Hello all, I'm in a bit of a pickle here and hoping you could shed some light on my problem. I have a 1986 Camaro with the 2.8 and all of a sudden my speedo stopped working. I was driving down the highway when it spun all they way up and then just as quick it stopped and dropped to zero. Several minutes after that the check engine idiot light came on. I'm assuming that the cable snapped but I've never replaced one. Can somebody point me to a how to? I'm hoping it's not a difficult task and that it doesnt require removal of the trans.

Thanks in advance.

If it was the cable, it's about a $10 fix, and you don't need to drop the trans.
Undoing the dash end is simple to do but difficult to access. The trans end is a no-brainer.

You asked for a how-to, I don't claim my way is best.
First, slide the driver's seat all the way forward, and undo the 2 rear nuts. Then slide the seat all the way back and undo the 2 front nuts. Remove the seat.
Now you can unscrew the lower dash panel that lives above the driver's shins, below the steering column.
Then get a small flashlight, and lay on your back. Follow the speedo cable sheath to the speedo. You'll find a small, thin, metal tab around the sheath.
Push the bottom end of that tab forward, then pull the sheath out of the back of the speedo.
Now get under the car, and unscrew the thing. It might be easiest with some channel-lock pliers.
Before going any farther, get a helper person to watch one end while you turn the other end.
If it is bad, then from here it becomes pretty obvious what else you have to do to replace it.

Thanks, that's what I was hoping to hear. I plan to head out soon and jack it up to see if I can find the end that goes into the trans. I've removed the dash once before so I'm familiar with that part. The OE replacement at Advance Auto is $14.99 http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...S_632461520___ but doesnt give me a length, however I've read that getting a longer cable may be a better idea. The only other cable I see is 113" cable that comes with a crimp tool for $4.19. http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...%7CGRP2037____, guess we'll see this goes

I got my cable, new, correct length, for $5 from www.rockauto.com, plus another $5 shipping.
The trans end is on the driver's side, near the rear of the trans.

Excellent, thanks a bunch. I'm heading out now to go take a look at it and to verify that it is defiantly the cable. You guys have been a great help and thank you even more for that website. The prices cant be touched by my local stores. I'll update in a bit once I find out more. Thanks again.

Perhaps the following write-up will be helpful:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...eedo-woes.html

JamesC

I just had the same thing happen to me. I've had the dash out and lubed up the speedo wire. I'm thinking the end that goes into the cruise transducer is rounded off (my car is 27 years old). I pulled that end out and it doesnt seem to have a good grip. What do you guys think?

Well I finally got the time to put in the new speedo cable. The dash was fun since I dont have tilt steering, but I got it all together. I followed the original routing and used all of the factor clamps along the chassis. The speedo is working BUT it doesnt seem like it's reading correctly. I feel like I'm going much faster then what the speedo is reading. I'll use my GPS tomorrow to check it but if it is off, what could I have done wrong? Thanks for everyones help on this so far.