The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk speedo repair

Does anyone know of a reputable person/shop that does repairs on a 52 speedo (90 mph)? Mine is really tuff to turn at the back which breaks cables. Took it apart and nothing else is wrong with it. Just too hard to turn. Couldn't figure out how to remove shaft to try and repair. A little sanding and lube would most likely fix it. Funny thing is- it has " 6/1/88 rebuilt by CW reset to 0 miles" wrote on back of speedo. It only shows 2236 miles so it doesn't seem like a very good rebuilding job. Sitting probably hurt it the most though. Dried up the lube, no doubt. It also says- Do not use graphite on cable. If not fixable I guess I could look for a used one. New is $150 w/out backing plate,glass or bezel. $259 for a complete new one.

There are a number of shops that rebuild speedometers. Having dealt with one three states away I strongly recommend searching for one close by. I did a search for "speedometer rebuilders virginia" (without the quotes) and got a lot of hits. The first one was a shop in Collinsville. Is that close to you?

Obviously, something is not right with only 2,200 miles on the speedo rebuild. But while you are waiting for a recommended speedo repair person, you may want to try this. Can't hurt; might help ...

Jeff Erickson "rustednuts" wrote a tremendous Tech Tip article on the speedo rebuild in his Art Deco truck. One of the things that he did was to oil the oil-wick near the cable entry of the speedo. (Who knew there was such a thing!)

> This is his picture of the brass cup plug that covers the felt wick.

> This is his pic of the speedo head with the plug and wick removed.

I am pulling the speedo housing in my '54 tomorrow to oil the wick. I practiced on a spare speedo and it looks like I may not need to remove the speedometer from the housing. The brass cup-plug was easy to remove. The plug is not solid; it is cup shaped. I inserted a screwdriver into the port, pressed against the side of the cup and pulled/twisted it out. I could not easily remove the felt. If the felt in my "real" speedometer looks OK, I will leave it in and just drip some 20w 3-One machine oil on it.

Ditto what Lonnie says. It is the "main" offender on may speedometers.
Let us know how you make out.

Thanks for the info. I will check out that oil wick for sure. That's probably gonna fix it right there. And yes, Collinsville is on the outskirts of Martinsville, Va. (Nascar-1/2 mile track) about 30-40 miles south of Roanoke, Va. which is where I live. I'll check em out if I don't succeed on my own. I'll keep ya'll posted!!! Thanks again. Next up- heater motor!!

I boogered up that brass cap. I sealed mine back off with a daub of silicone.

The brass cap came off easily. It's wasn't tight or stuck at all. Wick was dry but intact. Sprayed with Kroils real good and will let sit till weekend. Shaft spins but difficult to turn by hand. Will have to improve a lot to work. We'll see what the kroils does!!!

Use a light weight oil such as sewing machine oil or 3 in 1 not Kroil. Kroil is made for penetrating, not general lubrication.

I just figured the kroil might loosen it up first. Then use the light oil. Seems to me that it needs to penetrate to loosen up the old dried crud that is making it turn hard. Just checked it. Still turns too hard. Does anyone know how to get that shaft apart to sand/oil it? I'm talking about the speedo shaft where the cable goes into the back. Looks like I might have to replace it. One thing is for sure when it comes to mecanical stuff. USE IT OR LOSE IT cause it's just gonna deteriorate if it just sits there!!!! GET THOSE GARAGE QUEENS OUT AND DRIVE EM!!!!

speedo fixed!!!! I let it soak with kroils for about a week. This am tried to spin shaft- no go. I shouldn't say that- it spun, but quite hard to turn. Almost ready to give up and concentrate on a replacement part when I gave it one last try. I got out the drill and the end where the cable goes fit into drill. Spun for about 10 minutes while feeding it 3/1 oil. Not working. Almost gave up again and spun the "T" part on the inside by hand while drill was spinning outside part. If that makes any sence. Both ends were not spinning together like it should. Two minutes of that and it broke loose!!! Cleaned real good with carb cleaner and oiled real good. Will now assemble and reinstall. Persistence paid off on this one!!! On to heater motor and dash guages!!!

I just love happy endings...
Thanks for sharing the good news!

Now to see how accurate it is.

unfortunately that'll be awhile. I've got the whole interior apart getting ready for paint. Just getting everything under the dash working while seat is out. I ain't that big-watch it-but this is the hardest dash to get under that I have ever seen!!! Much easier with seat removed!!!

I've been searching the forums for repairing a Speedometer needle that jumps and wondering if you have the same "oil the wick" advice for this symptom? I notice as I drive, the needle jumps to 10-12 mph faster than I am actually traveling. When stopped, it sits at the 5 mph mark. Any advice is greatly appreciated! This is on a 54 3100 btw.

Have you lubed or replaced the cable already? Always try that first.

Just found the problem yesterday. Will try that first. Thanks!