Vanagon Speedometer Cable Repair
4 Minute Read
What often happens is the speedometer cable on a Vanagon frays at the end where it attaches at the axle nut. When it does it can break. Once the axle nut cap is removed you can pull out the culprit with needle nose pliers.
Update: The cable I ordered was not as long as the previous cable. I had to be creative. Be sure to measure your original cable if you can and ensure that the replacement is the same size.
One of the many small things that frustrate Vanagon owners is the speedometer cable. It’s such a simple thing. But they rarely work, and definitely not like a modern car.
Vanagons that aren’t regularly serviced typically have a problem with a jumpy speedometer cable. But it is a very easy fix.
Most of the major Vanagon suppliers like GoWesty and BusLab have these cables new, and apparently they are all sourced from the same manufacturer so it doesn’t matter which one you buy as long as they were designed to fit your particular year Vanagon.
My cable never really worked very well. The needle would just jump around and you’d practically have to guess as to how fast you were actually going.
The process of removing and replacing one is easy. The speedometer cable is attached at the axle shaft and it is weaved into the back of the speedometer.
Step One: Before you begin be sure you have a new cable with a new circlip. Do not re-use the old circlip. Start by lifting the front driver’s side wheel off the ground. Secure your vehicle will the proper jack stands and safety blocks. Never work on a vehicle unless it properly secure. Once the wheel is removed you will see the axle hub and cap.
Step Two: Remove the axle nut cap. What it does is keep dirt and dust out of the axle shaft and keeps grease inside.
It might take channel locks but it will eventually come off. They are just pressure fit on. You can see the axle nut cover in the foreground of the photo. They make special tools to remove the cap, but it’s easy to rig up something that works just as well. Save your money.
Once the nut cap is removed you will see a “circlip.” That circlip is attached to the end of the speedometer cable. Remove it using needle nose pliers or a small screwdriver. They make circlip removal tools, but you don’t have to spend the money to buy one.
Step Three: You are now ready to pull the old cable out. In my case the cable had broken off and I had to pull some of the cable out of the shaft as seen in the photo above.
Step Four: The other end of the cable is attached at the instrument cluster area. It is pressure fit into the back of the speedometer, or I think it is screwed in depending on your year Vanagon. Simply remove it. Now you ready to pull the cable out of the axle shaft.
Step Five: These cables are weaved from the wheel through the axle shaft through the frame and up into the radiator area and then into the firewall, where it protrudes into the dash. At least that’s how it is on ‘86 to ‘91 Vanagons.
Step Six: You should be able to trace the cable and pull it straight out of the instrument cluster area. Since you are going to discard it go ahead and cut it where you want because it might make things easier.
Step Seven: Installation of the new cable is the opposite of removal. People have suggested that you should spray a graphite into a new cable before installing it. Problem is these new cables are so tightly sealed that there is no real place to spay anything. I sprayed some graphite on the tip ends and called it a day. Also, be sure to purchase a new circlip. The graphite goes directly into the wrapping of the cable, not on the outside. It’s not easy spraying anything inside the sheath. Do your best and you should be fine.
Step Eight: Make sure the new cable you install is not pitched anywhere along its route, and that it is securely fastened using zip-ties.
Step Nine: Once the new cable is attached to the speedometer, it is routed through the firewall at the grommet. That’s the factory hole for the cable. It is then weaved down the headlamp/radiator area and under the driver’s side chassis. From there it goes near the front coil and then into the hole behind the axle hub, where it comes out at the axle nut. That’s where you attach the circlip.
Step Ten: Where it installs in the back of the speedo at the instrument cluster use channel locks (or whatever you want) to carefully slide the white cap (see photo) into the back of the speedometer. It must snap into place. A properly installed speedometer cable should last years. If your speedometer is not working first check for kinks in the line. Also, recheck that the cable end is locked into the back of the .
