[T3] Speedo Cable Keeps Breaking

Brent Bottolfson brent at bottolfson.net
Thu Jul 19 17:40:22 PDT 2012


On 6/24/12 8:41 PM, Jim Adney wrote:
> On 24 Jun 2012 at 18:12, Brent Bottolfson wrote:
>
>> I've broke 2 new GEMO speedometer cables now.  Seems they make it a
>> few hundred miles then the squealing starts.  Once it starts, they
>> just get worse no matter what I do or how I adjust, and eventually
>> break at the end in the grease cup.
> Since you now have a broken cable, cut the top 6" off to use as a
> tool to check your speedo. Make 2 and share the other one with a
> friend. Insert the square end in the speedo and turn it. Make sure
> that it turns smoothly and almost friction free. It might feel a bit
> viscous, but should never feel tight or sticky.
>
> If the speedo head is not free, you should probably send it to me to
> free it up, or you can send it somewhere much more expensive for a
> complete restoration.
>
> Make sure the grease cap is pounded all the way home, so that the
> square hole in the end is actually centered. The fact that they're
> breaking there makes me think the cap might be on crooked.
>
> Then the cable should be adjusted: With the cable installed in the
> speedo and the circlip or cotter pin installed on the bottom end,
> reach behind the wheel and push & pull the cable housing as far as it
> will go in & out of the knuckle. Note the limits of its travel. Then
> position it about halfway between those 2 limits. This allows for
> expansion/contraction with temperature as well as assuring that there
> is no undue stress on the cable. This adjustment is something that
> seldom gets done, but it's extremely important.
>
> Sounds like you have already checked the routing. This is very
> important. There should not be any sharp bends in the cable when the
> car is sitting on its wheels. This will be different from how things
> look when jacked up off its wheels.
>
> If you do all of these things, the cables should last a very long
> time.
Update on this as I finally got around to fixing it.  My grease cups at 
the wheels were a little dented here and there, so I went ahead and got 
new ones and installed them all the way on the rotors.  The square end 
fits much tighter in hole in the grease cup; probably just years of wear 
on the original.  I adjusted per Jim's instructions and got the cable 
routed properly.

Then I took apart the speedo just to check that none of the gears were 
binding and that it was well greased.  Using the old cable to test it, I 
noticed it was turning rather hard.  I oiled the bottom part where the 
cable meets the speedo and it made a huge difference instantly.  There 
must be a sleeve or the like in there that was just dry.  I oiled, 
tested, oiled, tested...  And now it's working great!  Hopefully for a 
long time.

Thanks.
Brent




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