speedometer bounces?

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sniekamp

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My speedometer needle has some problems. As I start to accelerate it bounces from 0 to 45 or 60. Then once I reach a cruising speed it levels out around 60 and never stops shaking . Where is the sensor for this located and is it a tough fix??
 
its the speedo cable. old ones that have got brittle or poor quality new ones typically do this. another possiblity is your speedo gauge needs restoration
 
Ive taken them out coat the cable with grease reinstall it will work fine.
 
Yep. The speedo cable turns a 90 degree curve through one little strap under the driver seat. Thats where they normally wear into the housing. Most cases they make a noise.
I disconnect the cable at the trans end and let it hang down then disconnect the instrument end and pull it down and out to below dash. You'll likely need to move the fuse box to gain access. I grab the cable with pliers and pull it out of the housing. Flush the housing and the cable with brake cleaner and compressed air. Then I lube the cable with white lithium grease while re inserting.
If that doesn't cure it you'll need a new one.
 
I'd go and lube it up first. Easy enough done. Pull it off the speedo head.
Pull out the cable and give it a light coat of light grease. Stop about a foot and a half from the top end. than it wont come out the end a get all over
the speedo head. Might be all it needs.
 
NO, do not use grease. You need to use a dry lubricant such as graphite. Using grease will only make the problem return in a short time, as grease will wear off quickly. Remove the cable from the car, remove the core, clean the casing our thoroughly with brake cleaner until it runs out CLEAN. Clean the core off until it is very clean, let everything dry then apply a liberal amount of graphite into the casing and on the core and reassemble. Problem solved.
 
I replaced my cable with a brand new one and it still bounces around a bit. I just learned to live with it.
 
Thanks guys im gunna give it a shot this weekend! See if I can get it working. This is the first car I've bought by myself. Hoping to make it right!
 
There are different schools of thought on the proper lube for the cable in sheathe assemblies. A cable that travels lengthwise in the sheathe, like a throttle cable, should not get grease because it could restrict the movement. A cable that spins in the sheathe can benifit from a grease that will fill voids and absorb / wick away the heat generated.
What the factories engineers used in the different cases should be a guide.
 
:yawinkle: Have you had you right foot checked to see if maybe your having spasms & punching the gas uncontrollably?
 
I had that in 2 cars (65 Newport, 82 Aries). Not the cable, the spinning magnet was wobbling. In the Newport, it grabbed the cup, twisted it and (thankfully) broke the cable, under prior owner so no speedo when I bought it (1991). I sent the spinning magnet part to a speedo shop in Bakersfield and they sent it back re-bushed in bronze. Very steady needle since. The Aries was cheaper w/ the magnet in a plastic press on snout that cracked. I wrapped thread tight and coated w/ epoxy to get a tight fit and worked great until I junked the K.
 
I have a tube of the real factory lube and it looks and feels like very thick Vaseline. also, I've had good luck cleaning and lubing the cables.
 

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