speedometer/cable noise - help requested

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str12-340

str12-340

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So when rebuilding my latest Dart (1970 Dart GT - standard long speedometer - not rallye) I took 3 speedos to a local guy that works on dash components. He ran them on a bench machine, picked the best one, lubed it and I installed it with a new cable. All worked fine for about 8000 miles. Speedo worked fine, jived with the speeds on my GPS, no noise. Then it started. It took a while to figure out that the noise that I was hearing was from the cable or speedo. The sound is a vibration and a cyclic squeal like a small bearing going bad, and it's getting worse and worse. finally I noticed a vibration in the speedo needle that matches the sound. I took the cable loose from the trans and voila... no noise! It seems to be coming from the cable as opposed to the speedo itself? In 50 years of working on and driving 70 Darts, I have never encountered this! So how does one lube the cable? Will it just pull out of the casing? What should I lube the cable with so that it is silent? Can I pull it out from the trans end, reinsert it and then twist the cable from the trans end until it engages at the speedo?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
I'm not sure how "easy" it would be Mike to reinsert cable with it hooked up at speedo end. There is a graphite lube out there. I would remove from trans, unscrew from speedo and then pull cable out.
Good luck, let us know.
 
I took slantsixdan's advice from years ago. Pulled the cable out of the sheathing and cleaned it with carb cleaner. Mixed white lithium grease with powdered graphite. Put a glob of it between my fingers and ran the cable between my fingers and into he speedo cable housing to coat it in grease. 15 or so years later and my speedo still isn't noisy.
 
Lubricate the cable with graphite powder. Don't use anything oily or greasy.
 
Pull out the cable from the dash end, there is a ferrel crimped on the cable that prevents it from moving. Usually the problem is a bad cable but you should check the end of the cable for being too long and interfering with the head. Grind off the tip to a point. Remove the cable and put one end in a vice. Grab the other end and try to twist it, to the left and to the right. If you can twist it 1/4 turn or more, you have bad cable. This is the problem with most cables. A speedo shop can make you a new cable.I still use the original Mopar grease to lube. Put a dab in your hand and run the cable through it, a light coating. Careful about using other greases, it must be very light, maybe vasolene?
 
So I just spent an hour on line looking for graphite cable lube: Dorman 03344, NAPA 765-1376, AMG's AMZ-03344, etc. There are listings galore but they all say Out of Stock - no indication of when it might be available. The only thing I could find was Motorcraft PTFE lubricant XG-8 grease which is specifically listed for speedometer cables. Any thoughts on this product?
 
str12-340 said:
So I just spent an hour on line looking for graphite cable lube: Dorman 03344, NAPA 765-1376, AMG's AMZ-03344, etc. There are listings galore but they all say Out of Stock - no indication of when it might be available. The only thing I could find was Motorcraft PTFE lubricant XG-8 grease which is specifically listed for speedometer cables. Any thoughts on this product?
Click to expand...
If it's a liquid, I don't care what the label says, it's not a good product for speedo cables. ALL our local big box stores have graphite powder in stock AND dry aerosol lube like for motorcycle chains. This isn't that difficult. It is however gonna require you to get up and go to town.
 
str12-340 said:
So I just spent an hour on line looking for graphite cable lube: Dorman 03344, NAPA 765-1376, AMG's AMZ-03344, etc. There are listings galore but they all say Out of Stock - no indication of when it might be available. The only thing I could find was Motorcraft PTFE lubricant XG-8 grease which is specifically listed for speedometer cables. Any thoughts on this product?
Click to expand...
I've used worse. Doesn't make it right. All my years I used wheel bearing grease. I would apply then wipe with a rag. Then install. Still have my cable since I got the car in 1985. I do know graphite is recommended.
 
Don't strain your brain making this harder or more complicated than it is. Your speedo head probably needs rebuilt (consider its age!) and cable probably needs lubed. That old advice already mentioned upthread is here.
 
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