62 Valiant Speedometer

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38 Dodge

38 Dodge

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Where to start? I just got the 62 Wagon running and The other day when I was going down the HWY the at about 60 the speedometer shot up to 100 and then started to bounce around. As I got off the gas to get off the HWY it came back down and stated constant speed which was accorate according to the police speed reading sign that they put out. Then last night as I'm leaveing work when I get up to 20 MPH the speedometer starts bouncing all over again.
Does anyone have any ideas on weither its the gage, cable, or the gears? and How can I check which one first?
 
Sorry I can't be of any help but I will follow this thread because my 65 Barracuda does exactly what you are describing from time to time.That appears to be the only thing I have found wrong with the old girl after about 200 miles of driving her.
 
Mine does it as well I have seen in other threads a recommendation of oiling but I tried that and it did not seem to help. I think my case it could be the speedometer cable sticking in the speedometer. I am not sure but if anyone else can shed some additional light that would be awesome.
 
try lubing the speedo cable, also spray(pb blaster,etc..) up into the speedo unit hole when the cable is removed,

mine worked well until really cold,

Lawrence
 
I will try lubing up the cable tomorrow and also I notced that when the speedo starts to bounce it really make a noise which is had to describe
 
you should have heard the screech mine made, never did break though, Lawrence
there is a mention of a speedo rebuild service--you might have to use if it doesn't get any better.
 
Dan you are the man, again I knew you would have the answer to my issue.
 
Before jumping on the rebuild expense. Remove your speedo and clean the 40 years of dried up gunk from it. Lubricate it with 3 in 1 oil at the input and center bearing. Do not over lube it. Turn the input buy hand in the direction of increasing speed until it spins freely. Pull the cable out of the casing and inspect it. If the cable looks good, I use a liberal amount of lubriplate on it and reinstall it. If it is damaged you can buy a universal speedometer cable from most auto stores for around 14 dollars. Inspect the cable casing for damage to as a kink or burned jacket can foul the cable with dirt. If that is damage you will have to find a used one because no one that I know of makes the one piece as a repro.
 
The car (and therefore the speedometer) is nearly half a century old. It's an extremely good bet that the speedo bearings are worn out. Taking out the speedo and examining it is a good idea, but before you spend too much time on it, grasp the stirrup and the cup (one at a time) and try to wiggle them side to side. If there's any perceptible side to side movement in either the cup or the stirrup, the speedo needs rebuilt; continuing to use it (fresh oil or no fresh oil) is to consign it to certain death when the bearing wear goes just far enough that the stirrup grabs the cup and SLAMS it hard against the stop.

Careful not to over-lube the speedo cable; it is better to err on the side of too little than too much grease. see here.

Also, the "universal" speedometer cable kit replaces only the inner core; the (usually worn) casing is kept and if it is as worn as it usually is on such an old vehicle, it will quickly fail the new cable core. These pre-'66 cars take a cable with a special transmission end; you can usually get a replacement complete cable (with casing) from Pat "Torqueflite Patty" Blais or from Andy Bernbaum, www.oldmoparts.com .
 
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