1950s Speedometer

[Coral58]

When cold temperatures, the needle on my well kept 58,is very irratic,moving almost 2inches side to side. Operating in warmer temperatures seems to work fine. Would it need lubrication, if so, how would I go about it?

[Julien Abrahams]

That sounds like lubrication that hardens when it gets colder. I would remove the speedometer cable from the car, if possible, remove the inner cable from the outer. Clean and then relebricate with a general grease. I usually use white grease. Then reinstall the cable and check if the problem is fixed. If that does not make any difference, I would guess that it is in the speedomter itself. That is more challenging. But try the simple solutions first.

[Lexi]

I agree with Julien. 90% of these reported speedo issues can be corrected by cleaning and lubing the cable. Best to go into the cluster as well, and also remove and clean the cable housing off of the transmission, BUT as Julien said try the simple solution first.  Below is the simple solution:

My speedometer was always fine until it hit 15 degree C, (59 F). At that outside temperature, mine would also become erratic and somewhat noisy at times as well. It was like clock work, or like an old person's arthritic knee acting up in the cold, damp weather. My car always knew what the external temperature was and when it hit that threshold the speedometer would act up without fail! It would also make wide swings like yours.

CAUTION: it will only get worse so it must be serviced. Mine can be done from reaching under the dash (1956), but is tight to get at. Best to remove dash top for better access.

This summer I removed my dash top and unscrewed the speedo cable housing at the cluster. I also had to unplug one dash cluster bulb which was in the way.  Then I slowly removed the cable by pulling it out. Lay down covers on your floor and seat upholstery to prevent contamination from the speedo cable which is like a long flexible spring. It will want to spring around like a slinky toy but under more tension. Best to coil to control it and to protect your interior. Just prior to removal note how much was sticking out of the cable housing so upon re-insertion you known how much should be sticking out. At the other end it sits in the transmission so it has to be properly seated.

Spray the speedo cable liberally with a degreaser like brake clean. Mine looked dry and clean but had a tacky feel to it. Make sure the (brass?) bearing at the speedo cluster where the cable came out of, can be freely moved by hand. If it is sticking or does not turn easily by hand, you may have other issues. Mine could be sort of "spun" by hand so it is free.

As for lube, seems to be all over the map as to what people use and what the Shop Manual notes. Mine came out quite dry looking. So after hitting it with brake clean just in case, I coated it with chassis lube grease using a little more near the trany end of the cable and less near the speedo end. If too much applied some feel it can work its way into the cluster. Does not have to "gobbed" on, but a light to moderate coating as described. If you "pack" the cable housing with lube, there will be no room for expansion of material in the event of heat generated by friction or from ambient temperature levels.

Re-insert the speedo cable into the housing, putting the trany end in first. As it bottoms out, turn it with your fingers and it should find the receiving port rather quickly and seat. Check how much sticks out at the other end to ensure you got it seated properly at the transmission end. My cable had square ends so it is "keyed" to go in only one way. As I recall once inserted it won't move in the trany as the car is not in motion. At the other end you may have to slightly twist the cable (or move the bushing with your finger) to effectively line up both male and female ends, for a proper insertion back into the instrument cluster. Re-tighten finger tight and perhaps a tiny touch more with pliers. Leave dash top off and test drive to make sure is OK before putting all back together.

In my case there was a world of difference immediately. Rock solid stylus when driving and no more movement or noise in the cold weather. Fine all summer. Just parked and stored my car a week or so ago and had it out in 4 - 6 degree celsius weather, and had driven at 70 -75 mph on the highway. All was good. Prior to lubing my car could not have done this without a major malfunction or even destruction of the speedo system. No noise or stylus movement was detected. This type of servicing should probably be done every 10 years or so.

Clay/Lexi

Edit: As some use a more "runny" lube, I first put 3 - 6 shots of 3 in 1 oil in the housing with a quick very short blast of WD40 before "chasing" with the freshly greased cable. Probably just the grease would have been OK. So far all is good after 1,000 miles of driving in various temperature extremes.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Don't neglect the Odometer gearing, which is the transfer shafts that go from the speedo drive, right angles to the side, then right angles again up to the odometer wheels.

