Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech speedometer cable

I have abroken speedometer cable. There is about 2 inches of cable
stuck in the housing on the back of the actual speedo. Before I just start yanking on the cable, is there some trick to getting this cable screw out?

Mine did the same thing. All I had to do was pull it out of the speedo. Replaced cable and housing. Also began lubing it every year.

should almost fall out by itself, it only just sits in there, a bit of a pull should free it.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a233/sreave/speedo%20019_zpsn71bed51.jpg Just trying to send picture. Cable will not come out even with pliers.

Your pics...

sounds like it's twisted in the square socket a bit. soak it down with PB Blaster or somefin like that. cut if off shorter so you can sorta tap it with pliers to free it and pull out as well. you could also isolate the little worm gear in there with a piece of wood and then give the cable a twist.

Looks like the speedo itself went into a binding stop and the cable twisted up. web page Here is a new worm gear, but are the internals of the speedo free spinning?

I agree with Ryk. Looks like the cable wasn't at fault but the speedo angle head piece. Didn't know they were available separately. Is the matching gear going into the speedo head ok. Like Ryk mentioned, do the speedo internals rotate freely? If not, you might need a new speedo head. These rarely fail and should be available online. HERE'S ONE

Thanks for the responses guys. The angled speedo drive is presently soaking in a bath of lubricant. The gear inside does not show any wear and turns freely when you twist the cable. The mated gear in the speedo head does not appear to be damaged. I will check the speedos internals tomorrow and report back.

You say the angle gear spins ok, but does it still spin freely, if you chuck up the cable remnant with a electric drill? Some gears will go into a bind at speed, but turn like new money by hand. Usually because of out of spec bushings or bearings from wear.

The soaking in lubricant did not free the cable. The speedo worked when hooked up to a drill. (easiest ton I ever did) There is no obvious play or noise from the front wheel as there would be with a car tire. Is there a better way to test the bearing without taking it apart?

Unless there is a hesitation when free spinning the front wheel, the tell tale noise a bearing makes when it's failing (it shouldn't make any noise at all) or you see grease coming out, when it's a sealed bearing. Your wheel bearings are probably fine. Your cable is galled in there, if you can't get it out without destroying things, you need a new angle gear at the minimum. The speedo, Gregger linked to, for $39 and a new cable looks like the cheap way out and best deal. If you want to keep your original speedo, I posted a link to a new angle gear.

I just replaced my speedo cable on Saturday. The square end was stuck up in the worm drive section like that too (not twisted like that though). I just put some pliers on it and put some side pressure on the hub until it slid out. I will start lubing it more often from here on.

I replaced the angled speedo gear from a spare speedometer that I had. The one that was stuck, I put in a vice and used a nail set to drive the gear shaft back into the housing. To my surprise the back of the housing poped off. The shaft, gear and broken cable then fell out. It was then easier to work on with a pick. The cable eventually came out. I then reassembled the unit.
"Lubing it more often" is a good idea.