Speedometer & cable questions

[Zoro]

Finally got around to tearing the dash out of the Eagle to diagnose my non-working speedometer. Got the instrument cluster out and the speedometer works on the bench, so that's not the problem. I held the speedometer cable in my hand then ran the car up and down the driveway a few times and the inner part of the cable did not spin until I parked the car and played with it. The cable spun for a quick second almost like there was built up tension that was released. I tried to get it to do it again but didn't have any luck.

I noticed that the speedometer cable disappears into the firewall and on the other side of the firewall it looks like the cable runs straight down to the transfer case. I believe my issue is somewhere between the brain for the cruise and the speedometer because they both went out at the same time. About a month or two ago they both started to work out of the blue then quit again. The factory TSM doesn't really say squat on this topic.

Any ideas on where to start looking now that I've got the dash apart? Also, how do I set the odometer? Since the speedometer went out I've tracked my mileage with a GPS and I'd like to ad that mileage back to the odometer when I get everything working again.

Thanks for the help!

[Zoro]

sounds like the cable core twisted apart. thats not that rare. they arent to hard to replace. you can get a new universal core, and just measure it correctly. you will want to make sure there are no kinks, or smashes on the outer sheathing. the outter sheath on my sx4 got inbetween the t-case and the skid plate and it is smashed a little. speedo still works just fine tho. as for adding miles... um. thats kinda illeagle to alter milage in some states. but if you really want to, just put a piece of the old core in the speedo just long enough to grab with a drill and spin it till the miles add up.

Ended up tearing into it and found the sensor for the cruise control. It's inline in the speedometer cable above the 'frame' rail but below the sector shaft. Only logical way I could figure it out was to go at it from under the car which was a royal PITA to say the least. The inner core cable on the first section between the transfer case and the cruise control sensor was shredded up pretty good, hooked a drill to each end and was not able to get the other end to move. Also tried to remove the inner core from the first section of cable but it was in such bad shape that I couldn't get it to come out in a length larger than an inch or two. The outer part looks pretty good tho.

As for the odometer, I only want to bump the mileage up because I've put a good 10K or so on the car since it went out. I'm just trying to keep it honest should I ever decide to sell the car even if it is exempt from odometer readings. I've tried the drill thing in the past on a parts car just to see what it would do but that will only spin it to about 35mph. 10k miles is a LONG way to go at 35mph LOL.

[Zoro]

What's the best way to remove what's left of the speedometer core? As it sits right now I've removed maybe 6 inches of it and I can't see any of the inner core from either end.

[carnuck]

time for another cable then. The inside of the cable sheath is probably messed up from the cable coming apart in more than 2 pieces.

[EAGLER]

the transfer case it´s supossed to be a speed sensor for the cruise control unit

[Zoro]

Figured everything out and got my speedo working! In order to pull the old cable core out I had to cut the speedo cable in half then yank the innards out. The half that goes to the transfer case cooperated well but the half that goes to the cruise speed sensor didn't, the cable had fragged inside and fused together with the clear plastic liner that it rides in. I still need a new cable assembly but I was able to make a temp fix for the time being until I can find one from a parts Eagle.

After cutting the cable in half and removing the old cable core I reattached the two halves with a piece of 3/8" fuel line and 4 hose clamps. I didn't plan the cut I just went with it but when I reinstalled it the spot where I did the splice is guarded by the skid plate for the transfer case. Don't think I could have done it better if I had planned it out! Hopefully this temporary fix will last long enough until I get a new cable.

Ended up figuring out the odometer issue as well but this should not be attempted if you have shaky hands like me. After a few choice words and an hour or so I got everything working again. Also a few choice words after reassembling the dash.

To make a long story short my speedometer, odometer and cruise are working again.