85 720 Spedo cable

[Rickie B]

85, 720,Z motor 2 whl. drive standard cab,manual trans.looking for Speedometer cable.does anyone have the correct part number and place i can purchase this spedo cable?I appreciate your help

[datzenmike]

There were two transmission lengths, long and short. If you speedometer connects on the driver's side you have a short, if on the right or passenger side it's the longer. A long will fit the short transmission. A short cable on a long transmission will be more trouble.

 

Try NAPA or any auto supply or a wrecking yard. I even used a 4x4 cable that is driven from the transfer case and about 3 feet too long

[flatcat19]

Rock Auto should always be one of the first places you look. 

 

It gives you a general idea about price, normally a picture, and part numbers. 

[datzenmike]

620 speedo used to be available back 4-5 years ago.... about $18. I imagine 720 cables are still.

[Rickie B]

Thanks, i was looking for some one who may have purchased one,so i could get the correct cable,Amazon shows two cables  that fit the 720 but the reviews say they do not fit,that the end that goes to the spedo is different than the stock cable.Heres what happened,i was driving down the freeway,65 mph,when i heard a clicking sound from the dash,the spedo was fine until i started to slow down then the needle started to bounce,the slower i went the more it bounced,go back to 65 no more bounce but clicking does not go away at any speed,also odometer was in the middle of changing over to 200000 miles when it stopped working,so no more odometer.So do you think it could be the cable or something in the spedo itself ?      By the way,the dealer wants $116 for the cable,Nissan parts on line wants $70 for the cable.these are OEM cables,was looking for aftermarket cable with brand and part number

[datzenmike]

The 620 cable screws onto the gauge.

 

 

The early 720 with the square gauges may be screw on also, not sure.

 

The 720 after Oct. '83 did change to round gauges and the cable does clip onto it.

 

 

Look for damage or kinking  in the cable under the truck. Unscrew the transmission end. The inner cable is actually a small continuous soil spring. The transmission end has a ferule crimped on the end that locks it in place. Carefully pull the inner cable out. Have a care as it is (or should be oily) very slippery and floppy, so have a cloth to collect it and keep it clean. The speedometer end is squared off. Look for fraying or damage... finding none lubricate with a graphite 'grease' or commercially available speedometer lube (may contain molybdenum sulfate) and re-install. Have someone watch the speedometer while you spin the installed inner cable between thumb and fore finger, clockwise I think. If gauge moves then the cable has threaded it's way into the gauge. Slip the cover sheath onto the transmission and tighten.

 

Cables range from $65 to $89 (Nissan dealer) depending on length (4x4, 2wd, long or short transmission)

 

If outer sheath is kinked or damaged dirt and water will get in. If it's been stretched and unraveled it needs replacing. Otherwise if the inner cable is undamaged you can clean/lube it and seal the outer sheath with electrical tape.  Make sure cable does not dangle.

[Rickie B]

Thanks Mike,will definitely give it a try,sounds simple enough ,Also if i had to remove the cable completely from the truck ,by removing it from the tranny first would this  give me enough slack to pull out  the instrument cluster and remove the cable from the back? does this make sense? i need to pull out the instrument cluster any way to replace some light bulbs

[datzenmike]

There is enough slack (just barely) to push cable in from the engine side to move the gauge cluster towards you to get at an un-plug the speedo cable. If you undo the speedo cable from the transmission first there's even more.

[Rickie B]

Thank you so much,will let you know how it turns out.i will be doing this tomorrow

[Rickie B]

Looks like the speedo cable was only hanging on by a few threads at the transmission,cable probably came out of its slot.I went ahead and took it apart anyway to inspect the cable itself ,cable looked fine no defects,now i had a chance to pull out the instrument cluster and replace some light bulbs,by the way the speedo cable just clips on the back no screw on type just push a tab to unlock and pull it out ,put it all back together and it works fine,good as new, couldn't have done it without your help Mike,thank you. :thumbup:

[datzenmike]

The later are definitely clip on. Early may screw on like the 620 before it.