speedometer troubles

[apt13]

hi all, was hoping i could get some help on my speedometer troubles. most threads i've seen end in having to ship the thing out to get rebuilt at a price i can't quite afford, so i wanted to pick a few more brains before i have to consider that.

a few weeks ago while riding the speedometer just stopped working. odometer and trip meter also stopped.

i took the cable off at the gauges end, sprayed some teflon spray down in the cable. i stuck a little screwdriver up in the hole where the cable goes into the gauge and gave it a little spin and a wiggle. the speedo needle bounced around as i did this. also, i was able to spin the cable with my fingers. seems like i woudn't be able to do that if it was in the transmission properly?

so i re-attached the cable and then removed it from the transmission end. i replaced the rubber boot a month earlier, so its still in great shape. i have no idea what really to inspect on this end, so i just made sure the cable was seated back in the transmission hole and screwed the breather bolt back in.

speedo still didnt work, so i pulled it on the gauges end again, and with the bike on the centerstand, i started it and put it in gear. the cable was not spinning. also at this point i could not spin the cable with my fingers.

should that cable be spinning when the bike is in gear?

is there anything else i might be able to do to narrow this down? when do you need to replace the speedo cable? how can you tell when it is worn out? or is there a way to check that the whole cable/transmission connection is working properly?

or a better way to figure out if you do in fact need to rebuild the speedometer gauges?

thanks for the help!

 

[20774]

Phil -

Usually, the cable is the first thing to suspect whenever the speedo begins to act erractically. Sometimes the problem might be the guts of the speedo, but the cable should be easy to check.

Sometimes the steel wire winding of the inner cable can unravel. When it does, it can catch-release-catch-release-etc inside the sheath, creating annoying bouncing of the needle. Cable would need to be replaced.

If you were to attach the gage end and chuck up a drill to the tranny end, you could simulate the trannsmission and see if things worked.

If you removed the gage end and attach the tranny end normally, start the bike and run it in gear, you should see if the internal cable spin. If not, then you have some kind of engagement problem at the tranny end or possibly something has broken inside the transmission that converts the spinning output shaft into corresponding spinning of the cable internal wire.

 

[apt13]

ahh, that drill trick seems like a good idea! i'll try that. although i suspect it may be your last point where there may be something wrong in the transmission, as the cable does not spin when the bike is in gear. hmmm. i will try the drill trick regardless out of my own personal enjoyment and report back. thanks!

 

[darryl cainey]

You will have to put the drill in reverse to get the speedo to move, be gentle on the trigger!

 

[apt13]

ok, just walked out into the pollen cloud and tried the drill trick. here's what happened:

undid the cable from the trans end. stuck the drill on it and squeezed the trigger. nothing moved on the speedometer.

then i undid it on the gauge end as well with the drill still attached on the trans end. pulled the trigger and the cable on the gauge end did not move.

so i assume that means the cable is shot? i would assume spinning one end should spin the other end? haha.

 

[bikerfish1100]

sounds like a breaking of the cable somewhere between its 2 ends. not utterly uncommon.

 

[lmo1131]

sounds like a breaking of the cable somewhere between its 2 ends. not utterly uncommon

Elementary my dear Watson! Lucky you.. .. you got the "cheap" way out.

Whatever you do, do NOT lubricate the new cable!!!

 

[apt13]

well stopped by boxerworks and picked up a used speedo cable. lubed it a little (i know you said not to lube NEW ones). attached it and all seems to be working. the old cable was definitely broken in the middle and looks pretty gunky/rusty. figured this used one will get me by until an eventual full speedometer rebuild. and hopefully that "eventuality" won't come anytime soon. thanks again for everyone's help. the drill trick really confirmed it.

i had a fairly new rubber boot on the previous cable, so i took it off and put it on this one. not sure if its just the heat of the day or heat of the engine, but its pretty soft and doesnt seem like it is "sealing" on the cable. i read somewhere that someone squirts a little sealant around the top of it? is that acceptable or a no-no and just leave it be? i had a problem with water getting in the transmission there which warranted the new rubber boot. and yes that was all sorted out for me thanks to nathan.

 

[20774]

Sealant is sometimes used. Another thing that's not so messy is a small black plastic zip tie...you can easily remove that as needed. Pull it tight and it will stop water from running down the cable.

 

[apt13]

zip-tie, brilliant. thanks!

 

[boxermaf]

You can also put a finger-gob of general purpose grease under the rubber boot so that if water does still manage to get around the boot, it still has to penetrate through grease before it can get into the transmission case through the cable drive hole..