[DeTomaso] Speedo died today

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/15/13 18 58 14, cengles at cox.net writes:


>           I mistakenly assumed that the cable had gone kaput. 
> 

>>>Mike reported a violent, screaming sound from behind the dash moments 
before the speedo quit, which is the typical broken-cable pathology.   Am I 
right in assuming that your speedo just quit without any drama?   When that 
happens, the cause is normally the drive gear inside the gearbox.

While it IS possible to change that gear without removing the gearbox from 
the car, it is a process fraught with danger.   One false move, and the gear 
can drop into the bowels of the gearbox, requiring complete gearbox removal 
in order to retrieve it.

I helped a friend change his gear in my driveway a few years back (and 
inexplicably, his broken gear has been sitting a counter above my kitchen sink 
ever since).   In order to prevent the gearbox removal scenario, we grabbed 
ahole of the stub of the gear with a pair of vice-grip pliers before removing 
the retaining bolt that keeps it in position.   This allowed us to ensure 
that it couldn't fall into the gearbox by accident.

Mike