so much for your prompt responses and making me realize (again!) that I'm a moron. I need to pay more attention when tearing apart something so that I don't have pieces left over and that the orientation is right.
I'm sure you're right about the leak and the failed speedo being related and the culprit. I will get back to work on it!

R66

A Moron doesn't ask questions on something that he doesn't know. In fact, the smartest people may ask to determine an easier way. I am 70 years old and still learning from others though sometimes very simple thing that I have forgotten. Wish I were closer, I would run over and help you. It is not worth paying a mechanic for.

I forgot to tell you that to remove the speedometer gear housing, you will need to put a straight screw driver in the slot where the metal retainer tab was to pry the housing out.
I hope the poor pictures help you out. The hard part is getting the nut threaded back on the speedometer housing after reassemble everything. It is easy to cross thread it as it is aluminum and very thin.

If you need any advice, PM me or post again here.
I won't be home until after noon tomorrow, but home the rest of the day. Will be home all day Saturday.

Ron

stmyrick

Thanks for the kind words; I will turn around the cable and make another effort go get my (big) hands in the tight area for another go at it!
A big part of it is indeed the tight quarters under the dash and around the frame.

stmyrick

I got the cable attachment freed up and separated from the tranny; however the plastic speedometer gear wouldn't come out easily and it fell into the transmission!

Assuming it will not be a problem in the bottom of the housing, how do I know which replacement gear to buy? My rear end is 3.37-1; the close ratio tranny in 4th at 70 mph is turning at about 3000 rpm.

Pretty frustrating turn of events.