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Advice on replacing speedometer cable

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1.8K views 5 replies 2 participants last post by  palacekeeper  
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#1 ·
Hey everyone, I have a 1970 Mach 1 and had a T5 installed last year, and along with a bunch of other repairs, it had a new speedo cable installed as well. Now that I've taken the car out out a few times, I've noticed that transmission fluid is leaking and running down the speedo cable. From reviewing other older threads on similar questions, I've so far deduced the following:

1. The cable itself does not hold any fluid, except maybe some grease.
2. The o-ring is a possible suspect.
3. The crimp could be bad at the end of the cable that connects to the transmission.
4. Some have tried sealing the crimp with sealer, but that didn't usually work.

My questions are, at this point:

1. If I need to replace the cable, how hard is it to replace the end behind the dash? Can I replace the cable without removing the dash? I haven't removed the dash before myself, and I'd like to avoid that if possible, so that I don't screw up anything else back there in the process. Note: this car does not have A/C.

2. It doesn't look like the o-ring is bad, but rather that the crimp is bad, because oil seems to be coming from underneath the crimp - although I'm not certain on that yet. If I need to replace the cable and/or o-ring, which ones are recommended for my application?

3. Any other tips/advice are welcome!

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
I went through 2 of the aftermarket cables over the years. I found an NOS cable on eBay a few years ago. No more problems. They pop up there every so often. My car has a/c so I had to remove the dash pad to get to the upper clip to release the cable. With no a/c I believe you can reach it with no problem.
 
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#3 ·
Thanks. I was thinking of trying some Permatex Right Stuff around the crimp area, and then heat shrink waterproof tubing over that. As long as the o-ring is good, and assuming I get a good seal, that just might do the trick. If not, i'll explore replacing the cable.

So - it sounds like its doable to replace the cable behind the dash? How does the cable detach from the back of the instrument panel?
 
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