Hey my name is brian and this is my first post, hopefully someone can give me a hand. My '80 Z-28 had a ton of engine upgrades on it, and as a result the previous owner blew the 4 speed T21 right through the bell housing. I bought the car in this state and had it towed to a shop and got a rebuilt 4 speed put in it, but now the speedometer does not work. I dont know whether or not it worked before it went to the shop, but I cant afford to spend the money right now and im dying to drive the thing. DOES ANYONE know how I could go about trying to figure out what the problem is and how to solve it? The tach works fine but the speedo does not move.
Thank you for any help you can provide, my email is snipped-for-privacy@aol.com
Im not sure if it is attached to the transmission-where would it be connected to? i can see from under the dash that it is connected to the speedometer...so you're right, the problem has to be somewhere else, im just not sure where else the cable goes and where it could be broken or disconnected b/c its the first Z ive worked on and the first car ive had with this problem....any advice would be a big help
p.s. i prefer sincere, im a no bs git r done kinda kid haha-and it doesnt stop me from driving it it just stops me from getting a sticker
My '78 Camaro had cruise when it was a 6 pot. The speedo cable comes out of the transmission and into a fist sized unit on the drivers side rear of the engine bay, may have been on the inner wing etc. There is another cable coming out from this to the dash.
First buy a service manual. This will help you locate where parts are.
Next does your car have cruise control?
On the left rear of the transmission Tail housing is a where the Speedometer drive gear is. There is a gear on the tail shaft, and a gear under a side cover. The one under the side cover is the one the drive cable goes in to. The end of the cable fits in to the gear, and the cable has a nut collar on it that screws on to the gear cover. If it does not screw in, then it is held in with a horse collar clip that uses a bolt to retain the cable.
If the cable is not attached, try turning it with a drill, and see if the Speedometer will register. If it won't, your cable may need replaced. If it does try installing the cable in to the drive gear.
If the cable is hooked up, remove it from the transmission and test it. If it works, then the problem is with the drive gears. Call the transmission shop and ask them if they will fix the issue for you. Remember to ask them nicely.
As for your transmission, in a 1980 it should be a T-10, not a M-21. It is possible that someone put a M-21 in the car, it is a weaker transmission then the T-10 or a Super T-10.
If the transmission you had removed blew the guts threw the bell housing, that's a indication of a vehicle that was in a rear end collision. The only transmission parts in the bell housing are: The Clutch Fork, and the Transmission input shaft. Then you have the Clutch Disk, Pressure plate, Throw out barring, and Engine flywheel.
Both the T-10 & the M-21 have removable bell housings. If your engine has a good number of modfactions, and is making a vast amount of power over stock, you should use a Safety Bell Housing. Clutch Explosions are nothing to joke about. You should also use a clutch rated for the torque and horse power of the engine. Charles
Some people are not good are gauging speed based off of RPM's and feel. I drove a car with no Speedometer for 4 years. Never got a ticket. Then again I know my gear ratio's, and did the math, knowing roughly how fast I was going in each gear at a given RPM. Charles
On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 13:06:47 GMT, Charles Bendig puked:
I guess I'm taking for granted that everyone lives in a metropolitan area. Generally it would seem you could gauge your speed with surrounding traffic...
-- lab~rat >:-) Do you want polite or do you want sincere?
I'm not far from rural area's. I do live in the city, yet my shop is in a rural area. I still occasionally do drive vehicles with out a working Speedometer. Learning how to gage ones speed is to me, a basic driving skill. Like learning how to recover from a drift. Charles
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