Speedo cable

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.

Big Sandy

Active Member
Posts
97
Location
Soaking up the rays, baby.
First road test of the III this evening, since engine and gearbox rebuild. All seems well mechanically, but the speedo isn't working. I didn't replace the cable during the works...it was a bit fluttery but I put that down to a broken gearbox mounting rubber.

So, replacements. The part number PRC2065 seems to be superseded...paddocks don't even recognise the number, and the cable they do show is britpart, and the ends look wrong in the photo (it is britpart after all). Blanchards, Craddocks, they seem to have the same cable, at about a fiver....britpart?

Lrseries have genuine, again, different part number. Replacement part is about £6, genuine over £40.

What to do? Risk the britpart one from paddocks? Or go genuine, and find it arrives in a blue box anyway. That does happen....

Its about 20 years since I replaced this cable.....no idea what make it was then :(
 
I don't think there's much choice via Britpart. John Craddocks sells them. It's the longer one and the cheaper one you need. Did mine last year. Slightly fiddly at the gearbox end but job took about an hour to complete. The clip fitting at the dashboard end is very stiff, you need to make sure it's fully in position.
 
I'd email Lrseries and see if the genuine is in fact Britpart or not. No first hand experience but I've read of issues with Britpart ones. I seem to recall Bearmach also offering a version which was reported to be ok.
 
Thanks all!
I think first thing will be to pull the cable and see if it is that. "Shouldn't" be the drive on the box. Famous last words....
Thanks for the link to xmod Doug, forgot about them...
I'd email Lrseries and see if the genuine is in fact Britpart or not. No first hand experience but I've read of issues with Britpart ones. I seem to recall Bearmach also offering a version which was reported to be ok.
I've heard the same re britpart... I'll ask Dom at Lrseries. Will keep you posted.
 
Hi
Having spent an age sorting out speedo issues , would echo the earlier suggestion , check first , open up the centre seat panel ,disconnect cable at the drive & connect to a drill , assuming the top end is firmly in the speedo , and I'd double check that , it should work . I found I did need a gentle tap with a hammer on the gearbox end to spread out the end to get more bite , but overall the brit part cable was fine . just remember if you do swap to lubricate it beforehand .
And bouncing needle may be an issue with speedo rather than the cable , the drill method should see a steady movement on a good speedo . That's what ended up being the issue with mine .
Cheers
Steve
 
I would go the Bearmach way as unless the BP ones have changed over the years the BP ones used to be to short and would break shortly after fitting or keep unclipping itself from the speedo head ;)
 
Your ears must be burning Big Sandy! It's a pleasure to make your acqaintance again, it's been a while. Hope you're well!
 
Thanks Steve, I'll do as you suggest. Last time it broke it was at the drive end, right in the housing. Twas an absolute pain to get out too.
The drill is a good idea, easy enough to do from the drivers side too, given its quite likely to be pimply sissing down when I get back to it.
 
An update.
I ordered 2 cables, one from xmod, and one from craddocks. Xmod one arrived the next day, and was bearmach. As yet, the craddocks one hasn't even despatched. I ordered a couple of other things from them, one item has a 3 week wait (despite being shown as in stock). This has happened with the last 3 orders I have placed with craddocks. Ahh well...

So, fitted the bearmach cable today. Taking the old one off I was a bit worried to see it was entirely intact. I saw £ signs.... However, fitted the new drive end to the Speedo, and a quick spin with the drill showed that was working fine.
Routed it round the gearbox and engine bay, cable tied well away from the exhaust, and hooked it up to the gearbox. A road test later, and yaaay, it works!

Looking at the bearmach cable, both ends were well formed, nice and square. The original was kind of oval, which I think may have been the issue.

When the cable from craddocks finally turns up, I'll post again and let you know what quality it is like.
 
Cable from Craddocks arrived today.

It wasn't in a blue bag, just in a box. Had a label on a piece of string, said "Autocar parts". Deffo not saying britpart on it anywhere.

The end that goes into the box is oval, and testing it on a spare gearbox, it just spins. A clout with a hammer to square it up required.

Bigger problem at the other end. No clip to hold it on to the speedo housing. Could maybe bodge the part off the old cable, but why should you have to?

So, in short, the bearmach cable from xmod wins the prize. Add that to their delivery, next day pretty much, and Craddocks 10 day delivery, xmod come out the prize winners again.

So, there you have it.
 
Right enough Graham, Bearmach was the one.

Just surprised to get a random part from Craddocks, I expected Britpart, but its not. P.O.S. though. Britpart would likely have been that too :)

Give Craddocks their due, I asked them to send the cable out seperately after they told me of the delay, and they did. Still took over a week though.
 
Back
Top