Speedometer cable problem

78elk

Dragway Regular
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Mar 6, 2014
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What complications can occur if the speedometer cable is long? The overall length is 100 inches. From the firewall it goes forward 24 inches before it goes back to the transmission.
 

t5montecarlo

MalibuRacing Junkie
Oct 21, 2007
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Other than perhaps looking odd, I don't think there should be any issues. With a factory mechanical cruise control, the sensor was mounted to the plastic inner fender, which is a long way from the firewall.

Did your cable come with a crimp-on square end, meaning you cut the cable and sheath to length and then crimp the square end on (the other end already square, as you mentioned earlier)?
 

78elk

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No, it didn't. The cable end is square. This isn't a factory cruise control. The cruise control hooks to the transmission and the cable hooks to that. I plan to disconnect the cable from the speedometer and put more lubricant in and see if that will make a difference. Thank you for your help.
 

t5montecarlo

MalibuRacing Junkie
Oct 21, 2007
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I knew your cruise control wasn't factory, I remember reading elsewhere. I was just using as a reference where the factory control is as compared to your lengthy cable.
What are the symptoms, that you wan to add lubrication?
I wonder if you could use a cable from a 1985-1988 Montecarlo, since they used a VSS (driven off the speedometer cable, behind the dash) for cruise control. My cable is in 2 parts, so you would need both parts (joined near the firewall), but there might be a single length cable available.
 

78elk

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Mar 6, 2014
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The things that are going on from 3 different times I drove the Elk. I installed the new cable and drove it through town into the country. I was checking the speedometer cable and the cruise control. Both worked great. I went through a school zone where it checks the speed you are traveling. Tha cruise control worked at 25, 35, &45 mph. The second trip went through town to a park. On the way home it fluctuated between 25 and 20 mph. The third time I wanted to check speedometer on road getting it up to 55 mph. It fluctuated worse. It ran at 20 through town. I stepped on the gas the Elk took off it got up to 35 and fluctuate back to 20 then jump to 40 for a second then back to 20, while I was giving it more gas. So I crawled onto the city streets and went home. The first triwas 10 miles and the other were 5 miles.
 

78elk

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Mar 6, 2014
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Thank you. The device at the transmission is more cable connecting to the transmission to speedometer. It does go through the speed sensor for the cruise control. The reason I was thinking about the lubrication is that it's a long cable with turns. I thiit might be hanging up,due not enough lubrication. I'll give them a call tomorrow.
 

78elk

Dragway Regular
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Mar 6, 2014
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I checked with Rostra cruise control technical department and was told it wouldn't cause this problem. I took it apart last night, everything looks great.
 

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