Found out why my speedo isn't working

[Vendor Defendor]

Well, after months of my speedo not working I decided to investigate, this is what I found:

Picture 1

Picture 2


Looks as if the speedo cable sheered off. How hard and how much does that repair cost? Where the hell does the other end of the speedo cable go to? Thanks for the help.

 

[Scott231]

Looks to me like you just need to buy a new lower piece to the speedo cable (its actually a 3-piece cable) and plug it into the transmission once you put that gear back in. You can get those cables at scrapyards for next to nothing.

 

[Vendor Defendor]

Scott, (or anyone) I don't see where it breaks into more then one cable. Do the three pieces of cable meet in the once casing? I am looking for a break into the case of the cable...

Or is it that the three pieces meet in that once case?

I guess I have to just pull the VSS off and see what the deal is.

 

[jsta6]

I can't see the pictures, but the cables don't break out.

I have only seen one cable. From the transmission, it goes to where the powermaster is, from there it connects to another cable that goes to the back of the speedo. I had to replace mine once, I think it was like $1 or $2 at the junkyard.

 

[Vendor Defendor]

I don't see anywhere by the powermaster where the speedo cable seperates.

I DO NOT have cruise, someone suggested that that was an important factor.

Also, how do I take the VSS off?

 

[T-top87GN]

Crap... I hope my cable isn't broke. Mine doesn't work either.

Look at the rubber grommet in the firewall that is to the passenger side of where the powermaster mounts on the firewall. That is the speedo cable. Follow it around and you'll seel where the pieces come together.

 

[Vendor Defendor]

I followed the cable all the way down from the fire wall to where it goes under the floorpan, then from the back of the transmission to the fire wall, don't see any seprations...

 

[Scott231]

Assuming you are referring to a 86 or 87 Turbo Regal, you do not have the stock speedo cable which has a connector/splice right in front of the powermaster. Ok, ok, maybe it is a 2-piece, I haven't played with one since '89.

Because of this two-piece design, a large number of Turbo Regals (include the GNX's) probably do not have the 100% accurate milage on thier odometer.

 

[Vendor Defendor]

Weird, maybe I am missing this seperation.. anyone care to take a picture of this seperation with a camera? maybe I am just blind?

yeah, its the '87 in my sig

 

[jsta6]

I have a diagram of how everything is wired together. I can email it to you when I get home.

Why would you want to take the VSS off?

The speedo cable goes to the back of the speedo cluster. Where it meets the speedo cluster is the VSS. It sends pulses of light to the rotating assembly and it counts them. It sends this to the VSS buffer, which is the little green box. The VSS buffer sends this info to the ECM.

You do have a stock speedo, correct?

I have never heard of a once peice speedo cable. But I could be wrong. Do a search for "speedo" and "cable" over at www.gnttype.org:
http://www.ajlc.waterloo.on.ca/gnsearch.html

and look here:
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/bodygauges/speedocable.html

 

[Vendor Defendor]

damn, I looked all over gnttype.org and couldn't find that.

I think maybe at one time the speedo cable was changed, because I took out my instrument cluster and there is a sticker on the side of it that says Fort Lauderdale Speedometer Inc. and is dated 7-11-89 and with 21,xxx written on it. Maybe the cable was replaced with this one piece one?

Shawn, since you can't see the picture I will describe it for you, it is a picture of the speedo gear and the cable broken off about two inches past the gear.

I thought the VSS was the thing that the gear actually slid into on the tranny? Because the guys at Bennett Auto said that there is a speedo repair kit...

 

[jsta6]

Looky here what I found.

This shows how I wired in a VDO speedometer while keeping my OEM speed sensor.

http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shawnco/gn/projects/speedo/speedo cable_frame.htm

If you just take out the VDO stuff (sender and speedo), then it is all OEM.

 

[David65]

coupling

Originally posted by Vendor Defendor
anyone care to take a picture of this seperation with a camera?

Just seen this on ebay, look down & to the left of the wiper motor. The shiny hex nut/coupling. http://i16.ebayimg.com/02/i/01/ef/16/58_1.JPG
That's the original 2 or 3 piece design, I guess it's discontinued and replaced by a 1 piece cable now.

David

 

[AsphaltAnihil8r]

VD check your email,mine is close to the pic above ,but more by the accumulator ball....

check email.....................


Dennis

 

[Vendor Defendor]

well, I got mine apart this afternoon, I just had to do some running around and didn't have a chance to post till now. I got the thing apart, and I do only have a one piece... Don't know what the story is, but maybe the cable was replaced @ 21k like the sticker on the side of my speedo faceplate suggests? I don't know. The part store said that they had a universal one that is cut to fit, maybe thats what I had? Well, I'll let you know if I get it to work tomorrow... I am also rigging up my power injection light

Dennis, I didn't get your mail

 

[Vendor Defendor]

Dennis, I got your mail now, and thats definately not the cable I have, if I think about it I'll take a picture and post it up tomorrow.

 

[Vendor Defendor]

double dang, another delema.

It appears that my aftermarket speedocable appears to have a kink in it, or somewhere on the inside the cable binds. So, I guess I am going to head down to the junk yard tomorrow to see if I can find the proper (factory style) speedo cable.

So, what I want to know is: If I go down there tomorrow and find a Regal will any cable work ro does it have to be one with a 200-4R? Also, if for some odd reason a Regal cannot be found what about other G-bodies? Will one out of a Monte Carlo work?

Thanks everyone!