ok so i own an 1985 305 el camino.. over the year my speedometer cable has been pretty unbearable and squeaking way to loud when i drive.. straight to the point i paid $150 for a mechanic to lube the wire and it barley worked its still a horrible noise.. im coming to the conclusion i need to buy a new speedometer and have mechanic install it and make sure they lube it up good.. my question exactly is does anyone have an exact website link to the correct speedometer cable i need to replace? ive tried to search and keep finding different sizes and with or with out cruise control which my elky has cruise control so if anyone has an link to a website so i can buy the right one it would be much appreciated.. :???:

Go to : rockauto.com , Under under heading interior or search speedometer cable . Match type of trans with cable choices..

Go to : rockauto.com , Under under heading interior or search speedometer cable . Match type of trans with cable choices..

see thats the thing i have a stock 305 85 im not sure what trans i have or what cable i need thats my question :/

does it have cruise controll? if it does you have the two piece cable, one from the trans to the controll ecm and from there to the speedo. if you dont have cruise controll its a one piece pretty much universal cable. if the sounds comming from inside the vehicle it sounds like the speedo head, the unit itself is making the noise. does the needle bounce around alot when driving?

try this:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Pioneer-Speedometer-Cable/1985-Chevrolet-El-Camino/_/N-ijkeqZ6o2a5?counter=0&filterByKeyWord=speedometer+cable&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=1672_35071_7541_

You bet your sweet bippy if I paid someone 150.00 (in american money)to grease something to stop it from squeekin it better stop squeekin! (Exception--If it was your diagnosis to grease than you gotta eat it(the bill that is):dontknow: Jer,I know this doesnt answer your question but I feel better now,stick up for yourself!

Welcome to the club! My eighty five does the same thing. I have the two piece cable with cruise, it is the top cable, it is about thirty five inches long. I bought a new one from a guy on ebay. It still makes a little noise, but it is no where near as bad as it was. It is a real pain taking out the instrument panel to replace the cable, I can see why the mechanic charged you so much. It takes me about an hour and a half to get it out and back in. The first time I done it , it took twice as long.....merc

does it have cruise controll? if it does you have the two piece cable, one from the trans to the controll ecm and from there to the speedo. if you dont have cruise controll its a one piece pretty much universal cable. if the sounds comming from inside the vehicle it sounds like the speedo head, the unit itself is making the noise. does the needle bounce around alot when driving?

try this:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Pioneer-Speedometer-Cable/1985-Chevrolet-El-Camino/_/N-ijkeqZ6o2a5?counter=0&filterByKeyWord=speedometer+cable&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=1672_35071_7541_

thanks zach yes my car has cruise control.. and i think it might just be the cable because its been lubed up and wasnt that bad but then it got worst.. it bounces a little.. but still reads

Welcome to the club! My eighty five does the same thing. I have the two piece cable with cruise, it is the top cable, it is about thirty five inches long. I bought a new one from a guy on ebay. It still makes a little noise, but it is no where near as bad as it was. It is a real pain taking out the instrument panel to replace the cable, I can see why the mechanic charged you so much. It takes me about an hour and a half to get it out and back in. The first time I done it , it took twice as long.....merc

i tried doing it my self one time and it took like 45 minutes to get behind the cluster and then my guages were going haywire because a short or the connector idk so i just pushed it all back and tightened it up and got scared lmao :???:

unhook the battery and try it again. the most important thing to remember is the plastic on those clusters is always brittle, and if soemthing doesent easily come out you may have just missed a screw somewhere. once you get the cluster loose, the plug is on the right towards the bottom and just sorta snaps into place. just take your time. once the cluster is pulled back, the cable is fastened by a spring loaded clip that holds it into place

Pull the cable out of the housing and inspect it for fraying and inspect the housing for worn spots on the outside,in the middle of a curve if the housing is starting to wear thats is usually where the damage will be and the plastic cover on the housing will get hot and show on the outside.If everything looks good clean the cable and the housing out and use graphite dry lubricant in the housing then insert the cable,once the cable is all the way in it should spin and slide in and out freely too much graphite and it will bind and you will still have problems.Check the cruise control transducer to make sure it turns smoothly.

