Hi all,

I just replaced the speedometer cable in my '88 4WD pickup. It took 2 hours and now it works great... without all that grinding noise and a smooth moving needle!! After lubing it on 3 separate occassions from the cluster end, using graphite, moly grease, general purpose lube, I finally gave in and bought a new cable today. The lube methods only lasted about a week before the grinding noise returned.

I'll have pics posted soon showing how I did it.

 

Just did the same in our '89 pretty easy huh?

The only semi-complicated part is the fact that the e-brake cable is connected at some points.

 

Damn!! The noise is back again, not as bad, but I can hear chafing noises... :cry:

It's gotta be coming from the cluster. I'll leave it for now and see whether or not it gets any worse. If not, I can live with it.

 

blame it on the spedo damn bushing goes out

 

Sean - The fix wasn't too bad. The e-brake came out easier than I had expected. I detached it from the rear and pulled it out of the cab. Did you make sure that the cable over the tranny was pinned up near the fire wall? It took a bit of fiddling trying to get it attached again. If it's not attached properly, it may get fried or dry out??

 

Dudebud - What bushing are your talking about? Is it part of the cable assembly or the cluster? Do you have any pics?

 

no pics but i do beliveve that there is a bushing in the spedo for the weight. try squirting some lube into the spedo not much

 

What kind of lube, will graphite work? Can it be taken apart?

 

$100 for the cable and I thought I had it nailed. Murphy's Law.... Where can I find that dude?!! Oh well, I guess I'll just have to take it apart again!

 

I use engauge it has teflon in it seems to work good you can take it apart get the clear plastic off carfull it cracks easy then pull the screws holding it together from the back. if this fails the stealership can get the spedos not sure on the price

 

Awesome. I'll have a look at it next week. Can the bushing be replaced or is it a permanent fix in the speedo?

 

im not sure on that

 

Here we go on the replacement of the speedo cable:

1. Pic of the new cable. Notice the thick rubber parts for heat protection.

 

2. This end of the new cable goes in to the manual transmission.


3. From under the truck and looking at the manual tranny, you can see where the cable goes in.


4. Unscrew the end of the cable. You may have to loosen it first with wide jaw pliers.

 

5. Now, pull out the cable. No need to tug too hard, it should come out easily.



6. Locate where the speedo cable is attached to the undercarriage. Here's a plastic clip that stays in place even when you pop out the cable from the open side.


7. Just use your hand to pop it out.

 

8. Back to the cab and start removing the housing around the cluster. I removed a total of 5 screws. 2 from the top...


9. 2 more from the bottom. Here's a shot of the bottom right one...


10. And one more on the side...

 

11. disconnect the clutch cancel switch and then pull the housing off.


12. unscrew the 4 screws holding the cluster down.


13. Detach the 3 electrical connections and speedo cable going into the cluster from the back, by depressing the lock tabs and pulling. Careful here, you don't need to pull too hard! Here's a shot of the lock tab on the speedo cable.

 

14. Here's a shot of my removing the middle electrical connection...


15. This is what is looks like after the cluster is removed.


17. Pull back the carpet to reveal the bracket as shown and remove the 2 bolts fastened to the cab floor.

 

18. Now, back to the undercarriage. Remove the clip holding the ebrake to the frame. Pop the clip with a pair of pliers and pull it out. It should come out easily and the locking clip is U-shaped. Save the clip, you'll need it later.


19. Detach the ebrake cable from the assembly by removing the rod and locking pin. Again, save your stuff.



20. You're project should look like this.

 

21. The ebrake and the speedo cable are pinned above the tranny on the firewall side between the engine compartment and the cab by these pliabe tabs. Use your fingers and widen the tabs so that you can release the cables. This is a tough one to see if you don't have a lift. I had to stick my head through the driver's side wheel well to see it.


22. Here's a shot of the ebrake cable and the speedo cable coming out of the cab and looking in from the driver's side wheel well.


23. After you've detached the ebrake cable from the undercarriage, pull it out of the cab through the bracket. Here's a shot of the ebrake cable pulled out of the bracket.