1939 speedo

B

Bernie

Junior Member
Hi, My speedometer was acting erratic, jumping around and noisy, and suddenly there was a "pop." I had lubricated the speedo a couple years ago and it had been working fine. Anyhow, the speedo is dead in the water just now. I disconnected the cable and when I ran the car the cable wasn't turning -- broke, I suppose. I removed the speedo from the car and am wondering what's my next best move. Probably I'll need a new cable and repair on the speedo. What do you think? Thanks, Bernie
 
The old Ford service manuals didn't mention much about lubricating the speedo cable so they didn't get a lot of attention over the years unless it quit working. I've seen a bunch of mechanical drive cable cores break over the years and that could be your problem. Its not a bad idea to inspect the drive for condition and make sure the speedo will work correctly with very little rotational force. At least you would know that it was a normal cable failure and not something binding it up and causing it to fail prematurely. Cable core replacement kits are available and there ar still a few businesses out there that can make a particular length cable up for a customer.

Kerby
 
My dad (long time Ford mechanic) always used "Lockeze" graphite fluid on speedo cables. seemed to work pretty good. Paul Selfe.
 
If you know what the length of the cable is, I have a variety of NOS speedometer cables. I might have one that would work for your application. The part number might also work. The ones I have are for the most part in the original envelopes.
pm me or email at scardilla77034@yahoo.com
 
Bernie, I also had an erratic speedometer, I lubed the cable and that didn't work, replaced cable no change. I changed the speedometer that didn't fix it. Turned out the turtle on the torque tube was the culprit. Replaced that and everything works fine. Just a thought. ...LouB
 
I take the cable off at the speedo and pour 30 wt oil down the cable. I'm told that this is a dumb idea and the oil dries and is stiff when cold. When it is cold, me and my peeekup full-o-womens stay inside.
clem
 
Thanks for the tip about checking the rotation on the speedo. I've removed it from the car and will try to operate it by inserting a small wire . Bernie
 
i believe it you remove the speedo and take it out of the housing, you will find a small welch plug on top of the speedo right where the cable screws on, remove the plug,and the felt wick under it, deop a few deops of lite oil, 3n1 or sewing machine oil, turn the shaft where the speedo cable goes with your fingers, or a pair of plyers if it stuck, keep turning till the shaft turns free, put a little oil on the gears you can see, not to much, clean and lube the with the lite oil, retun the wick to the hole add a few more drops on the wick, return plug, reassemble speedo in housing, not sure about that speedo but some had the bezel crinpted to the housing, if so be careful when unbending the crimp so as not to damage it, dont want any tool marks to show, same with recrimping it back to the housing
 
Thanks for the reply. I'm going to take your good advise and am anxious that I can get the bezel off without causing any damage. Bernie
 
its tricky, just go slow and use padding on the bezel where you have to unbind it, i use a pair of plyers and duct tape to unbind the bezel, just open it enough to get the speedo out the duct tape goes between the plyers jaws so as not to scratch any thing
 
Bernie...if you need to change the speedometer cable, I have some NOS 78 17262 speedometer cables. They are in the original sleeves and are for 37-39 passenger and commercial with a length of 68.68 inches. My email is scardilla77034@yahoo.com or you can pm me.
 
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