Hey CSLIX, can I offer you a suggestion ... my 1980 had a loud squeaky speedo which is really the cable rubbing inside the sheath because its dry as a bone and to get to it you have to take apart the dash ... mine did not have cruise control , so what I did was disconnect the cable from the transmission and pulled it up into the engine compartment , OK ... you might think this weird but it worked for me ... I had enough cable to pull up coming out the side of the hood ,so I stood on a chair beside my car with my electric drill, I clamped the drill chuck around the cable and I shot some lube ( not WD40 ) into the cable opening and ran the drill backwards slow so the speedo-needle would register alittle and this would make the lube run backwards towards the dash ... I did this for about 15-20 minutes I guess ... by holding the cable up high the lube would run towards the cable in the dash .... it worked .... no more squeaking or rubbing:nanawrench:... now with the cruise control you might be able to disconnect the cable at the box closest to the dash and do the same thing I did because that cable coming from the box will be alittle shorter :nanawrench:.... all you need is to get some lube into the cable and it will last you for a good while .... I know it sound stupid what I did but it worked for me :dontknow: .... Thanks the Geezer

some cable lubing tools clamp onto the cable housing and force it into the housing, so uphill or not itll lube everything.

does it have cruise controll? if it does you have the two piece cable, one from the trans to the controll ecm and from there to the speedo. if you dont have cruise controll its a one piece pretty much universal cable. if the sounds comming from inside the vehicle it sounds like the speedo head, the unit itself is making the noise. does the needle bounce around alot when driving?

try this:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Pioneer-Speedometer-Cable/1985-Chevrolet-El-Camino/_/N-ijkeqZ6o2a5?counter=0&filterByKeyWord=speedometer+cable&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=1672_35071_7541_

hey man i know this is my old thread but.. i have cruise control in my car.. everythings stock.. and the noise is 10 times worse.. i still havent found the cable.. do you know which one is right? or if i have to get two.. or what ever.. can you help me out! im just gonna order the cable give it to an mechanic and have him replace it and hope to god the noise stops.. my pin shakes a very little but it does shake..

hey what lube should i use!:nanawrench:

I've used dry graphite. I have a stock 86 and the speedometer cable is a two piece. Mine comes up and attaches to the second piece near the master cylinder. If I remember right, you should see it come up from kind of under the car, and then go into the firewall. Oh, I have cruise control, btw. It should look something like this. http://www.dixiemontecarlo.com/Product/Detail.aspx?s=DM90003&d=1160&p=1

Webbd has the right idea. dry graphite is the best idea, since heat doesnt affect it and its less likely to run down to the lowest point it can find.

cslix; if you cant find one new locally, look online. just google shopping it or you might even ge4t lucky with autozones online store. if theres local junkyards go pull one that looks good, just remember to look for one with a two cable setup, lube it with dry graphite and replace it with your old one.

the bouncing and jumping on your needle is the speedo head though, youde be smart to try and find a replacement (with as low a miles on it as possible)

Have you tried calling the dealer to see if it's still available?bowtie smile

"the bouncing and jumping on your needle is the speedo head though, youde be smart to try and find a replacement"

Try changing the cable 1st. Cables can make the speedo jump. I've seen it plenty of times.bowtie smile

"the bouncing and jumping on your needle is the speedo head though, youde be smart to try and find a replacement"

Try changing the cable 1st. Cables can make the speedo jump. I've seen it plenty of times.bowtie smile


very true. if the cable is binding, or has been run where its got sharp bends in the housing it will also cause that.

pulll the cable at the trans end and twist it in your fingers, it should be fairly free and not have what feels like tight spots as it turns.

I've used dry graphite. I have a stock 86 and the speedometer cable is a two piece. Mine comes up and attaches to the second piece near the master cylinder. If I remember right, you should see it come up from kind of under the car, and then go into the firewall. Oh, I have cruise control, btw. It should look something like this. http://www.dixiemontecarlo.com/Product/Detail.aspx?s=DM90003&d=1160&p=1


would that speedometer work for my car? 85... and yes i have cruise control..