The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Speedo Problems

I just bought a "new" (taken from another old truck) instrument cluster for my 62. The speedometer works but the odometer doesn't. In order to fix the odometer I need to take the needle off of it's thin shaft so that I can get to the screws holding the unit together. I broke the shaft on my old speedometer trying to pry the needle off and I don't want to do it again.

How do I get the speedometer needle off of that thin shaft without breaking the shaft?

I'm not sure but have you tried soaking the speedo w/sewing machine or 3 in 1 oil? All of them I have messed with just needed oiling to start working again. Brian

64fleetside: No, I haven't tried oiling it because I can't see where to apply the oil. It doesn't look like it's rubbing anywhere. Do you just drench it?

64fleetside:
I removed my speedo and got the odometer working. The numbers were locked up. I hope that it didn't cause damage to the worm gears which drive them...

Anyway, My old speedometer went nuts. It started making a horrible noise. I kept driving hoping that it would stop but instead it got worse. I was on my way to San Antonio to pick up my new Superglide. I didn't feel like stopping. It finally pegged the needle until it broke off but that didn't stop the god-awful noise. I finally pulled over and disconnected it. So that unit was shot. The "new" one has a similar problem though not as bad. I oiled it pretty well and will test it tomorrow.

Well, the odometer works now but the speedo pulses badly. It stopped squeaking though. lol....

Have you greased the cable?

Wrenchbender, on my "new" truck (1980), I was able to easily pull the speedo cable out of the sheath and replace it with a new one. The cable was unravelling causing an unsteady reading like Tab describes. On my old truck (1954), the cable won't come out of the sheath for cleaning and greasing; is is supposed to come out?

Yes! It,s the same setup except for the connector at the speedo. It should pull out from the top. try some wd40 type & pull with needle nose plyers. You may have to replace the whole cable & housing.

Excellent idea. Why didn't I think of that?

THANKS!

Thanks Wrenchbender! It came right out this time. I tried to pull it out a couple of months ago; it didn't budge and I didn't want to force it. So I dribbled lots of light oil on the cable and hung it vertically. Forgot about it until I saw this post. The cable looks undamaged - just a bit sticky.

What type of lube would you recommend?

Lube it with chassis grease.
Tab are you being sarcastic?

Thanks. I have lots of chassis grease!