Any thoughts as to why I keep braking speedo cables. This just started. I have owned my 66 coupe for 11 yrs. without this problem. This year about the end of may the cable that has been in the car since I bought it broke at the trans end. I replaced it with a new AC-delco cable that was about 65" in length. This seemed a little short but fit. Wthin 30 miles this broke at the speedo end, the little red end twisted. I replaced it with a new AC Delco unit that is about 69" in length which seems to fit better. When I installed it I made sure that the speedo turned easily and that there were no turns less than 4" in diameter. Well I just returned from about a 35 mile ride and on the way back home this new cable broke. Any thoughts as to my next step? thanks guys. Please e-mail me back at smurd327@aol.com.
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Re: speedo cable 1966
Scott----
This is a very strange problem inasmuch as you seem to have done all the right things to correct it, but the problem persists. As you are well aware, in the speedometer operating system, there are just three basic components: the speedometer, the cable with casing, and the drive/driven gears in the transmission. I can't see how the drive/driven gears could be causing the problem since their failure modes usually just cause the speedometer to be inoperative. You've replaced the cable several times, even using different length cables, so it's hard to imagine that your cables are defective UNLESS there are "kinks" someplace that you've not discovered. This seems unlikely since using the different length cables would almost certainly result in the elimination of this possibility.
So, that leaves only the speedometer head, itself. If the speedometer head were "binding" in some way, I suppose it could cause undue strain on the cable given the fact that the drive gears turn relentlessly with the vehicle in motion. It would seem that such a condition with the speedometer head would evidence itself in other ways, but, maybe not. At this point, I think I'd have the speedometer head serviced by a qualified technician.In Appreciation of John Hinckley -
Re: speedo cable 1966
Scott----
This is a very strange problem inasmuch as you seem to have done all the right things to correct it, but the problem persists. As you are well aware, in the speedometer operating system, there are just three basic components: the speedometer, the cable with casing, and the drive/driven gears in the transmission. I can't see how the drive/driven gears could be causing the problem since their failure modes usually just cause the speedometer to be inoperative. You've replaced the cable several times, even using different length cables, so it's hard to imagine that your cables are defective UNLESS there are "kinks" someplace that you've not discovered. This seems unlikely since using the different length cables would almost certainly result in the elimination of this possibility.
So, that leaves only the speedometer head, itself. If the speedometer head were "binding" in some way, I suppose it could cause undue strain on the cable given the fact that the drive gears turn relentlessly with the vehicle in motion. It would seem that such a condition with the speedometer head would evidence itself in other ways, but, maybe not. At this point, I think I'd have the speedometer head serviced by a qualified technician.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: 1966 speedo cable breakage
Scott, I believe Joe is pointing you in the right direction (the speedometer head), given what you've done already. Did your odometer work up to the point of the cable breaking ? There's a lot of load on the cable when certain digits of the odo or the speedo are in alignment (like 999.9) and this is sometimes enough to break the cable or to strip the odo gear. But if your odo was already non-functional, there should have been even less load on the cable.Comment
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Re: 1966 speedo cable breakage
Scott, I believe Joe is pointing you in the right direction (the speedometer head), given what you've done already. Did your odometer work up to the point of the cable breaking ? There's a lot of load on the cable when certain digits of the odo or the speedo are in alignment (like 999.9) and this is sometimes enough to break the cable or to strip the odo gear. But if your odo was already non-functional, there should have been even less load on the cable.Comment
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Re: 1966 speedo cable breakage
Thanks guy's for your reponse. I thought it could be the speedo head too but when I removed the unit from the cluster, the speedo seemed to turn without any binding or sticking. When I replaced the cable the 2nd. time with the 69" one, that seemed to be the correct length cable. Well I'll make a few calls to Roger the instrument guy to see what he thinks and I guess dig into the cluster again. Oh joy. Thanks again for your thoughts. ScottComment
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Re: 1966 speedo cable breakage
Thanks guy's for your reponse. I thought it could be the speedo head too but when I removed the unit from the cluster, the speedo seemed to turn without any binding or sticking. When I replaced the cable the 2nd. time with the 69" one, that seemed to be the correct length cable. Well I'll make a few calls to Roger the instrument guy to see what he thinks and I guess dig into the cluster again. Oh joy. Thanks again for your thoughts. ScottComment
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