Speedo Diagnosis

[dwise]

My Speedo was bouncing around for a bit and finally stopped. Thus far I bought and replaced: 1. The angle drive (it was bad) 2. The dust cap (it was worn) 3. The lower cable (Recommended by John Hervey)

We replaced all of those parts and the speedo still is not working. Yesterday we took the old lower cable and connected it to the bottom of the LAMBDA and did the drill test, the speedo does not spin thru the LAMBDA.

When I take the Upper cable loose from the lamda I can hand spin it and see the speedo moving.

Would this mean the LAMBDA unit is bad? Anything else anyone can recommend before either buying a new/rebuilt LAMBDA or buying that bypass long cable available for $89.95?

[Andrew]

A few years ago I took a Lambda counter apart to add some grease while trying to dx a similar speedometer issue. IIRC, the Lambda counter uses a pass-through sleeve which connects the upper and lower cables. The sleeve turns a gear assembly which turns the counter itself. Thus, absent a failure of the sleeve, I think it would be pretty difficult to have a speedometer failure resulting from the Lambda counter. Before going any further, I would recommend making sure that the upper cable is fully engaged in the speedometer assembly. This can be confirmed (with the binnacle in place) by gently pushing the cable housing upward toward the speedometer.

I may have an extra Lambda counter on my shelf that I removed when I installed a speedometer cable driven cruise control speed sensor in 5052. I don't think the counter itself works, but the speedometer worked fine. If I can find it and you want it, you're welcome to have it for the cost of shipping.

Good luck,

Andrew
4194
5052

[Jonathan]

Your speedo problems sound similar to the ones I had. I too replaced pieces in the chain and a couple of them more than once. I took the guts out of my Lambda counter at one point and that worked for a while. Andrew is right about it having a pin that spins inside between the upper and lower cable. It likely shouldn't matter whether the gears are still in there, but maybe it does. Eventually, I went with the one piece speedo cable (and new angle drive and dust cap at the same time) and eliminated the Lambda counter and it has been fine ever since (KOW).

I don't think it would hurt for you to open up your Lambda counter and at least look and see what is going on inside it. Mine had a ton of goober in it that I can't imagine was helping it turn smoothly. It squeaked a few times when it was still in the car and maybe that was a sign it was on its way out. Who knows. My speedo works now with the one piece cable and so long as it keeps working, I don't much care about the why's or how's. That damned speedo was my nemesis for the first few years I had the car.

Lambda counter grease.jpg

[dwise]

A few years ago I took a Lambda counter apart to add some grease while trying to dx a similar speedometer issue. IIRC, the Lambda counter uses a pass-through sleeve which connects the upper and lower cables. The sleeve turns a gear assembly which turns the counter itself. Thus, absent a failure of the sleeve, I think it would be pretty difficult to have a speedometer failure resulting from the Lambda counter. Before going any further, I would recommend making sure that the upper cable is fully engaged in the speedometer assembly. This can be confirmed (with the binnacle in place) by gently pushing the cable housing upward toward the speedometer.

I may have an extra Lambda counter on my shelf that I removed when I installed a speedometer cable driven cruise control speed sensor in 5052. I don't think the counter itself works, but the speedometer worked fine. If I can find it and you want it, you're welcome to have it for the cost of shipping.

Good luck,

Andrew
4194
5052

This can be confirmed (with the binnacle in place) by gently pushing the cable housing upward toward the speedometer.
Andrew ,
Forgive my ignorance but what is the "Binnacle".
And what would I be looking for by gently pushing the cable housing upward?

As I mentioned, if I remove the upper cable from the LAMBDA I can hand spin it and see the speedo moving.

Thanks for the help!

[Andrew]

This can be confirmed (with the binnacle in place) by gently pushing the cable housing upward toward the speedometer.
Andrew ,
Forgive my ignorance but what is the "Binnacle".
And what would I be looking for by gently pushing the cable housing upward?

As I mentioned, if I remove the upper cable from the LAMBDA I can hand spin it and see the speedo moving.

Thanks for the help!

The binnacle is the housing on the dash that holds the gauge cluster. Removal the binnacle isn't too bad, aside from turning yourself upside down in the footwell...not recommended if you have neck, back or shoulder problems! IIRC correctly you need to remove the binnacle to access the release tab on the upper cable at the speedometer head. If the cable housing is pulled down enough it could cause the cable end to disengage from the speedometer head when the cable is attached to the Lambda counter. Thus, before anything else, I would try pushing the cable housing up a little and then reconnect it to the Lambda counter. Maybe that will fix it.

While the single-piece speedometer cable is a nice upgrade, if you ever want to install cruise control retaining the two-piece cable provides the option of a speedometer cable driven speed sensor as opposed to messing around with the driveshaft magnets. However, the cable sensor requires a fitting swap on the upper cable to a GM style fitting.

[dwise]

The binnacle is the housing on the dash that holds the gauge cluster. Removal the binnacle isn't too bad, aside from turning yourself upside down in the footwell...not recommended if you have neck, back or shoulder problems! IIRC correctly you need to remove the binnacle to access the release tab on the upper cable at the speedometer head. If the cable housing is pulled down enough it could cause the cable end to disengage from the speedometer head when the cable is attached to the Lambda counter. Thus, before anything else, I would try pushing the cable housing up a little and then reconnect it to the Lambda counter. Maybe that will fix it.

While the single-piece speedometer cable is a nice upgrade, if you ever want to install cruise control retaining the two-piece cable provides the option of a speedometer cable driven speed sensor as opposed to messing around with the driveshaft magnets. However, the cable sensor requires a fitting swap on the upper cable to a GM style fitting.

Luckily I'm a Yoga teacher so I think I can squeeze under the footwell. Lol. Thanks for the great guidance.

[dwise]

Re the Speedo issue. Just to bring you up to speed. I bought and replaced:

1. The angle drive
2. The dust cap
3. The lower cable.
4. Long bypass cable (bypassing the Lambda completely)

We replaced all of those parts and the speedo still is not working.

It was quite the reach to get the long bypass cable snapped into the back of the speedo. Removing the clip and releasing the old one. The cable end did look somewhat worn and frayed compared to the new long bypass cable. I was able to snap the new one in place (it seemed like it only had one way to attach and the clip went back in. )

I am paying a guy to come over this weekend and help me spin test the cables from the bottom to the top.

Do you have any other specific advice to offer?

[David T]

The only thing left to replace is the speedo itself. That is assuming all of the parts you replaced are working and were correctly installed. Do the "spin test". Raise the front, left wheel and see if the cable end going into the head spins when you spin the wheel.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Re the Speedo issue. Just to bring you up to speed. I bought and replaced:

1. The angle drive
2. The dust cap
3. The lower cable.
4. Long bypass cable (bypassing the Lambda completely)

We replaced all of those parts and the speedo still is not working.

It was quite the reach to get the long bypass cable snapped into the back of the speedo. Removing the clip and releasing the old one. The cable end did look somewhat worn and frayed compared to the new long bypass cable. I was able to snap the new one in place (it seemed like it only had one way to attach and the clip went back in. )

I am paying a guy to come over this weekend and help me spin test the cables from the bottom to the top.

Do you have any other specific advice to offer?

The company you bought your parts from should be willing to assist in diagnossing what is wrong.
Rob Grady

[dwise]

The only thing left to replace is the speedo itself. That is assuming all of the parts you replaced are working and were correctly installed. Do the "spin test". Raise the front, left wheel and see if the cable end going into the head spins when you spin the wheel.

So we were able to spin the wheel but felt a little tension somewhere in the length.

Just a reminder, I am working with new angle drive, brand new hub plastic thing, extra long cable going directly from angle drive all the way to speedo.

Take a look at this video clip to see what the speedo is doing now. https://youtu.be/fmVBT5sGTyI