HELP!! I need to reattach my speedometer cable. HELP!!

[c.ganger]

Musclecar1(kemp) dropped off the gauge cluster I had bought from him tonight. I went to install it, and for the life of me couldn't do it by feel so I took the speedo cable off at the trans. end. everything went ok from there until I went to reattach the cable under the hood. there is about an inch and a half of slack cable that won't go back into the cable housing. How do I reattach it so I have a speedometer again? what did I do wrong? and most importantly how do I fix it?

chris

[25Horseplay]

Gently spin it as you push it back up in the cable, it just isn't in the speedo all the way.

[69shelby]

maybe you need to reroute the cable to the pass side from the driverside, if it was a non-tach before.

[c.ganger]

I'll try spinning it, should I spin the inside cable? and not the housing? and yes I was going from no tach to tach, but I don't really see a way to rerout it to the pass. side. if you push it back into the cavity it just hite the firewall, nowhere to reroute to from what I can see. please tell me more about both ideas.

chris

[skeeters_keeper]

^^ he's having problems getting it back on the trany, aparently it went back on the cluster fine.

as brian said turn the cable slowly as your push it back in... theres a little nub that sticks out that has to go into its grove in the speedo.

[packrat427]

Looking at the dash with the cluster out , you will see a brace , that cable has to go on the right side of that when going to a tach dash .

from the engine side , just point it that way feed it in , wiggling it and it will go , then grab it and pull it in far enough to attatch it .
This has to be done while it is loose from the tranny , then when it is in the cluster , pull the excess back out firewall side and connect it to the tranny .

[c.ganger]

rotating the cable slowly brought the slack to about 1 inch. so I guess that I should pull the cluster back out, and try to reroute the cable? I tried that at first when I had the original cluster out, but once I pushed the speedo cable back I couldn't find any way to route it any closer to the passenger side. would that account for the speedo cable housing beeing too short compared to the cable? I guess that does make sense. I'll try it and see. If anyone has the pictures from the article they could share as to how the cable should be rerouted it would be really helpful.

chris

[Guest]

Yeppers it's a common swap oops.. If it doesn't go to the pass side, it will be too short..

You usually don't need to pull it from the trans, but you may find it easier.. But I've always just pulled it out from underneath the dash and fed it back up on the pass side of the column support. After about a gazillion time of doing it for 1 reason or another, it's become a pretty quick thing less than 5mins..

[c.ganger]

OK, finally got it. I puled the cluster al the way out and then pulled the cable all the way back to the firewall and then sent it over to the pass. side. I didn't realize it was such a drastic relocation. any how once I got that done everything hooked up just fine. Unfortunately once I got all the trim back in plaqce I went to fire it up and take a spin. when the key snapped in two. thankfully it was just at the base of the key, and I was able to pull it out of the ignition. now I just need to wait for a ride and hope the guy at the key shop can make a new one from the two halfs. the part that broke off has all of the teeth, so I am very hopefull. thanks for all of the help.

I can see how it seems easy, by now I could probably do it in tne minutes or so. it is just that first time reaching behind the cluster that you have to feel around blindly. If I had done it before I could visualize what I was doing.

chris

[c.ganger]

first place I tried said they wouldn;t cut a key from a broken one, second place said they'd try. New key worked fine, I love the new guage cluster. on bonus to the new cluster I hadn't known i would have is a warning when I leave the headlights on. I am really happy, tachometer, tripometer, better backlighting, lower mileage, and now a lights on buzzer.

chris

[packrat427]

Happy that you got it

I always loosened it at the tranny , and just pull the cluster straight out , that way you don't have to reach up under to disconnect it .

Everybody has a preference , it just seems easier for me , I hate wollering on the floor and twisting up trying to look under the dash of any car :lol:

That sucks on the key , you must have been excited