Hey guys,

Not sure if this is the right thread but I think it fits better than the rest. I've got an 84 Trans Am with a mechanical speedometer that bounces from 30mph to about 60mph then settles down. Everyone says it's probably the speedometer cable. Ok, great, sure...however there seems to be some confusion about which cable to get. Does an 84 Trans Am WITH cruise control have ONE speedometer cable (around 81 inches long or so) or does it have TWO...an upper and a lower? I've gotten conflicting stories but no one can give me a strait answer.

I did go online to look it up and it seems there is an upper and a lower for an 83 with cruise, but nothing for an 84. Then I found that there is a longer 81 inch for an 84 without cruise......but at the same time it says it is for ALL 84-86 models. SO now I'm confused. Do I need one cable or two?

Thanks!

 

it's on the back of the tranny, pull it so the parts store can x-ref it

 

it'd try to lubricate it first, and see if it stops bouncing before you replace it.

does it whine?

 

It doesn't whine, but if I drive for a while, say on a road trip for 30 min or more, I do get sort of a sand paper rubbing on wood sound. It seems to osccilate in tune faster and slower depending on my speed. However once I get over 60 it goes away completely. So anyway, I'll try to lube it first, I've yet to be under the dash of the car so this should be a fun experiment.

 

Jerk the cluster and then pull the cable from its sleeve. Separate the cable sleeve at the tranny. Shoot a cleaner down the empty sleeve until the fluid is clear (I think I used brake cleaner). Clean the cable itself and lube up with something like Sil-Glyde. As an after note, my 145 ticked a bit. I sent it in to a GM repair facility. Still ticked. Cleaned the cable. Still ticked. Replaced the cable/sleeve. Still ticked. Replaced the driven gear and its sleeve. Still ticks. I can only believe that the speedo head is the real culprit. At any rate, good luck.

JamesC

 

Thanks for the info! That helps alot. To everyone else, I really appreciate your input. Sounds like a weekend job. How hard is it to pull the speedo cable all the way out and put back in? Getting married in three weeks so I'm probably going to end up putting this off until after that but once that happens, I'll have time again to start digging.

 

Pull the cable straight out of its sleeve. Proceed as suggested above. Reattach the cable sleeve to the tranny. Insert the lubbed cable into the sleeve. You may have to twist the cable a bit to get it to position itself in the driven gear at the tranny, but it's a simple affair. Install the cluster. Reattach the cable.

Congrats on the marriage. Just celebrated my 37th year with my old gal. Touchy road from time to time, but worth the journey. Best wishes.

JamesC

 

Thanks. That doesn't sound that hard at all. I'm actually looking forward to getting married. Not sure why! lol Hard part about it is that I have about 6 divorced guys at work who are trying to talk me out of it...I've done my best to ignore them but sometimes it's hard. I do appreciate the support!