Broken Speedometer cable!

[Artie]

Okay, so for the last year or so, every time I get this car running, I find another annoying problem! Geez! Anyway, I finally sort out my broken shift cable problem and send my broken speedometer in for repair after 5 years without a speedometer. I got the speedometer back today and took the binnacle off to install the speedo only to find the speedometer cable end broken! I had installed a speedo from a junkyard in Texas, turns out it was from Paul93's old black 93 and it wasn't working properly. But, the odometer worked and the mileage was only about 4K miles over what my mileage was on my original speedo so that's all I needed. Anyway, I did a search on replacing the cable but found nothing. Anyone done this? Does the inner cable just get pulled thru, or does the whole cable and ends have to come thru? Does the large threaded speedo end go thru the firewall somewhere? IF so, is the hole big enough or did Lotus seal the hole with fiberglass after running the cable thru or what? Any ideas would be great. I didn't inspect any further than gettting the binnacle off and looking at the cable! I took out the boot floor but it's too cold on the garage floor tonight to climb under the car to see where it all goes........AHHHHH!

[USAndretti42]

i replaced the speedo cable on my S2. Pulled the inner cable through from the speedo end and fed the new one in. Was a while ago but I don't remember it giving any problems. I think I undid the other end from the angle drive as well so as not to damage it.

[Artie]

Well, I couldn't fall asleep thinking about it, so I went down and took the silly thing apart! The Stevens car I have has the cable in 2 pieces. The front piece comes into the firewall just in front of the alternator and there is a threaded sleeve with a nylon locking/screw on bit. I separated the halves, but left the front half in place so I can feed the new one through the firewall when I get it. The inner cable doesn't seem to come out of the cable sheath as far as I can tell. I pulled on it with pliers but no luck. I'll call JAE tomorrow and see what the story is. Not a bad job really, but just had the center console and everything when I replaced the shift cable last week! I don't know if it's a good sign or a bad sign that I go into each project on this car now knowing what tools and what stretches I need to do before I start! Hoping of all hopes that Jeff has a cable in stock and that it doesn't cost me $200 like the shift cable did!

Artie

[Mike6]

Exactly the same on my car. The speedo broke up inside and took off the end of the cable. The problem with my car is that the cable was in one piece (now obsolete) so I had to buy both pieces - about £150 from memory. You should get one of the two piece cables for around £70. A fiddly job but seems ok now - just be careful how you connect up back at the gearbox

[Artie]

Well, the cable is the 2 piece cable, the rear section is fine, I took it out, cleaned it up and used some heavy duty heat shrink wrap to cover the cable as it has gotten knackered over years of neglect. The new cable will be here this thursday from JAE, which cost me $168 plus shipping. Oh well, was hoping for cheaper but gotta have it! Anyway, to those doing this in the future, the rear section screws apart, and the end is a small fitting, perhaps 3/8" so I have pulled that end into the cockpit instead of trying to pull the large end that goes to the speedo through the firewall, that involved far less removal of inside upholstry! FYI!

Artie