Speedo Cable Broken

Warm and sunny today so out for a ride. Suddenly the speedo jumps and dies. Got home took off the speedometer end of the cable and out falls the end 4" of cable. Do I replace it with a standard VW cable or do I get a special one from Kirk?

Troy

Troy,

A standard length Beetle cable is fine,

Alan

I have check my book on replacing the cable and it does not indicate to lubricate it while installing. Seems like I should be greased????
Also start from the steering wheel end right??

A light coat of oil on the cable , gease will get stiff in cold weather and cause the cable to chatter.
Start from the dash end then feed it though the spindle, don't forget to reinstall the small "C" clip at hub.

I found, on my CMC, that a stock Beetle sedan speedo cable was just a tad too short - at least for where I wanted to route it. I ended up using one for a bus and it was just a bit longer and allowed a better fit.

gn

If the speedometer is installed in the right side hole(proper placement) a stock beetle cable is too short.

And there you have it!

Troy,
The speedo cable that Kirk is using is a one-piece super beetle cable.

Joel,

Which cable fit if the speedometer is installed in the right side hole?
Do you have a VW-Number?
Thanks
Phil

Just use the one for a Type 2 (Bus) up to '67. The '68-up is even longer according to my friend JJ. He just replaced his because he just modified his dash to receive 356 replica gauges and he decided to put the speedo on the right like on original 356A T2's. With respect to VW number, it should start with 211 if I'm not mistaken.

Take the broken cable to the store and get a same length replacement. Otherwise measure it and order online.
Be sure there are no broken cable ends left in the speedo. Take note of the cable location as is routed through the front suspension. Otherwise very easy task.

I replaced one and used Kirk's recommendation to buy a Super Beetle cable. They are a little longer and cost all of maybe $13-15. David's advice on checking for broken ends is worth noting. I found mine busted in the VDO housing. The angle to the Speedo on a VS across the under dash frame brace can be tough depending on where you have your speedo mounted in the cluster. I moved mine to the left and had no problems after that.

Has anyone noticed that Gordon answers EVERY qustion asked, by posting yet ANOTHER picture of his *%# car?

TC , I noticed but I didn't want to embarrass him by pointing it out. On second thought I probably couldn't embarrass him anyway. TOM

Awwww.......did Mr. Gwumpy-Wumpy get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?

OK, then....no more pictures......and no more thread hi-jacking (Yay!)

I'll just do a few more projects and lurk for a while.

gn

Ah, come on Gordon, post the pictures!

Thanks for the smiley face, Theron. :>)

Notice that Gordo posts the "Nude knee caps & Speedster pic" as often as possible :)

It turns out there are three versions of a super beetle cable. In fact for a while there was an upper and lower cable. Anyway the right one is for a 73-74. Just a little longer than a standard beetle cable and fits great. Easy job. Half hour.

p.s.
i also had to rotate my speedo about 30 degrees counterclockwise to get the speedo cable to better clear the under dash frame brace on my JPS. Looks a bit strange at first, but it works well. Actually, it improves the visibility of the gauge reading through the steering wheel. That kink at the dash is where my cable broke after just a few thousand miles.

Shucks, i believe some of the original Cobras had gauges spun around for better visibility also.

David, the reason race cars had the guages turned was to have the redline (tach), oil temp, oil pressure etc needles straight up when each was optimum, so the driver could see them out of the bottom of his eye with out looking down.
ed