My tacho cable had worn through where it touches the master cylinder base
(above the pedals). This lead to severe rusting inside the cable.
The fix was relatively simple:
a) remove cable from car, dist. end first.
b) rust in cable is evident where there are 'blisters' in plastic
housing, ie. anywhere that you can't see the spiral groove.
c) take an x-acto knife and cut a few slits in the rusty parts (I used 3
cuts for a 4" long rusty area).
d) Take your favorite penetrating oil and get it down into the cuts
made. Wiggle the cable around (don't kink it!) so that the oil has a
chance to 'attack' the rust.
e) lather, rinse, repeat.
f) after a while of fiddling, see if you can get the cable to turn. If
you can't try pulling it while holding/squeezing rusty area. If you can
feel it while pulling, it is getting loose. Add some more oil into
cracks.
g) replace cable onto car, only connecting distributor end. Don't
tighten it too much in case it's still stuck.
h) start engine. if cable flops around all over the place, grab onto it
(gently!) in several different places to stop the sheilding from
turning. With luck the center will start to turn.
i) if it doesn't, stop the engine and go back to step 'd'.
j) if it does, drizzle some more oil down the end that's turning. Turn
off engine and re-connect tach end of cable. Put some grease on the
nylon bearing, if desired.
Don't forget to put some tape or sealant around the new cuts in the cable.
Enjoy!
-Malcolm
'62 TR4, complete with working vroom gauge
Too many rocks and not enough sand.
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