Re: [Chrysler300] where to buy new speed ometer cable

["Charlie Valentine" <cross.ram@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

MN Marshal, This is so true. Learn from my mistake. Place a few drops of light oil in the indent on the speedometer head.
Here is what happen to me. A couple of years ago I decided to change the speedometer in my 62 300 convertible. I had a spare  that looked great, nice gauges and a nice dome.  It's not a real easy task to switch them but I got the job done.  I then replaced the speedometer cable  with a real nice used one I got from a car in Arizona.  It almost looked to be NOS. First I lubed the cable with speedometer grease. As I was in the car feeding the cable through the firewall I heard an arcing noise. What could that be, I wasn't welding anything? Looking up over the dash and below the upright hood I saw smoke. I quickly looked under the hood  and saw that the cable on the engine side snaked down and contacted the hot side of the starter, creating an arc weld that just ruined my really nice used cable from the Arizona car.  The arc burned right through the outer metal housing and welded the housing and the cable together. LESSON ....Disconnect the Battery first.

After disconnecting the battery ...... I then installed another spare ( not as nice) cable and set out to take the convertible out for a drive. I don't remember how far I got, probably only a few feet when the new cable ( not the outer housing ) broke.  Oh no...now what ? What did I do wrong ? I believe it broke , down near the transmission. I removed the newly installed cable and looking into it I found that the speedometer head was Not turning. This thing looked so good I assumed that it was a nice working speedometer. I never even thought to try spinning the head unit to see if it was free. Well it wasn't and as the speeometer gear in the transmission spun and the speedometer head end didn't turn  it snapped the cable. 

I then kept placing  some penetrant , in the indent, on the head end. A squirt, wait, a squirt, wait, a squirt, wait and then with small needle nose Vise Grips  and light pressure I finally got it to spin free.  I then cut a short piece of cable from the destroyed cable and put that in the cordless drill to spin the speedometer. After I was satisfied it was spinning freely I then placed a few drop of oil in the indent. Oil, spin, wait, oil, spin wait, oil, spin , wait. It's been working fine ever since.

I hope that my " tale of whoa " will help others doing a similar task.
Happy 300'ing

Lion Charlie Valentine
300G, 1962 300 Sport Convertible

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: yelof@xxxxxxxx 
  To: bleahy@xxxxxxxxxxx ; chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2009 11:12 AM
  Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] where to buy new speed ometer cable


    Your speedometer cable problem can easily be caused by the speedometer
  head itself. The lubrication dries up and either the speedo, odometer,
  or both can cause the cable to twist off. Check it out or you will be
  buying a second cable.

  MN. Marshall


  

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------------------

To send a message to this group, send an email to:
Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm

For archives go to http://www.forwardlook.net/300-archive/Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:Chrysler300-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    mailto:Chrysler300-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    Chrysler300-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/