speedometer cable

[VOLKMAR KOEHLER]

 mY speedometer cable broke  and i have been trying to find a replacement,

my 53  london roadster is  built on a vw chassis but the cables that vw has are all too short.

any help would be appreciated thanks

[edward ericson]

Someone recently said they used a bus cable. Apparently they’re much longer. 

[Paul Mossberg]

Here ya go…..

1968 and later Bus cable is 2450 mm (96.5 inches). CIP1 has ’em for $15

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC%2D21 1%2D957%2D801%2DF 

1955 to 1967 Bus is 2060 mm (81.1 inches)

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC%2D21 1%2D957%2D801%2DE

Super Beetle cable is 1390 mm (54.7 inches)

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC%2D11 3%2D957%2D801%2DA

Beetle is 1235 mm (48.6 inches)

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC%2D11 1%2D957%2D801%2DJ

I found these guys in a discussion in the Chirco VW Forums

( http://www.chircoestore.com/catalog/smf/index.php?topic=1296 .0)

They say they will make custom length cables.

http://www.speedometersolutions.com/speedometer_cable.htm

 

PMOSSBERG40681.5896296296

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

[Richard Wobby]

Bus cable works, Just got one but haven’t had time to replace yet.

[charlie]

I just put a bus cable on mine . It works great.

[newkitman]

In the manuals in the Download manuals tab on the left, the manual for CMC Fiberfab suggests the bus speedometer cable and gives the length AND the VW part number. Cool beans huh.

Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The Shack

[Paul Mossberg]

I still suggest taking some measurements on YOUR car.

The two bus cables are over 15 inches different. Depending on how you route your cable, the difference could be significant.

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

[edward ericson]

What I don’t get is why the bus cables are longer. The way those vehicles are laid out, with the driver basically sitting on top of the front wheel, I’d have thought they’d be, if anything, shorter.

Do the buses use the driver’s front wheel to turn the speedo?

[Paul Mossberg]

Yours is not to question why….

And most definitely not to question the German engineers! I won’t put it  in writing, but I have a really funny quote from VW’s North American marketing head, said directly to me during the Audi “sudden  accelration” public relations debacle.

I think it’s impossible to drive the speedo cable from the rear wheels, simply because of the drive shfts.

In a Type 1, the cable has a pretty straight shot from the left front wheel hub to the dash.

On Busses, it is the routing of the cable. On later busses, there are two sections to the speedo cable.

Behind the driver’s kick panel on some buses (mainly CA models) is the operating time recorder (aka EGR Box) halfway down the speedometer cable . It is a mileage based counter that trips a switch at preset mileage intervals. When the switch closes a light on the dash comes on to remind you to go into the dealership to have your emissions system checked (we all know the EGR system rusts out since it’s part of the exhaust and oxygen sensors have a limited life also).

http://www.ratwell.com/technical/EGRBox.html

There is a cable from the wheel to the EGR box, then from the box to the gauge.

The long replacement bus cables by-pass the EGR box.

PMOSSBERG40682.6678472222

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

[newkitman]

The reason you need the longer speedometer cable is because in your TD you are now sitting where the back seat was. Thus needing a longer cable. On my CMC Fiberfab kit they recommend a VW bus cable 81 1/2″ long and give the VW part number for the one they recommend. When I get to that part I’ll be able to tell if their instructions are correct. Its always best to test fit (measure) twice and install once. Less expensive too!  

Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The Shack

[Mark]

My speedometer seems to work fine (only off one or two miles per hours per my GPS unit), but the odometer doesn’t work at all.  It didn’t move one tenth the whole way from Seattle to Phoenix.  

[Paul Mossberg]

Mark…that odometer is a resale value protection device!

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

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