advice please speedo cable stuck in steering knuckle

[Alzey]

Need some advice, I am currently changing over the brake discs, splash guards calipers et al and everything has gone well except one thing, the speedo cable is stuck firmly in the steering knuckle. Has hard as i push or pull on it it won't move. Everything is stripped and all the new parts are ready to go back on except the blasted speedo cable won't budge. I would guess that I have completely buggred the thing by now and it will need replacing.

There was no circlip on the end by the way and the hub was pretty grotty where water had ingressed via the hole for the cable. The cable is approx pulled back about 6 inches.

Its a late 1.9 caravelle (1988) any thoughts ? please.

regards
Al

[Verne]

If it's buggered, is it possible to cut it off on the inside and use something to knock it back through and out the 'wrong' way?

Thinking maybe an old posi screwdriver or metal rod slightly smaller than the cable diameter

[Alzey]

Verne,

Just given up for the night the blasted thing is in tighter than a nuns.......... I've considered cutting it but have decided to sleep on it for the night and have another crack at tomorrow evening when I get in from work. Can't belive it everything was going so well these bloody vans are cursed.

cheers
Al

[Oldiebut goodie]

Do you mean the cable or the outer sheath?

[Alzey]

OBG

Both, the sheath and cable, I naturally assumed that by pulling on the sheath it would just slide out, it did for the first six inches then jammed. I'm thinking that maybe the circlip (that definately wasn't on the outside of the greasehub )is in there somewhere, or its the wrong cable perhaps ? I've had a poke around from outside with a screwdriver but cant budge it.

Regards
Al

[Oldiebut goodie]

The cable should be able to be withdrawn from the sheath at the binnacle end. Then with a suitably sized drift inserted that is just larger than the cable knock the sheath back out. (It isn't just being held tight by the rubber grommet though is it? - it does hold it in quite tight.) The circlip won't be inside there anywhere.
Not so long since I had mine out and that was hard to pull out.

[Verne]

The cable should be able to be withdrawn from the sheath at the binnacle end. Then with a suitably sized drift inserted that is just larger than the cable knock the sheath back out. (It isn't just being held tight by the rubber grommet though is it? - it does hold it in quite tight.) The circlip won't be inside there anywhere.
Not so long since I had mine out and that was hard to pull out.

If it's still got the square fitting that goes through the grease cap, the cable won't pull through the outer casing at the clock end.

See if you can get some silicon spray in there and work it back in and out (if possible)

[Oldiebut goodie]

How did I feed the new cable through then? Goes through with the greatest of ease. The end of the cable is squared - there is no fitting.

[TobyOne]

It really shouldn't be that difficult, once you have removed the dust cap the only thing that holds the cable in place is the rubber grommet at the back of the knuckle, sounds like you might have some grit etc caught in with the cable, it is possible to cut the cable and pull it through from the front but you'll have to cut the cable quite close to the grommet cause the cable sheath diameter increases about 6 inches along from the front of the cable (well at least it does on mine) and that won't go through. Probably still going to be a struggle though, lots of WD40 and persistence required , good luck!

[Oldiebut goodie]

That's what I reckon - it's the grommet holding it fast.
Get some 4/5 mm braided nylon, put a rolling hitch on the sheath close to where it enters, loop the nylon around a suitable piece of chassis, back to the sheath with another rolling hitch then use that as a Spanish windlass with a screwdriver to pull it out. That'll come out then I bet. I wouldn't cut the sheath and/or cable off as you have nothing to get any purchase on and you are restricted to drifting it out either way. (And you will need to buy another sheath and/or cable)

[Verne]

How did I feed the new cable through then? Goes through with the greatest of ease. The end of the cable is squared - there is no fitting.

There's no fitting at the clock/binnacle end, but you have the fitting where the circlip sits on the outside of the cap at the other and get he can't get at that.

[Oldiebut goodie]

He doesn't need to get at that though, he is just attempting to pull the sheath out to carry out other work, hence pulling the cable back before using a drift on the sheath (otherwise the cable would just get mangled before it enters the sheath - of course he could remove the cable totally before using the drift but the cable end helps preserve the end of the sheath for re-use). The cable itself wouldn't be a barrier to pulling out the sheath as it is not fixed at the other end. It will be just the grommet holding it fast.

[TobyOne]

Trouble is the speed cable "tunnel" for want of a better word is curved, I don't think you can poke anything straight up It from the nut end that would reach the grommet, it seems to me that if the cable can be pulled through for about 6 inches then it gets stuck, that is probably getting stuck on the grommet, again lots of WD40 and "levering" with a small flat blade may loosen it so you could pull the cable and grommet out together, cable on mine came out without much fuss but I broke the rubber grommet when I tried to remove it, they seem to be quite difficult to get out.(By "cable" I'm referring to the cable and sheath together as one component)

[Oldiebut goodie]

I have a drift that will fit through there but the grommet absorbs the shock to a certain extent hence suggesting using a Spanish windlass.

[TobyOne]

Think you might have to explain what a "Spanish windlass" actually is, I had to google it Not nautical I'm afraid....
Thinking about it if you push the grommet it'll probably expand slightly under compression making it even harder to get out, bit like a reverse finger toy that you used to get in crackers, you stick it on your finger and the more you pull it the harder it is to get it off?? (maybe I should rephrase that )