My car is not driven much.
The odometer works fine but the speedometer stays at 0 mph until the car is driven for a few hours and then the speedometer works fine.
I'm thinking the cable grease in the housing may be causing the cable to not work when it is cold,and as it warms up from use, it works fine but it is just a guess.
Can I remove the inner speedo cable without removing the speedometer or the dashboard, say perhaps from underneath at the transmission and pull the cable from the housing, clean it , and reinsert it?
Thank you in advance,
Kurt

 

Its very tight behind the dash but you can reach it. Your best bet is to pull the drivers side seat (just 4 bolts, not a big job). I am replacing vac lines behind the dash this morning, and have had a good look from the floorboard at the speedo cable. The grommet is easy to reach from the engine compartment. I am not sure about the tranny end. Good luck.

 

If the odometer works but the needle remains at 0 until things warm up, most probably the drum inside the speedometer is sticking because it's gummed up. A dry cable will make noise or the needle will bounce because the cable binds then releases.

Most likely you'll need to pull the speedo head and send it to a shop for a good cleaning and oiling. You can't pull the cable from the tranny end because the cable is swedged at the speedo end with a round type bushing that sets the cable protrusion into the speedo head.

 

Kurt,

If the odometer is working then the problem can not be in the speedometer cable.

The odometer is driven straight off the first worm and magnet first gear (shown in the picture below as Magnet and first worm) inside the speedometer. This indicates to me that the speedometer cable is turning fine unless the mileage is not rolling correctly.

The first worm and magnet drives the speed cup which floats between a bushing in the first worm and magnet and a jewel plate bushing. If the needle is not moving when you first start off, it may be just a simple problem inside the head causing the speed cup to bind up.

It could be a problem in the busing that holds the first worm and magnet. I guess the magnet could be cocked and binding up the speed cup and still be able to drive the odometer but this would be unusual.

In most cases the problem is just the opposite of what you say you have. Most people have the odometer out with the speedo still working. We have a help page on this one on our web site.

Looking at this picture should help you understand.

 

khubert035,
My car has A/c so getign at anything under the dash is near impossible.
I had the speedometer out years ago and it was checked and cleaned and calibrated by a shop but that was at least 15 years ago.
It was workign fine all the time, then the car sat in my garage undergoing a 10 year long restoration of the entire vehicle and when I finally got it back on the road, this speedometer issue surfaced.
I assumed it might be corrosion or hardened grease or something like that since the speedometer was not touched or disassembled during the restoration.
Kurt

 

Kurt,

It very may well be corrosion, but the only thing inside the speedo to hang up the speed cup is the jewel bushings. There is one on the top and one at the bottom in the first worm and magnet. The one in the magnet and first worm is not shown since it can not be replaced.

Before I would go to the trouble of pulling it from the car, I would give it some time to see if it works itself out. It’s a PITA to pull this from the car and it may very well be something inside from all the work.

There should never be any grease inside the speedo at the contact points on the jewel bushings. Grease is a speedometers worst nightmare and almost all repair facilities know this.

Do you hear any type of tinning (or tinging) noise when you drive the car? Most of the time this noise is a direct indicator the main bushing is going out in the car and will need a repair. If you are not hearing any noise, then it just may be a case of some body shop dust inside, or something else. If you are not hearing a noise and the odometer keeps working I would drive it for a while just to see if it works itself out.

Willcox Inc.

 

Interesting that you mention body shop dust as a possible cause, since this problem occured after the car was returned to me from the paint shop where they stripped all the paint before priming and repainting.
I will give it more drive time to see if it clears itself up as I certainly am in no hurry to disturb the dash and the 40 year old wiring harnesses as I don't want any electrical gremlins.
Right now everything works perfect except the intermittent speedometer.
Thank you for the input
Kurt

 

No problem Kurt, it’s about the only thing I can think that would be inside that would cause this. Maybe cigarette smoke soot but I doubt that would be the cause.

You know how to reach me if you have any questions should you take it apart.

Willcox