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Posted by: thewheel69 Sep 17 2006, 08:26 PM

Sorry to do this folks but I did check Pelican Tech and search on this site...

Finally figured out that my non-working speedometer is due to the cable... so, I have one on order and have not yet un-installed the old one yet... my question is;

How big a deal is this? Can I pull it out without taking apart the whole dang car?

Thanks in advance... and sorry about any redundancies.

Posted by: So.Cal.914 Sep 17 2006, 08:41 PM

Yes you can pull it out without tearing the car apart. Console and center pad

can be removed to make it easier to feed it through the tunnel. You can use the

old one to pull the new one in.

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Sep 17 2006, 10:31 PM

Just did this, and it is not all that tough — so long as you CAN use the old one to pull the new one through.

Cut the rubber "cover" off the transmission end of the old one, then safety wire it to the new one with a proper safety wire tool (in order to get the lowest profile wiring connection). A better way to go is to make a fitting that allows you to screw the transmission end of the old cable onto the speedometer end of the new one.

That option wasn't available to me, however, hence the wiring.

Wrap the wiring with electrical tape, but don't go crazy with tape as it's a tight fit at the firewall. You'll need two people, one to pull the new cable through at the transmission tunnel (from the interior) and one below the car to push it through at the firewall (the tougher of the two jobs, IMHO).

If your car is like mine, there will come a time when you think the wired/taped connection just won't go through at the firewall, but it will. The key is to make the connection as low-profile as possible and then to push/pull with care AND determination.


Had I to do it all over again, I would make a fitting that connects the two cables together. Then it would be a piece of (still careful) cake.

Last thing: Be careful not to "kink" or bend the top end of the new cable when connecting it to the speedo. It's a bit delicate up there, and a kink can cause a jumpy speedo... This is why I had to replace mine...

Hope this is helpful.

pete

Posted by: thewheel69 Sep 18 2006, 08:12 AM

Thank very much guys! I will opt for heading to the hardware store to see if I can find the appropriate connector.

I'll let you know how it goes this weekend.

jf

Posted by: Cap'n Krusty Sep 18 2006, 08:56 AM

There IS no appropriate connector. You have to have enough metric hardware laying around to make one. After 35 years in the business, I STILL don't have the right pieces. Good luck. I've always just used the help of a second person and just fished it through. There's less than a foot of space where you can't see it. The Cap'n

Posted by: Gary Sep 18 2006, 09:28 AM

Slight

JF, I would love the last 3 inches of the cable and the circular nut by the tranny. I want to build an optical transducer to drive an electronic 911 speedo. I'd be happy to pick up reasonable payment to cover postage / your time.

Posted by: BMartin914 Sep 18 2006, 09:52 AM

We did this a few weeks back. It was actually quite simple. Just pulled the old one out and with someone in the cabin, and one at the firewall, just pushed it through the tunnel, working it around the harness. The fit through the hole in the firewall is tight - almost the exact diameter of the connector end, I would be afraid that any tape, wire, etc., would make the R&R a real bitch. You've only got a couple mm to play with.

Posted by: Matt Romanowski Sep 18 2006, 10:02 AM

I've always done this by myself. Pull the center console, disconnect old cable, pull the old one out. Insert the new one in the firewall, pull up to dash, attach, reassable console, done.

Matt

Posted by: Marty Yeoman Sep 18 2006, 01:11 PM

Thats my experience too!!

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Sep 18 2006, 02:45 PM

Maybe someone should make this fitting and we can send it around as it's needed. Sort of a gift to keep in motion among us?

pete