Speedo Cable - help wanted

[Alan c]

After sorting exhaust and radiater hose last week - speedo gave up ghost.

It snapped the inner cable at gearbox end and I cant repair. it ( well I tried and it did not work)

Its a ford sierra gearbox and the the inner and outer cable look right for that end. the gauges have no maker name on the front (maybe Marlin std kit?) so dont know if it uses a std ford sierra speedo cable.

Any advice based on very limited definition above.

When I am next in UK I will strip and photo (maybe also buy a Sierra cable just to see).

Other than this car is in the finest fettle to date

Alan.c

[ggrum]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

Hi Alan,

I have a Sierra Type 9 gearbox in my Roadster and snapped a couple of cables at the gearbox end because, I think, of the tight bend I had to get the cable down the tunnel. Problem was solved by fitting a right angle drive from Speedy Cables as used on Westfields. It cost £35 but that was in 1998 so may be a tad more expensive now if still available.

[Alan c]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

Thanks - I think you are right about the tight bend I noticed it when I was refitting my repaired cable, which failed again. I will look into the right angle drive. I still have the problem of identifing source of a new cable as I dont know if its standard Sierra or not (as its an generic speedo not a Sierra one).

[Tony Stott]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

send the cable and broken bit to speedy cables they should/can make one up reasonably cheaply as I seem to recall!

[Alan c]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

Thanks, I will look them up sounds like the solution I need (along with the right angle drive mentioned earlier)

[Gareth]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

Hi Alan. I've used them last year and the cable is very well made but it took a little while to arrive. Not so sure about the "Speedy" bit!
Gareth.

[Mike]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

Hi Alan. I've used them last year and the cable is very well made but it took a little while to arrive. Not so sure about the "Speedy" bit!
Gareth.

.............my experience too. Recommmended, but struggle to live up to "Speedy".

Cable-Tec in Sutton in Ashfield offer a very good service - they even shortened a cable while I waited - for FREE.
Highly recommended.

[email protected]

[Alan c]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

Thank you all - i will explore cable tech (I am hoping I can replace iner and outer to be sure they are both good)

As I work overseas and only get back for a weekend a month time is not such an issue and I drive Marlin without speedo (hope no policeman reading this) I can always use the satnav speed reading if need be.

[Alan c]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

Having just looke dup 90 deg speedo drives (now £112) and the cost of a new cable to add (which I suspect is not to expensive), I may look at electronic speedo with Analogue output so fits the dash - has anybody been down this route

[listerjp2]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

Hiya

Try this, its something I have been looking at as I have the same problem with the Marina gearbox i.e. not enough room in the tunnel.

http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/speedo-sensor-converter-black-plug

Or evem this http://www.digital-speedos.co.uk/cab...rbox-157-p.asp

From the knurled nut to where it could start to bend is 40mm.

Adrian

[lil_red_roadster]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

Having been through the same loop I got a quote a few years back (£120+vat from Speedy Cables) to put an electronic speedo inside the Marina cluster, with a view to fitting the later type 9 electronic sender. However the cost of doing so (sender plus conversion) exceeded the cost of an angle drive by some margin..!
In the end I just brought the cable inboard through the tunnel-side...its not perfect but it was cheap..! Even an angle drive (depth c50mm) didn't look like it was going to fit.

[Mike]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

I fitted an electronic speedo in my Cabrio.

I bought a Hall effect sender from RS Components for around £20, and fiitted it to take its impulses off the three nuts attaching the prop shaft to the gearbox.
Works perfectly with my Smiths Classic electronic speedo from Caebont Automotive - approx £120.....and I suspect a lot more reliable and accurate than a cable and mechanical speedo.

Gearbox output and propshaft arrangement prior to sender being fitted (photo for clarity):



Then with Hall sender attached to gearbox mount: this maintains a constant gap between sender and thje 3 prop shaft nuts:



The sender picks up an impulse from the propshaft nuts as they pass within 3mm of the sender head.

Smiths classic Electronic Speedo:

[Alan c]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

This looks a good solution but they dont seam to have a standard Analogue looking (but didgitally driven) speedo gauge to go with the special cable. I will search this approach some more thanks (somebody may do a guage)

[Alan c]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

I looked again and the pictures were this time ( I think my download was slow). I see you have the type of gauge I had in mind.

How did you calibrate it

[Mike]

Re: Speedo Cable - help wanted

I looked again and the pictures were this time ( I think my download was slow). I see you have the type of gauge I had in mind.

How did you calibrate it

Digital speedos are very simple to calibrate. They will come with a set of instructions which tell you how to work out how many pulses are sent per mile, and then how to set the speedo to read that number. I changed my wheel/tyre combination after IVA so had to change the speedo calibration - it probably took 30 seconds.

Caerbont sell analogue looking but digitally driven speedos. But shop around as their dealers will offer better prices than they offer direct!

http://www.caigauge.com/page38.html

This is a Cobra anti clockwise rotation - but they do all sorts: