Notices
1967 - 1972 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Bumpsides Ford Truck

Speedometer cable help

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jun 19, 2009 | 08:53 PM
  #1  
kylegorski's Avatar
kylegorski
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Speedometer cable help

Hey all,

I have a 71 F250 with a 390 FE, and i am trying to fix the speedometer. Problem is, the cable coming from the speedometer is loose and i have no idea how or where to reinstall it back into the transmission . Any help would be much appreciated. We have a lot of streets where the speed limits are changing every few blocks or so...so it would be nice to know how fast i'm going. Any ideas on how to fix her up would be much appreciated!
 
Reply
Old Jun 20, 2009 | 05:48 AM
  #2  
NumberDummy's Avatar
NumberDummy
Ford Parts Specialist
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 88,826
Likes: 783
From: Simi Valley, CA
Club FTE Gold Member
Originally Posted by kylegorski
Hey all,

I have a 71 F250 with a 390 FE, and i am trying to fix the speedometer. Problem is, the cable coming from the speedometer is loose and i have no idea how or where to reinstall it back into the transmission . Any help would be much appreciated. We have a lot of streets where the speed limits are changing every few blocks or so...so it would be nice to know how fast i'm going. Any ideas on how to fix her up would be much appreciated!
Welcome to FTE

Inside the speedometer cable's housing is a woven steel core. These were lubed at the factory, but after so many years, the lube dried up, the core would then bind up inside the housing and snap.

Every autoparts store sells a universal core replacement, just cut it to fit, install in the housing, lube with graphite, or a thin coating of white lithium grease.

A dry speedo core can also cause the speedo needle to jump around.

 
Reply
Old Jun 20, 2009 | 06:03 PM
  #3  
Ford_Six's Avatar
Ford_Six
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 22
From: The Big, Oregon
Club FTE Gold Member
There should be a hole the cable end plugs into near the driveshaft end of the transmission, on the left-hand side. If this isn't there, someone may have installed a transmission out of a 4x4, the ones with a divorced transfer case used the short 2wd tailhousing, but the speedo drive spot wasn't opened up in the casting. Their speedo drive came from the transfer case.
 
Reply
Old Jun 20, 2009 | 09:25 PM
  #4  
kylegorski's Avatar
kylegorski
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Thanks for all of your help, got it taken care of! Now it's time to tackle one of the other 500 small projects that she needs work on
 
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
JacobRM
1967 - 1972 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
19
Jun 3, 2014 06:35 PM
2zwudz
1961 - 1966 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
2
Nov 30, 2013 06:43 PM
blupkes
1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
2
Jun 30, 2013 08:24 PM
webrx
1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
18
Jun 13, 2009 07:30 AM
talsivar
1961 - 1966 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
1
Feb 17, 2006 01:45 AM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:15 PM.

story-0
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

Slideshow: Ford's bizarre fishing-themed Explorer concept has resurfaced after spending decades largely forgotten.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:07:46


VIEW MORE
story-1
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

Slideshow: The 10 best Ford truck engines we miss the most.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 13:09:47


VIEW MORE
story-2
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

Slideshow: first look at the 810 hp 2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road!

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-12 12:50:07


VIEW MORE
story-3
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

Slideshow: Everything You Need to Know about the 2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-07 17:51:06


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!

Slideshow: 10 most surprising Ford truck options/features in 2026.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:17:22


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026

Slideshow: Here are the top 10 Fords coming to Mecum Indy 2026.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:49:49


VIEW MORE
story-6
5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time

Slideshow: The 5 best and 5 worst Ford truck wheels of all time

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 16:49:01


VIEW MORE
story-7
Ford Super Duty: 5 Things Owners LOVE, 5 Things They LOATHE!

Slideshow: Ranking the 5 things owners love about their Super Duty and 5 things they don't

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 16:36:49


VIEW MORE
story-8
Every 2026 Ford Truck Engine RANKED from WORST to FIRST!

Slideshow: Ranking all 12 Ford truck engines available in 2026.

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 13:32:20


VIEW MORE
story-9
The Best F-150 Deal of Every Trim Level (XL through Raptor)

Slideshow: The best Ford F-150 deal for every trim level (XL through Raptor)

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-21 15:59:01


VIEW MORE