Name that Part!!!!!!!!!!

[dlrshort]

Can anyone tell me what the right angled gear in the trans which connects to the speedo cable is called? I have heard it referred to as a 'compensator'.
:confused


Dave S.

 

[arrio]

I think I know what part you are talking about. It is sort of a little adapter/gearbox that attaches between the speedo cable and the trans tailhousing. I am not sure what the name atually is, but I think "compensator is an apt name. I have usually only seen them installed on trucks and/or 4wd vehicles. I presume its purpose is the get the cable speed back down to a manageable range for transmission speedo gear selection to work with the speedometer.

 

[JohnZ]

The GM parts books call it an "adapter assembly" or just "adapter", and there were four different internal gear ratios; they were used with combinations where the usual drive gear/driven gear ratios wouldn't produce the correct speedo cable revolutions for the rear axle ratio and tire size - usually for 4.11 and 4.56 axles.

 

[rrhayden]

They are also refered to as a ratio adapter. They are available from most "spedo" shops, they are very common on heavy trucks where tire diameters change with tire tread. They can be assembled with a huge variety of ratios.