This is both ends of the parted cable, the transmission end at top, the end where it parted inside the jacket shown at bottom is about 9" away, I bent it for the photo.

If the odometer / speedometer head seized up, what is the fix?

Could it be anything else? Pinion gear clocked wrong?

Or?

Dry

More info, on the drive home, the needle was bouncing some. Not real bad which does typically indicates a dry cable.

So, I pulled it out, lubed it & this happened with the car on jack stands in the garage when I tested it.

I did not see any signs of previous damage / unraveling when I lubed it.

Too extreme of a bend at that location. It was binding, wrapping up and unwinding. And yes, poor lubrication..
Eventually it failed from the stress.

lack of lube. needs more whale oil.

When you get the new (or used) cable take the inner cable & put it in the trans & run it to confirm you're good on that end then take it out & stick the other end in the speedo head & spin it by hand or with a drill to see if that end is good also to confirm that the problem was confined to the cable itself

I agree it looks dry.Ive seen them do that before though.My 65 I put a new inner in.It lasted about 2 days and twisted apart.I finally used the inner that my kid pulled from his 62 that was OE.Usually the cable just snaps.Looks like maybe the outer had a burr that finally caught the inner and tore up both.Rocky

I cleaned all the grease off for the photo.

I ordered two new ones - just in case.

I had one do that in my ol 70 Challenger I had at the time.Failed due to being dry.I installed a new cable that was lubed and 'Presto"....like new and working again.....

The replacement cable arrived today, I ensured that it was properly lubricated.

I installed the replacement cable into the transmission & routed it in the factory path.

With the speedometer end hanging below the dash, I started the car with the rear wheels off the ground and ensured that the cable spun when I put the car in gear.

Car off. Cable hooked to speedometer. Car started,
put in gear.

The cable snapped again!

So, what would cause a speedometer to lock up?

The cable in my 75 Dart whines like my old lady and the needle bounces like crazy, so I disconnected it and run a Garmin for the speedo, probably ALOT more accurate.

Old age and treachery

Sounds like the speedometer in the dash is bound up. If it spun ok disconnected @ the top and broke when connected it would seem to me thats where the issue is.

Quote:

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So, what would cause a speedometer to lock up?

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I still need to know the answer if anyone knows what to look for or if it can be fixed?

Right now I am looking for a replacement unit so I can use it for parts, just in case. I see no reason to open this one up until I find a donor.

Pull the dash with speedo.Then get a short piece of cable and see if the speedo is frozen.With a complete new cable and the bottom turning it has to be the speedo.Rocky

As you guys already know , there is no direct connection between the speedo needle and the cable. either the bushing in the speedo housing has seized or one of the magnets have fallen off and jammed the system . Not much else unless these is something wrong with the inside of the speedo cable housing. Does the cable slide through the housing smoothly ?

I think he installed a complete assembley.If not it might have a burr in the sheath.Rocky

I guess you are routing the cable so it doesn't have any tight curves at the speedo end. Some times it's hard to get the cable in through the column support area.

It has eaten tree cables, the last one was brand new. I cut one up & using a drill, tested the speedometer - it is locked up.

I'll pull it apart as soon as I can find a replacement to scavenge for any parts needed.