Well, this isn't too big a mystery, but a simple question before I dig into it. The tab in the speedo cable is not turning, so I will need to take it out at the tranny. I am hoping to find a cable with a broken end, but if not...... is there a gear or something in the tranny that breaks? This is a 4sp manual transmission, for the record.
Thanks. I ended my search after page 3, and just decided to ask.....


**btw, the speedo and odo work when turned by an electric drill and a T-10 torx head**

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I had the same issue a while back in my manual 240. It really easy to pull the cable off. There is a threaded collar on the trans. end of the cable that you thread off and you are free to go.
If you have the instrument cluster out already you can easily tell if your cable it broken or not. Pull on the square part of the cable right where it connects to the cluster. If the cable is broken it will pull out. It's quick and easy job to pull and relpace.

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Job was easy enough, of course with one hiccup....
Pulled speedo cable, and sure enough, turn one end, other end doesn't turn. Seemed to be broken near the tranny end. Here was the hiccup:
Old speedo cable had small square end to speedo, and a thin slotted end at the tranny. Apparently this is an older style. Pulled the one from Scar, an '81 240, and it was small and square on both ends!
So I went and got the one from my '77 300D, and it was the square/slotted type. Ended up working fine.
Funny, but the trannys are different on the 80 vs the 81. The 80 appears to be aluminum, and the shafts that the linkages attach to protrude from tranny, and collars attach linkages to them.
On the 81, which was not aluminum, the shafts for linkages didn't protrude, the linkages seemed to be made into tranny. Won't make sense I guess, and I didn't have camera when I was up under there.
Speedo cables also attached to different sides. '80 more on drivers side, '81 more on passenger side.
Is either tranny more preferred, as far as the aluminum vs what I guess is steel?

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

same thing just happened to me... '84 cable (square to square) rusted into 2 pieces b/c the sheath had a low point and was collecting water somehow.

Pulled one from the '80 but lo and behold it was square to slotted.

Phil wants $130 for a new one... OUCH!

Jimmy, would you consider selling the one you pulled?? I'm not sure if it would be long enuff b/c of the xtra length of the 5 speed tranny, but for the right price I'd give it a 'whirl'

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Cheers,
Robert