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speedometer troubles


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Hey guys,

 

I just replaced my speedometer cable due to its failure to work. In the process I discovered that the housing for the cable had been laying on the exhaust pipe and had melted enough to see the mesh lining. Well, my speedometer still doesn't work but I can now hear a clicking noise like the cable wants to work. I did a search on the forum looking for any other info and saw something about a speedometer cable leak. ?? This line doesn't hold fluid right? Is the burn in my housing cable going to give me problems?

 

I have been driving by the tach for 6 months now and would really like to have the speedometer again.

 

Rob

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The line does not hold fluid... but it does hold a thick grease for the cable...

 

I've had a similar problem once:

My speedo just stopped working so I replaced the cable... The speedometer started working again, but sporadically. and if I went to fast it would make a clicking noise that sped into a buzz at high speeds. My needle would start throwing itself back and forth on the speedometer as well.

 

A new cable did not fix it, and I learned that when the original cable went bad it broke the little plastic gear in the transmission. See, there's a gear in the transmission, as well as one in the speedometer, that is what transferes the spin from the cable into the speedo, or reads it from the tranny.

 

If you had a cable go bad, or the alignment fall out between two parts... it will strip these gears. The one in the speedo is easy: Buy a whole new speedometer. The transmission one can be a b*tch.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, anyone?

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The line does not hold fluid... but it does hold a thick grease for the cable...

Correct me if I'm wrong, anyone?

I made the mistake of putting bearing grease on my Monty cable once and it quit working in cold weather. Graphite grease is best. You can get it at any parts store. A clicking sound can happen when the inner cable is dry which causes it to try to grab the housing cable then snap free. Snapping is the secret to the dry problem before the inner cable snaps off.

It's possible that the burnt cable actually broke your new cable and the clicking sound is the broken ends clicking together. Maybe?

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The burnt spot on the cable may have let moisture inside and become rusty ,to cause a binding of the new cable you installed. i would look for a new(used,good condition) cable housing .one for a chevelle/malibu would be fine and maybe available in a used parts yard. its also possible the speedometer head in the dash is bad .

 

mike

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where do i apply the lube my speedo is doing the same thing

There's a special graphite based lube as someone stated earlier:

 

Remove the cable from the car, and you can see that the "cable" can actually be removed from it's protective sleeve. Pull it out, lube it up, re-insert...

 

But seriously, a new cable costs, what... $12?

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Because the inner cable is slid out from the speedo end, you have to remove the dash pad to get to it. On the back of the speedo there clip you press then pull the cable off. There is the cable inside the housing and if you pull it out and coat it with the lube and replace. Graphite grease is best to use. There is a graphite powder, but it can be kind of messy and you might get it everywhere.

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I did grease the cable with a graphite lube. The cable that Autozone sold me was a "cut to your required length" cable. Is there any other cable that I should have bought? I do hate to take the dash apart again, it was a flipping pain.

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Ouch Autozone. Next time try Oreillys or Advanced Auto Parts. The people working at my local stores are much wiser and most own some type of diy car. Plus u can have anything in the next day usually if ordered by 5pm although advanced u have to pay ahead of time and Oreillys u pay when it arrives. There is another really older parts store chain my father goes to for little stuff or older stuff. I have never been with him when he goes so im not sure what it is called. He has purchased me many items that where packged 20-30 years ago and been in storage and got them at rock bottom prices and where in fine shape. Great if u want to restore a factory origional car i guess. I just like the prices laugh

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Sounds like maybe you cut the cable too short. You need to replace the outer anyway, so you should contact Leo Konik and get a replacement that also has the inner cable intact.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well guys, the graphite type lube is good....but I use "speedo cable lube" I got wayyy back when I worked for...(don't throw anything at me please!)...Chrysler dealerships. Its a factory type grease that works really well. Maybe Gm has the same stuff.

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  • 3 weeks later...

well my speedo cable was making noise also because it was dry as a bone. But what I did was

drop the steering colum (only two bolts) and reach up there between the metal pieces with your fingers because your hand will not fit up there and all you need to do is push the tab with your finger to release the cable from the speedo. It will pop off, then pull the housing with the other hand ( where the gas pedal is) and pull it down to you. Then pull out the cable from the housing. Then grease it and put it back. The cable housing will snap right in the speedo. Dont worry about getting your hands up there to push the tab.

 

But I used a very light coat of front end grease.

Just enough to lightly cover the cable. Dont goop it on! And it seems to work fine so far. But I just did it today. No more noise though.

 

My speedo always bounces at 10-15 MPH as I slow down, It did that before I did anything to it. After that, its steady as a rock. Maybe my speedo

is worn.

 

Can you change a speedo completely by taking the top dash pad off?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey guys It is alot easier to remove the cable from the tranny pull it up by the engine compartment area by the steering column and add the grease that way it will work its way through the whole line. Also I hve a couple of original speedo cables if you need email me at mitschke454@earthlink.net to work out a deal if you want. Seems like alot of work you guys are doing over a speedo cable... and make sure the cable did not get crushed either some times people pin them between the trannt cross member then move it after they figured it was in the wrong spot ...looks ok but really is crushed inside (the metal shethed tubing) the little square cable spins inside of. it is covered in modeled plastic. Good Luck Guys, Jim

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