87 Chevy r10 speedo cable

[Jerry phillion]

replaced dash light bulbs when I had dash out . Thought I had speedo cable back on right . Now it
Sometimes works. It was fine before. I don't want to pull dash apart again. It's a pain in the butt.
Is there a easier way to get my hand up there to ck it out. It has a/c. Thanks.

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

Do you know what brand cable? You can always unhook it from the transmission and hook it up to a drill to see how it behaves then. If it clicked when you installed it, the cable might just be crappy. And let me tell you, no one makes a good cable. Pioneer and NAPA are throwaway trash, and AC Delco isn’t much better. The next one I get, which might be very soon, will be a custom made cable from this company in Colorado (I think) that builds them and guarantees them.

 

[Jerry phillion]

I may have been a little vague on my speedo problem.
When I was reassembling my dash, I thought I had the speedo cable snapped into place, but I must not have and it backed away
From housing. The cable, when I took it off was quite tight.
So I'm sure that's the problem. I'm gonna wd40 where it goes
Thru firewall so it will slide a little. Nothing wrong with cable,
But I would like to know if there is a way I can reach up to
cable so I can reattach it.

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

Okay, I’m following you now. If you pull the paneling under the column and drop the column (easy), you can get more clearance and give it a try. There’s enough room for me to stuff my hand in there, and if I was careful, maybe I could, but my hands are XL sized, but I don’t even fool with trying to do stuff that way. If you have slightly smaller hands, you might have better luck, but if your ductwork by the column is in place, I would personally prefer to pull the cluster all over again.

 

[Jerry phillion]

Thanks Jesse. My hands are also XL.i will pull panel and ck
area out. With my luck, I probably will have to pull dash
Apart again. One more question. When I push the cable all
The way onto housing, does it catch by itself or do I have to
lock it myself?

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

I feel your pain. It’s supposed to lock itself, and the tab is what unlocks it. What I do to check is hold the cluster true with the cable end and tug on the cable end to make sure it’s locked. If the cable end and speedo head weren’t true when inserted, it can give the illusion of being properly installed when it’s actually not. Pulling the cluster isn’t so bad. I’ve done it so many times, it’s almost second nature.

 

[Jerry phillion]

Pulled dash again,WD'd the firewall rubber seal to loosen cable, pushed cable in hard, put back together,
Now works as before. Thanks guys.