Busted Speedo Cable

**Dark61** · 1st September 2016, 09:46 AM

Took Woodstock for a short drive the other day and on the way back , more or less at the same time lost indicators, Temp & Fuel level, Oil pressure light came on and nothing on the speedo. Thought , Bugger! Got home in limp mode. On a series 3 , limp mode is the thought of having to tell the Mrs that you may have to spend some more money on the Land Rover and coming away from the conversation with a limp

. Indicators etc was the top fuse loose. Oil pressure light was the sender had carked it. Speedo had broken , as per photo. Do I get a prize for multiple failure? I only popped out for a paper! So I have a spare cable - part no.90623054G - doesn't want to fit. Looking at the business end - the old cable is round wound and flattened towards the end and the new cable is solid square shaped. Am I supposed to squash the end to make it fit - or have I got the wrong cable? Its a 109 1974 series 3 4 Cylinder. As usual , all help gratefully received.
cheers,
D

**gromit** · 1st September 2016, 10:36 AM

You probably have the correct cable.
Have a look in the back of the speedo, I think you'll find it's a square drive.
Not sure why the old one just has flats, maybe someone used a longer inner & cut it down and squished it to get it to drive the speedo ?

Colin

**S3ute** · 1st September 2016, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by Dark61

Do I get a prize for multiple failure?

Nah!

It's only a flesh wound.................

Cheers,

Neil

(Apologies to the MP Black Knight)

**JDNSW** · 1st September 2016, 05:07 PM

Speedo is supposed to be square drive. Try and find why the old one broke. Kinked or dry outer cable? Seized speedo?

John

**Dark61** · 1st September 2016, 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by gromit

You probably have the correct cable.
Have a look in the back of the speedo, I think you'll find it's a square drive.
Not sure why the old one just has flats, maybe someone used a longer inner & cut it down and squished it to get it to drive the speedo ?

Colin

Thanks Colin.
I actually haven't tried it in the back of the speedo, I couldn't get it in the gearbox. Maybe I'm being too gentle with it , when I compared the two they looked so dissimilar I thought I had the wrong cable. I'll take another look tomorrow.
Cheers,
D

P.s looking at my picture again, is the square drive welded to the cable? All I pulled out was what you can see - so have I left the square bit in situ?

**gromit** · 2nd September 2016, 05:43 AM

Originally Posted by Dark61

Thanks Colin.
I actually haven't tried it in the back of the speedo, I couldn't get it in the gearbox. Maybe I'm being too gentle with it , when I compared the two they looked so dissimilar I thought I had the wrong cable. I'll take another look tomorrow.
Cheers,
D

P.s looking at my picture again, is the square drive welded to the cable? All I pulled out was what you can see - so have I left the square bit in situ?

The square end is part of the cable. Not sure if they use heat or just a hydraulic tool to form the square.

Colin

**Dark61** · 2nd September 2016, 07:39 AM

Thanks - I'll have to go back and have another look with my glasses on this time as I'm not getting it. Hopefully everything will become apparent with some sunlight on it.
Cheers,
D

**1950landy** · 2nd September 2016, 01:05 PM

If it is broken in the drive it can some times be a hell of a job getting it out of the drive. The wire the cable is made of is very hard & doesn't do the drill bit much good. You can some times get it out with a small magnet. but in most cases you need to pull the drive out. I bought a universal inner cable once , were you cut the inner cable at the top end then fitted a square adaptor to the round cable at he top & crimped it in position . It worked but not sure for how long as my daughter traded her car not long after.

**Dark61** · 2nd September 2016, 05:45 PM

Yes - what I'm thinking is maybe the square bit has been left behind, although the break is further down - the speedo was working , albeit a bit floppy doppy but I thought that's par for the course. Would I have got any reading do you think with just that bit of wire stuck in?
Cheers,
D

**1950landy** · 3rd September 2016, 06:27 AM

If there was a bit of the square in the drive may be but then you would still have to screw the outer cable on to the drive & speedo head. If the managed to do that then the inner cable would kink causing it to brake were it did. try putting a short length of the inner cable in the back of the speedo& try spinning it in booth directions , if the needle flickers the head is not seized . I have also seen it were the internal of the square drive is badly worn causing it to spin on the cable rounding the square on the cable , so may be the cable broke 1st & jammed then the drive wore the corners off the cable sq. Just a thought .
Try putting a drill bit in the speedo drive & see if it turns by hand , the drill will catch on any bits of cable in the hole & if it turns free there is probably no cable in it . That's the way we did it back when I worked for JRA many years ago.

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