When I had a replacement speedo from a '60, I found that I had the same problem.   These shafts had become stiff with old, dried lube, and their ability to rotate smoothly was gone, and the teeth were starting to wear badly, resulting in the occasional skipping of a tooth.

Bruce.

[Lexi]

Yes, Bruce is correct. My text only addressed the simple fix, which usually solves the problem. If it does not, then I and perhaps others can post what can be done in the instrument cluster to further investigate. Have some pics I can post as well. Hopefully Coral58 does not have any badly worn or broken teeth in the speedo. Like my car, things were 100% in the warm weather. Never a problem. It was when the cold weather came that my speedo acted up. Since fixed via a lube of the cable. There is a critical gear lubrication point in the cluster that may have to be addressed, should cable lubrication fail to remedy Coral58s speedo problem. Clay/Lexi

[bcroe]

Good pictures, note the indicator needle rear
bearing is right in the rotating magnet assembly. 
A drop of a special oil can keep that from grabbing.

A note, when my 80 hit 300,000 miles, I took the
speedo stuff apart.  EVERYTHING from the trans gear
to the head magnet assembly was just worn out, I
had to replace it all.  Bruce Roe

[59-in-pieces]

Regardless of when the speedo starts to stutter, as of today the 59's are over 60 years old, and really need a good cleaning and lubrication.
Much like me.

I was surprise to see just how complicated the gearing is when I pulled out the counters.

Here are a few pics I took before cleaning my unit.
Hope they give you a glimpse of how deep the mechanism has to be cleaned and all the gears and shafts that need attention.
Stay clear of the number rollers - they are very dainty - and tough to clean without damage.

Hope these help.

Have fun,
Steve B.

[Jon S]

The correct lubricant is graphite and oil sold as speedometer lube.

[Coral58]

Thank you all for your ideas and comments. I will attempt to removethe inner cable from the transmission end ,clean and lubricate it. I will be careful to measure how much sticks out to be sure to replace it the same and maybe feel it seat into the speedometer. My 58 is up on the hoist this week, I've been cleaning,lubricating and checking the frame welding that was done early this year(holding quite well). As suggested I'll try the less invasive approach and hope for the best. Dash removal would be a winter project.       Thanks again,    Ivan.

[Cadillac Jack 82]

At least the later 50s models used a metal gear as opposed to plastic.  My odometer in the 55 was dead when I bought it and still dead when I sold it.  Luckily the 59 seems to work well so hopefully I won't have to pull the cluster to lube it.

[Jon S]

Thank you all for your ideas and comments. I will attempt to removethe inner cable from the transmission end ,clean and lubricate it. I will be careful to measure how much sticks out to be sure to replace it the same and maybe feel it seat into the speedometer. My 58 is up on the hoist this week, I've been cleaning,lubricating and checking the frame welding that was done early this year(holding quite well). As suggested I'll try the less invasive approach and hope for the best. Dash removal would be a winter project.       Thanks again,    Ivan.

If memory serves me correctly, it only comes out from the speedometer head end.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Agreed.   The inner cable only can be removed from the Speedo end.

Very carefully I might add.

Bruce.

[signart]

If memory serves me correctly, it only comes out from the speedometer head end.

+ One above. Comes out from under dash. It's very doable without removing the dash, helps if you are skinny & flexible. This is why one of the posts above advises caution to cover carpet, upholstery prior to removal.
Well, maybe less doable if you have A/C, your accessibility may vary. 

[35-709]

Ditto on covering the interior, those cables are nasty, greasy, dirty when the come out and have a tendency to flop around and get black greasy stains on everything it touches. 
When replacing the cable, I wind it up in a fair sized pan (don't let your better half catch you) and let it feed out of the pan as you insert it back into the outer cable housing.  Even though it will be sort of clean, it will still be greasy/messy with the new lube on it.

[David Greenburg]

If cleaning and lubing the cable doesn't help, the cable may need to be replaced. You might want to try that before pulling and dismantling the speedo. The cable is inexpensive. I had an erratic, bouncy needle, and this solved the problem.