I'm looking for a bit of brain-storming...

I have made a speedo sender that fits into the hole where the speedo cable usually fits (see picture below of part of the device). This has worked very well up until recently, when it started to go a bit peculiar. This meant that I had to take it out, refit and test, take it out again, and so on.


speedo sender

My problem is that normally the speedo cable is held in with a circlip. I tried to use the circlip to hold in my sender, and it was hard enough when the box was on the bench. Now it's in the car it's near-enough impossible, even after I cut out an access hatch in the tunnel side to get at it.

So now I'm trying to devise some other way of holding the sender firmly in the hole. It's very light and there's no side loads involved, so there's no great effort required.

Can anyone suggest a fixing method that's fairly easy to operate when your access is limited?

cheers,
David

[Edited on 17/6/06 by David Jenkins]

Zip ties....


Don't know if this would work but what about tapping the hole is sits in (clearly a big, fine tap needed) then slip a tubular bolt over your steel tube and screw it into the thread.

If you can't tap it then maybe a large helicoil?

What I'm trying to say is like a large brake nut with your sender tube acting as the brake pipe.

Make sense?

Cheers,
James

David. I had a similar problem getting my sender in and fixing it with a circlip but with perseverance and a pair of cranked circlip pliers it was just possible.
I am away for the next few days but if you need to borrow a pair of cranked internal circlip pliers let me know and I'll drop a pair round to you.

Duct Tape? (Gaffer tape for you blokes on the other side of the pond)

Fabricate something like this perhaps?


Image deleted by owner

Dave, the trouble is that the box is in situ - so fancy engineering is out of the question. It would be a nice solution though.

My latest thought is to glue a ring around the lump that the speedo cable goes into, and rig something up to that (springs, metal clip, or something).

I'll get there in the end - but the circlip pliers may be useful! (I'll get back to you on that one...)

cheers,
David

[Edited on 19/6/06 by David Jenkins]