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My 69 convertible has a ticking noise that I believe is coming from the speedometer cable. The speedometer itself works great. I’ve read that the cable would have to be pulled from the speedometer end which would require possibly pulling the dash or center console, which is more than I care to get into right now. I vaguely remember seeing a forum member a while back saying he simply pulled the cable off the trans and filled the cup with some graphite lube and let it work it’s way up the cable sheath and it worked great. Any thoughts as to trying this approach first to resolve the problem at least in the short term?
Thanks for the reply. I’ve read conflicting opinions on using grease instead of graphite lube, which I would prefer and seems to be the forum consensus. I guess there’s more than one way to approach the problem, given the number of different successful “fixes” that have been mentioned over the years. I just wanted to see if anyone has used the approach I mentioned.
You can pull the cable out on the transmission end and lubricate with graphite but dont over do it, you dont want it getting into the speedometer head.
Thanks. I thought previous related posts said the cable could only be pulled from the speedo end, but if you can pull it from the tranny end, that would be great. I assume you can them just push the lubed cable back into the sheath and work the cable end back into the speedometer gears?
Ok, I appreciate the correction. So...I guess I’m back to shaking some graphite lube into the tranny end of the cup and hoping it works it’s way onto the cable. I guess it can’t hurt anything to try!
I've posted this so many times... and its true... so read this before you guy anything. This is from the original (and I still use it to calibrate speedo's and tach's) Weatherly AC Delco Speedometer repair and calibration guide... This was published in 1968 and the same held true up to the 1982 production. If you read this you'll understand a bit but I'll go into more detail. The cable is reverse wound so any oil added to the cable will only be pushed into the first worm and magnet bushing in the speedo/tach head. The first worm and magnet is made from oilite and if you research this, oilite doesn't like oil and this will premature failure of the first worm and magnet bushing.
Graphite lube is still available in a limited supply I might add... we're finding it harder and harder to locate this. But pull the cable, do as the instructions say below and if the issue is the cable your problem will go away.... if not then you have a first worm bushing going bad. https://willcoxcorvette.com/corvette...ble-lube-53-08
21.99 to cause 200.00 plus dollars worth of damage (not counting the labor to pull the dash).... stay away from this tool.... It's junk.... In the short term i might solve your issue, in the long run it'll cause you more grief than you can shake a stick at.
Ernie
Last edited by Willcox Corvette; Jul 30, 2019 at 10:45 PM.
Thanks for the additional info. I already have the proper graphite lube, so I will try to pull the cable from the back of the speedo and make sure only the proper amount of the cable is lubed. Maybe I can do it without ripping apart the dash, which I was trying to avoid. I appreciate everyone’s feedback!
It's hard to get at that cable and pull it at the same time as unlocking it ,your fingers are squeezed up doing the unlocking so getting a grip on it is like a torture.
Get someone on the engine side of the firewall to do the pulling while your cursing the metal locking tang.
Same when putting it back on , they push , you just guide.
The 66' in my Avatar was making some noise so I pulled the cable off the distributor end and used liquid graphite poured in a tiny bit at a time with a paper cone at the end as a funnel and spinning the cable a bit.....
It doesn't take much once you get it worked in........I put 5000 miles on it afterward and no issues........
This is what I do take it for what it is. I pull the cable from the speedo and clean the cable with thinner. Then I spray it with Pioneer dry graphite. Let it dry per instructions on the can. Then I reinstall the cable.
21.99 to cause 200.00 plus dollars worth of damage (not counting the labor to pull the dash).... stay away from this tool.... It's junk.... In the short term i might solve your issue, in the long run it'll cause you more grief than you can shake a stick at.
Ernie
Thanks for the opinion on that. Mine is fine except a little bouncing at below 20 mph. I think it is better to leave mine alone
thought simply using that adapter and putting in a little grease would be ok.
Speedometer cable lubrication
