1978 Speedometer

[mbouse]

the speedometer needle shuttered, acted irratically, then died. Of course, this usually means the cable gave out. Which was absolutely correct.

I discovered that the PO glued a plastic tip onto the end of the cable at the meter end. well, the glue gave out.

Since i had a replacement cable for the '80, i thought...simple task. Just remove the old inner cable and replace with the inner cable from the spare. upon inspection, they turned out to be the same length.

Well, the new inner WOULD NOT feed all the way thru the sheath. Kinked? certainly was a lotta rust as i pulled the new inner from the sheath on the car.

So, pull the sheath and completely replace the cable assembly.

i find that i have the exact same cable with the clip on mount to the speedometer as the '80...yet the cable feeds thru the top of the transmission tunnel. additionally the cable is way too long.

What gives? do i have the wrong speedometer for this car? obviously this cable is too long for this path (thru the tranny tunnel). I do not find a hole thru the firewall as one would expect on the later model cars.

which speedometer should i have? is there a snap on cable that is the appropriate length for routing thru the tranny tunnel?

[rlux4]

I don't have the answer for you Mike, but I just had to comment. Isn't it strange how a particular problem can plague a person on different cars? In my case, it's been FI cold start problems on different cars.
If I ever have any speedometer cable questions, I'll know who to go to.
Ron

[mbouse]

ain't that the truth?

so, what was stock on a 1978 ?? anyone with the correct answer shall receive a free dinner, courtesy of my wife...

[mbouse]

hey you 1978 Fiat Spider owners.......... where does your speedo cable exit the dash??

through the firewall or through the tranny tunnel?

[CarNut]

I'll check for sure next time I take mine down off the lift, but from what I can see from underneath, it runs generally horizontal from the side of the tranny at least as far as the crossmember. It's right alongside the clutch cable at that point. It doesn't look likely that it would run through the top of the tunnel from there.

[manoa matt]

Mike,

Mine exits the firewall directly under the brake resivior, and the clutch cable is about 3 inches towards the drivers side at about the same level. The cable at the back of the speedo has the white plastic retaining ring/clip. After exiting the firewall it goes out and down around the starter, hugs the tranny tunnel and then to the speedo gears on the drivers side of the trans. The speedo is the 160 mph one. I can't remember if its the shallow or deep face, I'll look on the drive home.

I have several speedometers let me know which one you need. "Maybe your car will suddenly loose several thousand miles, and go up in price."

[manoa matt]

Sorry its 140mph, not 160...that would be sweet. And its the shallow face.

[mbouse]

i still have no reason to believe that i don't have a stock speedo. 140 mph with a clip on (same as you matt) end at the meter. it is a shallow faced meter as well.

date of manufacture for car is 03/78.

the other spider in the garage is an '80, so i have a clear point of reference for where to look on the firewall for a speedocable mounting hole.

i did some more research, and discovered that Vick sells a cable for my application. so, i guess i am o.k.

is anyone else (besides me) surprised that Fiat had two designs for the speedo cable in the same model year? the discription at Vick says "late 77 to early 78 clip on ... thru the transmission tunnel."

[So Cal Mark]

all of Fiats changes were running changes, not model year. So, applications begin and end with the chassis number. It's really only the US market that dictates model year changes. The Fiat parts books and microfiche all describe applications as up to chassis # xxxxx or beginning at chassis #xxxx. It's really common to see mid year models with only some mods and not others that seem standard for that particular year version

[manoa matt]

The first 78 I owned had the old style push button door handles. My current 78 has the later pull style.

[Flyingthere]

Matt I would guess someone changed the doors on your car. My 78 has the speedo cable running throught the top of the tunnel and comes out behind the heater box.

[mdrburchette]

Matt I would guess someone changed the doors on your car. My 78 has the speedo cable running throught the top of the tunnel and comes out behind the heater box.

78 was one of those change over years so some had the push button handles and some had the flush mounted ones. I wonder if the push button handled cars have the speedo cable running through the tranny tunnel. When did they go with a clip on cable vs the screw in?

[flyboy]

I have a '78 with push button handles so I will try and remember to check where the speedo cable goes while I am under the car working on the brakes. I should probably also know since my spedo quit working a while back...