Removing and Installing Speedometer Cable and Drive Gear

The speedometer cable runs from a drive gear in the transmission to the back of the speedometer. On automatic transmissions, the cable is mounted directly to the transmission with a union nut. On manual transmissions, the speedometer cable is held by a bolt and hold-down clamp to the transmission and separate drive gear as shown in Fig. 4-13. On U.S. and Canada cars with oxygen sensors, the cable is in two pieces. The first part runs from the transmission to the oxygen sensor (OXS) mileage counter mounted on the firewall. The second part runs from the oxygen sensor (OXS) counter to the speedometer. On diesel cars and Canada cars with automatic transmission, the speedometer cable is in one piece.

Fig. 4-13.

Transmission end of speedometer cable on vehicles with manual transmission. On diesel models, drive gear has 16 teeth and is natural color. On fuel injected models, gear has 15 teeth and is marked red.

Fig. 4-4.

Speedometer cable retaining clip. Arrows indicate clips to be pinched.

To remove a speedometer cable, disconnect the battery ground strap then remove the lower instrument panel tray as described above. Remove the cable from the back of the speedometer as shown in Fig. 4-4 above. Unbolt the cable from the transmission.

To prevent premature failure of the new speedometer cable, do not grease the speedometer end of the cable, and position the cable so that it is free of sharp bends.