Hopefully this is the last "why's my car doing that?" post that i'll have to write for a while, but here goes...

I just bought my '83 T/A last August, and the speedo/odo don't work. I'm wondering how you can tell whether it's the speedo cable or the gauge itself. The reason i'm asking about the gauge is that the trip odo reset button is jammed....might this be because the gauge broke, or because the cable is causing it to jam? Is there even a difference? If ya can't tell already, I don't have much experience in this area. Any help would be greatlly appreciated....thanks!!

 

Here is how I figured it out on my IROC two months ago:

I disconnected the two-part speedo cable in the engine bay. I gently hooked up my drill to the end that ran to the speedo head. I had my wife watch the speedometer while I ran the drill. The speedometer registered a speed so I safely concluded that the head and the upper cable were OK.

I then reconnected the cable in the engine bay, jacked the car up, disconnected the lower cable and repeated the process. The wife said that no speed registered - therefore I replaced the lower cable and my speedo now works.

 

Hey, great idea! I'll try doing that. Thanks!!