PMFJIH, but I'd like to see if anyone has any suggestions as to what the problem might be. (Apologies in advance for the length.)
Vehicle in question is a 1996 Tercel. Several months back the speedo needle started flopping around, and a "chattering" noise could be heard from the dash. The problem got progressively worse until the speedo (and by extension, the odometer) stopped working altogether. Eventually, it was discovered that the rear engine/tranny mounts had failed. They were replaced, the speedo cable reseated (again), and with a minor bit of wobble, appeared to work normally.
Fast forward a few months. Took it into my regular shop to have some power steering hoses replaced. While they were in there, they opted to replace an o-ring on the speedo cable. When I picked up the car, the needle was rock-solid. Then it started fluttering again, and now it is, once again, essentially non-functional.
I tried unhooking the cable from the transaxle, shoving the inside of it back up in as far as it would go, and reconnecting. It worked for maybe a day. Thinking that I shouldn't be able to pull the cable out of its housing like I seemingly can, I went down to a local wrecking yard to check out a similar vintage car. Yep -- every Tercel I looked at, it did the same thing. Apparently, it's not a bug; it's a feature.
So... I'm at a loss. The thing is still acting like the cable is backing out of the rear of the dash unit. I don't feel like taking it back to the shop I've been going to; can anyone suggest something before I decide to take it to a local dealer and get ass-raped on the labor?
Thanks in advance.