13 replies to this topic

[shabir]

this may be a stupid question, but the end of the speedo cable that goes in to the gearbox, what shape is it meant to be, a square? Only reason im asking as my speedo does not work, and the cable did not have a break any where, nor did it look broken at the bottom. Know this item on minispares does not look like a square and mine looked the same as it http://www.minispare...|Back to search

I know the drive in the gearbox has a square for the cable to slot in to, which is why i thought the cable should be a square just like on the other end of the cable (the end which goes to the clocks)

[shabir]

Is it that stupid that no one wants to reply :/

[andrew1986mini]

Yeah the end should be square.

[shabir]

Yeah the end should be square.

thanks was thinking that until i saw the pic on mini spares.

[dklawson]

The cables ORIGINALLY were made with square ends. A lot of the recent products have been made with the end swaged "oval" or egg-shaped. If the oval is the right size it will be driven just as well as the square. If in doubt, make sure the cable is attached at the gearbox end. Disconnect the speedometer end and use a pair of needle-nose pliers to see if you can turn the cable. If it can be spun with little or no effort, the cable is either broken or the bottom end is not engaging the square drive hole properly in the gearbox.

[shabir]

The cables ORIGINALLY were made with square ends. A lot of the recent products have been made with the end swaged "oval" or egg-shaped. If the oval is the right size it will be driven just as well as the square. If in doubt, make sure the cable is attached at the gearbox end. Disconnect the speedometer end and use a pair of needle-nose pliers to see if you can turn the cable. If it can be spun with little or no effort, the cable is either broken or the bottom end is not engaging the square drive hole properly in the gearbox.

thanks mate, i tried checking if its engaged properly and i found that it wasn't, checked to see if it was broken, couldn't find any breaks. im thinking maybe i need a new speedo drive, or perhaps when the metro engine was put in the speedo drive was not changed to a mini one.

[tiger99]

The Metro and Mini drives are the same, except that the gear may have a different number of teeth, as will the other gear on the gearbox output shaft, to get the correct speedo calibration to suit your wheel size and final drive ratio. A wrong combination of parts will not prevent the speedo from being driven, as the cable will still engage properly. It will just read wrongly.

If you disconnect the cable, jack up one wheel and turn it, does the drive rotate? The plastic drive gear could have failed, and it is possible to change it without removing the engine. Just undo the small bolt holding the drive bearing (the bit that the speedo cable screws on to) and pull the shaft of the gear out with pliers. It is a helical gear and will need to rotate as it comes out.

Remember to get a new gasket for the housing, or you will get an oil leak. No need to drain the oil before taking the drive out, the oil is below the level of the drive except that it splashes up when the engine is running.

[shabir]

Had a look at the cable the other day. Removed it from behind my dials. Tried to push it in to te gearbox end from here to try and engage it if it wants. Doing so I wasn't able to spin it by hand. I thought this had fixed it for me. So I moved te car in the drive to see if it spins. Well it didnt! It moved a very small amount and that's it, it does this each time you roll from stand still. It still won't turn by hand. Checked to see if it was caught any where but couldn't see anything obvious.

[dklawson]

That suggests that Tiger's observations are correct. It MAY be that your drive gear inside the gearbox is stripped or otherwise not being driven. The gear may be rotating until some point where the teeth are missing after which the gear can no longer drive the cable. I am sure this is not what you wanted to hear but it is not the end of the world either. You should be able to pull the drive gear out as Tiger suggests, inspect it and replace it as necessary.

[Elliskwleisk]

Sorry to bring up an old thread and dklawson I know you'll be getting fed up with my various questions regarding speedos but I'm slightly confused with mine aswell. I've sorted all the TPM malarkey out and going by guess work and tomsminisite, the gauge should under read by 1%. However, my speedo jumps about between 0 and 30 and then is accurate up to 45, then when I get to 60 the speedo shows about 51. I've fitted a new cable so I'm totally confused. Could it be a faulty cable? Or is it something more serious?

[dklawson]

I am not fed up or bothered at all. Do ask questions.

If the cable itself is new and the speedometer jumps it can still be the cable. Make sure there are no tight bends in the cable particularly in the last few inches right before the ends. There are many reports of speedo cables that are a tiny bit too long. This causes the cable to "push" on the gauge rather than the cable just sitting in place. If you have the type of cable that threads onto the speedometer, you can usually confirm a cable length problem by loosening the cable nut on the back of the speedo. If the problem goes away with the cable loose I would discuss this with whoever you bought the cable from..

If loosening the cable does not work it may simply be the speedometer is old and needs a cleaning. Smiths speedometers work using spinning magnets to create an eddy current in an aluminum disk attached to the same spindle the needle attaches to. There is a tiny hairspring to resist the torque produced by the eddy current. All these forces are so low that the spindle is supported "dry" in a needle bearing on the bottom end and just resting against a support block near the needle. If there is any dirt in the needle bearing or support block, the gauge may behave poorly. This poor performance is more likely to happen at lower speeds.

[Elliskwleisk]

It's a smiths gt triple clock set, can you give me a rough idea of what route the speedo cable should take for a RHD mini? My cable has been put in by the previous owner and has numerous sharp bends in it.

[mk=john]

When I replaced my engine, gearbox assembly into my mini, i am sure i got a new speedo cable from Minispares with the square end.
Either way, take care to ensure it is fitted to the diff housing correctly, and is seated correctly.
When fitted to the speedo housing, it shouldnt be possible to turn the other end by hand, so should then be fine.

John

[dklawson]

It's a smiths gt triple clock set, can you give me a rough idea of what route the speedo cable should take for a RHD mini?

I would say that sharp bends are not good or acceptable in general. However, I cannot advise you on the proper cable routing. Minis like your GT (and later) never were officially imported here. There are some here now but I have not worked on them.

You may wish to start a new thread with a more GT specific title so others on the board will see and respond to your question.