I have an 89 V6 with a T5 manual. my speedo hasn't worked since the car has been moving. I was wondering if the cable is broken or if I didn't install it correctly or something. Its a cable held in by a little hold down, kinda like a distributer hold down right above the tranny crossmember. when I put the little gear in the cable it won't turn, but thats me, not the car so, I don't know if its supposed to do that. thanks in advance.

 

Maybe something in the following link will be helpful:

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

JamesC

 

thanks but, it doesn't really answer my question, I'm not sure what its supposed to feel like, the gear looks fine. how do I know if its definitely a broken cable and not something else.I don't see any kinks either. what am I looking for on the head to tell me somethings wrong? btw how do I take the head off.
is there any way I can take the cable off without having to replace tranny fluid? this car has barely moved so the fluid looks brand new. i can't tell you how many miles I've driven it though, lol.

 

You'll have to remove the cluster in order to remove the speedo head.

You'll lose a very limited amount of the fluid when you remove the cable. Remove the cable at the tranny and spin the cable. If the needle moves accordingly, the cable is in tact.

JamesC

 

thanks, I'll hopefully get to try that today.

 

I tried to get the speedo to move, my sister said it wasn't moving, but I can only turn it about 180* and its a really hard turn too. so maybe the cable needs lubricated since I probably couldn't turn it fast enough to register on the guage. how do I lubricate that? in fact how do I take it out of the guage cluster? I heard there was a metal clip holding it in. and do I have to remove the head? if I do, how do I do it? I can get pics if needed.

 

Both questions are covered in the link above. If the second link doesn't work, try this one:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/faq-...-fix-pics.html

JamesC

 

yea, the second link didn't work, but I knew it was under the stickeys in the FAQ board. so it seems pretty straightforward. I'll try not to screw it up.

 

yea boy! that wasn't nearly as impossible as it was when I tried removing the guage cluster. btw, your painted bezel looks great. I might try chevy orange. or just white.
the cable still does the same thing it did when it was plugged in so I'm guessing it needs lubrication right?
the instructions didn't seem very clear though, how do I lubricate the speedo cable?

 

help is on the way chevy_man86.

how about I hook up the cable to the tranny and try driving around to see if the cable is turning? I like the idea.

 

Seems clear enough to me:

"I'd try cleaning and lubricating the cable before I suspected the head itself or the drive/driven gears. With the cluster removed, pull the cable from its housing. Inspect it for burrs, fraying or breaks. Unscrew the housing from the tranny and shoot brake clean or some other cleaner down the housing until the fluid is clear. Brake clean will dry rapidly. While you're there, you might inspect the drive/driven gear for problems. Button up at the tranny. Clean the cable itself, then put a glob of Napa's Sil-Glyde (mentions speedo lube on the tube) in your palm and run the cable through it as you thread the cable back into the housing. You'll probably have to manipulate the cable a bit to reseat it in the speedo sleeve at the tranny end."

Reinstall the cluster and snap the cable into place. Good luck.

JamesC

 

so you have to pull the cable itself out of the plastic jacket to lubricate it? does it just pull out of the jacket? the cable wasn't moving when I hooked it up and drove around.

 

ok, I tried lubricating the cable with cease ease, didn't work. I guess I'm buying a new cable, but they're only about $20. not bad.