Speedometer kabel and T-piece

[Sjef]

Dear TR enthusiasts.

Recently bought a new cable and t piece after having  restored the speedometer.

Due to a new welded piece of metal I can't change this cable & T-piece from inside so I have to crawl underneath the car. Can anyone let me know if this is easy accessible without the necessity to remove exhaust or other items first.

Your tips & tricks are really welcome.  Thanks & best regards,  Sjef  

 

[RogerH]

I seem to recall somebody saying they had removed/fitted the angle drive and speedo cable from underneath but it was far fro simple.

 

Good luck

 

Roger

[Sjef]

Hmm this is what I didn't like to hear.

Anybody know why this is hard to do....? Or not 

[astontr6]

21 minutes ago, Sjef said:

Hmm this is what I didn't like to hear.

Anybody know why this is hard to do....? Or not 

Hi Sjef,

What has happen to the removable inspection cover on the gear box cover? As this was what it was for!

Bruce.

[Waldi]

Sjef,

I assume you mean the angle drive (little gearbox). You can remove a piece of the gearbox cover (like 8x10 cm), for access from the right hand side. When finished, make a new cover from thin (1 mm) aluminium sheet and screw/stick it on. I used Bison Polymax flexible kit for that, together with some bended interior fixes. You will need to remove a part of the carpet for this.

Waldi

[Sjef]

@ Bruce

No inspection hatch on my car unfortunately.

 

@Waldi

How do I tell the exact location where to cut out this piece?

[Waldi]

Hi Sjef,

There is a small bulge i think, drill a small hole first (like 10 mm), an then decide how large you want to make the window. Mark the windows 4 corners by a small (like 6 mm) drill and cut open with a knife or small saw blade. Be careful not to damage wiring, fuel lines etc (there should be no wiring or fuel lines there but you never know). Mine is covered behind the carpet, but if you look at vendor websites, like Racetorations, you can get the idea of size and location.

Succes, je kan het:)

Waldi

Waldi

[Sjef]

Thanks Waldi,

Today is the day........hope I don't regret although it is also a good excuse to raise the MX5 seat set a tiny bit for purpose of comfort. I will try to make pictures. I also have to renew the cable so does this mean I have to crawl under to de- and attach the cable in one or more clips?  

And thanks for the the re assurance in Dutch :-)

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by Sjef

[Sjef]

Grr finally came to the T-piece, removed it and........the new one won't fit. The inner shaft of the new T-piece is 3.15mm while the old one is 3.00. Hope I can file this off.

[Waldi]

Hi Sjef, 

Good you got at it:)

The repro angle drives are known to fail prematurely. There are some better engineered ones for sale, at a higher price. Search for “angle drive“ on this forum.

 

Also, the new cable should be lubricated, but too much will damage the speedo as the grease can work it’s way up. Search for more info on that too. It will increase your success rate.

My cable is not fixed in the middle, and runs from angle drive over the GB to the lhs bulk head through a grommet to the speedo.

Regards,

Waldi

[Sjef]

Done it. I could lift the plastic tunnel just enough to get to the angle drive (bought from a well known Dutch Triumph specialist in Noord Holland. I've managed to file ,10 mm off and that did the trick. In my enthusiasm I forgot to grease the cable but when loosen from the speedometer all cable goes down so I think it is allowed to grease from that point.

Any suggestions what kind of grease / oil?

It was a bit of a struggle to get the flange of the cable between gearbox and bulkhead but finally managed. All in all in 3 - 4 hours and for a non experienced mechanic I am happy now. Tomorrow I will make preparations to raise the front of both seats a couple of cm and then the exiting moment if all was worth the sweat And the money as overhauling the speedometer was an expensive job but if it doesn't wobble anymore I am a happy guy.

Thanks for the support.

   

[Waldi]

Hi Shef,

very good, enjoy the result. I have used Molybdeniumdisulfude grease, the black stuff, this has good dry-lube properties, better than “std grease”.

I lubed the entire inner cable, but not too much, and the top end just a little bit.

Waldi