speedo question

[Sheriff]

My speedo has been playing up lately.   Goes a bit haywire, fluctuating wildly and makes a grinding noise off and on.   Before I pull anything apart, is it more likely to be the cable, or the speedo internals.   Thanks, Mike.

[CraigA]

As a first step lubricate the inner cable. Typically the things bind from being dry.

To do it properly you need to remove the speedo cable, disassemble & clean the inner and the outer cable sheath, then lubricate with some light oil and refit to the car.

[mcl1959]

More likely the speedo - the grease dries out and they eventually seize. I have seen many people who break a speedo cable, put a new one in and then snap it straight away & then realise it was the speedo all along.
The speedo needs to be pulled apart and lubricated.
A good test is to spin the speedo by hand - you should be able to get at least 20 mph out of it.

Ken

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

I had the exact same symptoms in my wagon driving back from Castlemaine, by the time I got to Adelaide the speedo wasn't working, when I pulled it out there was a mess of metal filings inside 

[snuff69]

hey Ken just about to reinstall my speedo . what should I lube it with and which bits. I have a new cable to go in  Thanks Dave

[mcl1959]

Open the speedo case up and lubricate all the geared sections, work oil into all the shaft areas - especially the main shaft area where the cable goes in.

Ken

[KFH]

Ken  Would the the oil be sewing machine specification or a heavy grade oil?

Keith

[mcl1959]

Sewing machine grade is OK because it will penetrate easier. Should last for quite a long time after that.

Ken

[snuff69]

thanks Ken   Dave

[KFH]

Thanks Ken.     Keith