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OK, I did the brave thing and got a speedometer cable for my car and connected it to the engine. Then I drove around the block to be sure the cable was turning. When I connected the cable to the speedometer, nothing happened. So I took the speedometer off and put a nail in the cable hole. It did not turn.

That's when I took the whole speedometer apart and found the grease in the gears was a very old and firmly solid. So I softened the grease and removed the gears and cleaned them and oiled them with sewing machine oil. It now turns mostly smooth with a nail in the cable hole. I placed a nail in a drill and turned the drill counterclockwise. the speedometer holds a steady 25 miles per hour. Then I reconnected the cable to the speedometer and the speedometer still doesn't turn. So what am I not doing? Any help?

Curtis

If the 32 setup has the same basics as later cars, then with your description I would think the cable is either too short or is getting pushed down in the casing somehow so it won't slide in the receiving end to connect. Another possibility is one of the ends could be the wrong size or length and with a load to drive is either slipping when it is in place or else not going into the receptor properly.

Can you manually twist the speedometer end of cable and it is solidly locked. That would eliminate the drive end as having problems.

Thanks for the help. The speedometer end of the cable flexes slightly, but doesn't turn. This gives me an idea; so I'll test the other end of the cable by connecting it to the speedometer and then disconnecting it at the transmission to see if I can turn the speedometer from the opposite end of the cable.

Thanks again. I'll let you know how that worked.

Curtis

Could be a broken inner cable.

You nailed it, BigKev. I removed the cable at the transmission end and then started to turn the end even before I connected the cable to the speedometer and there was no action on the speedometer side. So I pulled out the cable to see what was the matter and then discovered the cable was broken, but a long time ago because there was real old grease packed into a very knotted cable. Now I get to go back to the place I bought it from and ask if they have a good cable.

Curtis

G'day Curtis,

to PackardInfo and good to see your problem has an answer.

Then I drove around the block to be sure the cable was turning.

The speedometer end of the cable flexes slightly, but doesn't turn


So how come it worked OK in your first tests?

I'd remove the old cable sheath, clean it and inspect it carefully for damage that might have caused the cable to "knot" inside. If it appears OK, you might have to buy a length of "universal cable", cut to length, and solder or crimp your old ends onto it. Had to do that on my 34, no problem. You can buy the interior cable in spools of 100 ft length. Or probably you can go to Kanter's or Max or other vendors who may have it already made up. But the key is making sure there is no damage to the sheath which could cause the new cable to also fail.

PS - Curious, is your transmission end of the cable the same as the picture below from 1933/34?

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Years ago I was worked in an auto electric shop that also did speedo repairs. Many times a car would come in with a broken cable caused by a frozen-up speedo head. Much less frequently, a broken cable due to a a crimped housing also happened. We replaced many cables but few housings. Probability is on your side for a new cable to fix your problem. However, do as O_D suggests on cleaning and inspecting the housing.

(o{I}o)

Good point Howard, The cable would turn in the sheath at slow speeds, but would not turn the speedometer once it was connected.

Curtis