my 1982 collecters edition automatic with cruise speedometer was bouncing and then stoped working.my manual tells me disconect the old cable from the back of the speedometer and pull the iner cable out(like it will just pull out of the trans)and then snake the repair cable thru the old caseing from the speedometer and slide it towards the trans.will this work and why am i reading in other places about uper and lower speedometer cables,will it kink as i snake it thru.has anyone had this experince.thanks

 

You said that you have cruise so there is a upper and a lower cable the upper on goes from the speedo to the cruise servo under the master cyl. and the lower cable goes from the cruise to the trans.You can disconnect the cable at the speedo and pull the inner cable out and grease it with lithium grease and also do the same with the lower cable this will probally stop the jumping of the speedo,but if the speedo has quit all together you might have a broken cable or gear in the trans or the cruise servo could also be bad.I hope this helps.

 

it has quit alltogather.i gues i should replace what the easiest way?the manual is very genral.

 

I had the same problem with my '79. One of the cables starts binding, and then releases which is what causes the speedo to bounce. I beleive that if it were the gear in trans, you would have different symptoms.

What happens is when the cruise control transducer sharts to go bad, it puts more and more tension on the lower cable until it eventually breaks.

Based on this, I would bet that the lower cable is the bad one. I suppose that you could just change the lower cable, but it might go bad on you again. However, it might be worth a try, they are not that expensive (about $25), and are easy to change.

I have heard that GM no longer makes the transducers, and that the new ones are junk. But, they are for sale at some suppliers and they do carry a waranty, so I could be wrong.

A mechanic friend of mine told me that they used to make a connector that you can use that would would connect the upper and lower cables together, bi-passing the transducer, but I have not been able to locate one.

Since I don't use the cruise, I ended up going with a single cable. I was able to kneel outside the car, and reach under the dash with my left arm. I followed the cable to the speedo, and the is a tab to push that releases the cable. I pulled it out through the fire wall, and the grommit will came with it. I put the old gommit on the new cable, and pushed back on the speedo, and it snapped back on. The bottom end, just screwed onto the trans.

I hope this helps.

Also, please fill out your profile so everybody knows where you from. Also, include pictures of your car, everybody here on this forum likes pictures.

 

thanks

 

Start with the lower cable as suggested. If there is a break in the cable or any damage [like windings coming loose] on it, replace it. Hopefully there won't be any significant damage to the inside of the cable jacket. Once that is repaired, try it out. That will likely fix it. Whether it does or doesn't fix the problem, you should still pull the upper cable out, if only to inspect and grease it (go lightly on the lithium grease...and use the tube stuff...not the spray junk). If the system still has "jerking" problems (and if you didn't find any cable damage anywhere), the problem lies with the cruise head. The "innards" can get worn or crudded-up. I'm sure you can find a write-up on its maintenance and/or overhaul on the internet, if you want.