Ok...I won this auction on eBay to get me a new instrument console for $41 shipped.
Looks like this:


The item came with a brand new speedo cable but I have no idea how to replace the thing. My old one is bad (I think) since it only reads about 55% of the speed I'm actually doing. I assume that unscrewing the screws holding the old assembly in the car will let me remove the inside end, but where does the other end go? The cable isn't THAT long, it can't go too far. Anyone with an exploded diagram they can show me?

 

The other cable end ends up on the backside of the gearbox. It is a pain to do in the car, but it is possible. I suggest alot of WD40. Good luck!!

 

Muhahaha! You have now found one of the most dreaded Mini projects there is..... (besides the trans rod change roll pin)

The cable goes to the left side of the motor at the rear under the crank pulley. Look down with a light at the back of the radiator near the bottom of the bottom radiator hose. It screws into the trans through a housing that sits above and in front of the left axle/pot joint.

You will find there is little room there for a hand or a tool. There is also no easy way to access it. It generally has been on forever and is usually overtightened and covered in oil, making a very difficult job much worse. Normally it is the first thing connected when installing the motor (and the last thing disconnected when removing) because of its location.

In situ, you'll have to raise the car and try to get a hand around the pot joint to loosen the end from the fitting. Or, remove the engine steadies and rock the motor forward & try to reach down from the top under the manifolds.

Since your old speedo was functioning but not accurately, I suggest installing the new speedo and see how it reads, first. It could just be your speedo and not a cable problem. (This is not a job you want to do if you don't have to.) If you go forward, make sure you have the right cable first. There are a couple cables of differing lengths and end fittings at the speedo.

When the cable goes bad it usually breaks internally near the trans fitting or speedo head and the speedo simply doesn't work anymore. [I know, I am replacing one this weekend.]

 

extra long angles plyers will help unless you have child like hands.

 

Or have a child to do it for you.
Have fun! It ain't.

 

I have replaced mine twice and it sucked! I have tackled from the top and from underneath and both suck! I agree that when they go bad, they break in the transmission. I would say have fun, but I know you won't.

 

Q & A tech col' of the Feb 08 MiniWorld has this very question!

Their expert offers that removing the radiator: "it is quicker and less painful in the long run."

I haven't had to replace the speedo cable, but I have pulled the rad' and it took longer to drain the fluid than it took to actually pull the rad out....but then again I've a FRG front end that comes off quickly so getting the rad out may be a bit harder for most of ya'll

 

As they say: Been there - Done that. If you need to replace the cable (and the problem is not really the speedo itself), make sure that once you have inserted the tranny end, that the speedo end of the cable core turns when you spin the wheel that you're laying next to. I encountered problems getting the tranny end of the cable fully engaged with the gear in the tranny. Its easy to verify before you put the speedo back in place. Just rotate the wheel and watch the other end of the cable. If it doesn't turn, open a small box of profanity (if it isn't already open) and start over.

 

Um...not as such. I had to add 3 links to the band of the new watch I just got. My hands are in proportion to my wrists.

I don't have an available child either.

Excellent! I love a challenge!
Ok...thanks for the advice. I'll try the new dials with the old cable and see how it goes before I swap the cable.

 

Update...I have to replace the cable. The cable that's in there is not correct for the dials I bought, nor apparently correct for the dials I'm removing!
The cable was held onto the back of the dial with electrician's tape. It doesn't look like it was broken at all, just a different design.
If I have access to a hoist, will that make the change easier? I have to access the transmission end of the cable from under the car, right? My Haynes manual doesn't have any pictures of the transmission in the section about changing the dials and speedo cable.

 

A hoist or floor jack w/stands will help. Yes, access, such as it is, is from under the car. Here is what you're looking for. Pix take from the upper backside of a 1275. See the red circled tranny fitting, above the pot joint.

 

Cool. Thanks.

 

Did mine last weekend. Went well, BUT I have a flip front, unfastened the dogbone engine steady, unfastened the lower front engine steady, loosened the LCB from the collector, and removed the int/exh manifolds to replace a gasket at the same time. Luckily (after wiping all the oil off) the cable unscrewed by hand from above....

 

Like minimad said, if you unbolt the engine the whole engine will be able to tilt forward a little giving you room to work. Mine isn't a flip front and it wasn't a problem to get to. Although I had the axles out so possibly the cv joints may prevent it from tilting.

 

Inner pot joint is in the way when approached from below in the back. I think its easier to tilt the motor forward.

 

When threading the new cable in, is it easier to do it from inside the car or underneath?

 

Originally Posted by Minimad
Muhahaha! You have now found one of the most dreaded Mini projects there is..... (besides the trans rod change roll pin)

Uh, how difficult is it to renew the rod change oil seal?

 

If u r done this tip is too late

But the guy I bought OC from, nearly put his eye out when he was swapping the engine during our sale process. Somehow the cable snapped back at him and caught him smack in the eye. I think it ended up a scratched cornea

Wear eye protection.....

 

I started mine from behind the firewall, and threaded it both ways from there - down to the tranny, and through the hole to the speedo. Push it through the firewall toward the dash, then when the tranny end is close to the firewall, push it down toward the tranny (pulling some of the cable back from the speedo/dash). This is not the difficult part. The actual connections to the tranny and speedo are difficult.

 

It actually isn't too bad. Getting the roll pin out is the bugaboo. And laying under the car to work in a cramped area.

1. Spray it in advance with a real rust penetrant (not WD40).
2. Then go buy a proper set of punches. (They're cheap at Harbor Freight). Don't use a nail, or some other substitute or anything with a pointed end. It will only cause you more grief. You need a proper diameter, blunt end punch. PERIOD.
3. Put the car up on stands with enough room to work under.
4. Put the trans in reverse. This gives the best angle to puch the pin out.
5. Take your punch and a BFH and smack the pin out.
6. This will let the coupler seperate from the selector shaft in the trans. Remove the small boot if its still there. I then used a set of picks to pull out the old seal.
7. Get a repair kit. The new ones come with 2 seals, a new boot and an aluminum support spacer for the selector shaft. Pop it all in. (make sure someone already hasn't put in the spacer, there should be room for all of it)
8. Pop the pin back in & Bob's your uncle!

 

He forgot to remove the cable and it snapped on him....

 

Thanks for the scoop Minimad!

 

No from what I understand the new block was in place & he was threading the cable ... lost his grip and the 'spring' of the cable made it jump towards his face

ouch

 

That would be a truly random and freaky accident. There's not much "threading", or stretching, or tension involved. But, anything's possible....:impatient I've had some happen myself.... (some, I'd rather not recount)