need some advice

[jeeper1]

hey guys,a few weeks ago i noticed that my speedometer stopped moving so next day i decided to just replace it with a new one,thinking maybe the old one had seen it's better days.after putting in new cable i took it out for a test drive, it worked for a while but after about ten or so minutes it quit moving.my question is why,are there some kind of gears in the Transmission and/or the houseing.i've never dealt with this before so i don't know what to look for.thanks for any advice and suggestions you might have.

 

[chuck35f]

If you follow your cable to the rear you will see where is goes. The gear is replaceable. You should replace it if you change you diff gears, or change your tire size allot. Ie, if you change from 235-75R15(a 28" tire) to 33's your speedometer will say 60 but you will be going around 70+ MPH.

 

[coldwater]

As Chuck said, if you're sure you have it installed correctly, then the next logical culprit will be the speedo gear. As said, follow the line to the tranny and 1) make sure that the fitting has not backed off causing the cable paddle to slip out of the detent, and 2) if it looks tight, unscrew it and remove the little plastic gear to see if it's stripped. It's an easy fix, and the worse part of the whole thing is getting under the Jeep.

 

[MadMax]

The same thing just happened to me and I was wondering what was going on. My situation sounds a little different though. The speedo was pegged out at 85 and every once in a while it would start bouncing around. Now it just sits there......lifeless. Kinda sad even. Would my problem be the same thing?

 

[CJ]

If it was pegged and then bounced - I bet the speedo is at fault...

 

[MadMax]

Any advice on how to troubleshoot the speedo?

 

[CJ]

Pull it out and put a drill on it, run it at a sustained speed... If bad - buy another... Unless you want to keep the millage the same then take it to a speedo shop...

Or, if your a mechanical (like almost all CJers are), take the new one apart and reset the odometer...

 

[MadMax]

Well that seems simple enough. Thanks.

 

[CJ]

LOL - I forgot... If it doesn't bounce then check the speedo cable for binding! If it sticks it will make your speedo jump all over the place!

 

[coldwater]

The same thing just happened to me and I was wondering what was going on. My situation sounds a little different though. The speedo was pegged out at 85 and every once in a while it would start bouncing around. Now it just sits there......lifeless. Kinda sad even. Would my problem be the same thing?

Old vehicles use a stranded cable in a jacket to connect a gear to the speedo head. Over time, the lube simply wears out, hardens, and leaves the cable to spin dry in the jacket. This usually causes one of the strands in the cable to break loose and bind in the sleeve until it torques up enough to slip loose, causing the jump at the needle. Sometimes the cable will just break, or bind enough to cause the little plastic gear at the tranny to break. I would pull the head at the speedo, reach into the end and pull the inner cable out to see if It's the problem. If not, proceed to the tranny and check the gear.

 

[jeeper1]

thanks for all the advice.especially yours dave,it sounds like that may be the problem.i'll check it out soon.i don't want to put any excess miles on it without a good cable on it.