Toyota Repair: toyota previa speedometer, speedometer cable, home mechanic

Question
the speedometer in our 1992 toyota previa just stopped working, my husband usually works on our cars, but cant find anything in the repair manual about this.  Is this a difficult thing to fix, how do you do it, or would it be better to take it in somewhere?

Answer
No it is not too difficult to fix. It may take 1-2 hrs to diagnose. It requires disassembly of some of the information cluster and a long screwdriver to disconnect the speedometer cable. The problem you may have is that it could be the speedometer gauge itself, or it could be the cable. A way you can check the cable is by jacking the car up, starting the car and put it in drive (with the dash and cable disconnected). If the center end of the cable spins when the car is in gear, then the cable is not broken. The speedometer unit is broken. If the cable does not spin, then it is either your cable, or you may want to check where the cable connects under the car to the transmission and make sure it is not severed or broken due to running over something that could have caused damage.
This is how you as a home mechanic can diagnose the problem without spending any money.