Hello all,
I was hoping somebody could help me here. I need a speedometer cable for a 1990 pickup, V6, 2wd. I have been told that they're obsolete. By Napa, Autozone, O'reilly, and the dealership.

I can get a cable for a 1990 4x4 with the V6, or a 1990 2wd with a 22r, but not for a 2wd with V6.

I want to know why a cable for a 1990 with a 22r won't fit my pickup. If the trucks have the same transmission and same instrument cluster, what difference does it make what engine I have? The parts guy at the dealership told me that they have different part numbers, but my father was a John Deere mechanic for many years and said that it was very common at John Deere for the same exact part to have different part numbers when it was for a slightly different machine. Could it be that the speedometer cables for the 1990 2wd pickup are the same, or at least interchangeable, despite whether the pickup has a V6 or 22r?

If not, does anybody know where I can get a speedometer cable for a 1990 2wd with a 3vse engine?

 

It looks like eBay would be your best bet.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...ckup&_osacat=0


You may be able to just lube the one you have if it still works but is just noisy or jumpy.

 

The one I've got is definitely a goner, unfortunately. None of the ebay listings I looked at specify 2wd or 4wd, and I believe that they're different because the lower end goes into the transfer case, not the transmission. I even called a speedometer shop and asked if they could make me one, they said the ends were no longer available.

So this morning I took a chance and ordered a cable for the 2wd, 4 cylinder pickup. It looks exactly the same in the diagram and all the specs are the same, the only difference I can see is the part number. I can always return it if it doesn't fit.

 

Consider swapping in the gauge cluster with an electronic speedometer, you can pick those up cheap at pick&pull or eBay. That's what I did to my '91 4R as I was tired of listening to that whining speedo cable. It's actually a super easy retrofit.

 

Sorry for lack of response. I've had other projects that were higher priority. I wanted to answer my original question for anybody else that found themselves in a similar situation. No, the cable for a 1990 2wd 4 cylinder pickup will not work for a 2wd 6 cylinder pickup. The dash end is different.

Jake, I would appreciate more information on the retrofit. They went to electronic speedometer in '91, right? So I need a cluster out of a 1991-94 pickup? Are the 4-Runner gauge clusters interchangeable as well? And then what do I need as far as a speed sensor for the transmission end and wiring up from there?

Honestly, I wasn't in a huge hurry to spend a whole lot of money and time on it, I primarily used it for weekend chores around the farm. But somebody ran a stop sign a few days ago, pulled out in front of me, and I T-boned them. I don't know for sure yet but I think my little car is totaled, so the Toyota pickup will likely become my daily driver for the foreseeable future.

 

Not to threadjack (hey maybe it'll be helpful for OP?) but what all goes into the retrofit? I've been thinking of doing this on my 91 SR5. The factory speedo cable on mine was really bad, whining and bouncing all over the place. I bit the bullet and bought an OEM speedo cable (was not cheap) and while it's way better than the one that was in there, it still bounces a bit and the gauge cluster is noisy. \
I know Marlin Crawler sells a cable to electronic conversion for the xfer case side, but I wasn't sure what all went into wiring the pickup for the sensor into the gauge cluster. Is another ECU needed or is it pretty much straight to the cluster?