Speedometer/cable issue? with 1956 Thunderbird

zuburg

zuburg

Senior Member
I ran into another issue with my 1956 Thunderbird that has not been driven much in many years. I was driving the bird down the highway at about 55-60 mph when the speedometer started "howling" and the speedometer pegged at 150 mph. Does this sound like a new cable would solve? Or does it sound more like an issue with the speedometer itself?

thanks,
 
Sounds to me like the speedo head. There is a very small tolerance, and if you get dirt, oil or anything similar in that space, you will get that type of action.
 
Most of the old Ford speedos have a small hole in the head that light oil can be introduced.
I run mine with a battery drill while putting oil into the hole. Should do the trick. Note, the speedo has to be removed to do this.
 
dry cable, pull it and lube it, if that doesnt fix the problem possibly the needle shaft that goes into the speedo head, the one with the needle on is dry, its been a long time since i work on one of these, take the speedo out of the dash, remove the speedo once out of the dash gauge body you should see a small welch plug above where the speedo cable screws on to the speedo , remove it and the felt wick under the plug, clean the wick in mineral spirts of deisel fuel drop a few drops of 3 n 1 oil in the wick hole, turn shaft with your fingers till the needle move easily, lube the wick with the oil put back in the hole with a few more drops of oil on it and re install the small plug, only do this if oiling the speedo cable doesnt stop the problem
 
I agree, lube the cable first. it is the easiest. I haven't done one in a long time, but I used to pull the cable out of the housing and lube it , then reinstall it into the housing. I some times used to soak the cable in atf overnight, then reinstall it. it is probably not the recommended lube, but it works. just wipe the excess off as you feed it back into the housing. do not over lube . many people use graphite lube. I have used this, but personally have had the best luck with atf. also make sure that the housing is not pinched, kinked, or other wise damaged. hope this is of some help.
 
Thanks to all who responded. It appears I can remove the instrument cluster without removing the dash. That's a relief, although it still looks challenging like everything when working under the dash.
 
Yes, you can remove the cluster, and yes, it is challenging. When it's out, check the wiring closely. If it's original it may very well be showing its age - cracking insulation when it's disturbed. Better to find out now. Don't forget to disconnect the battery before you start.
 
It is possible to remove the speedo cable housing without removing the cluster. Altho not easy, but I have done it many times. As otherrs have mentioned you most likely just need to remove the spring wound cable, clean it and then relube it. When you reinstall it coil it upon itself and then feed it back into the housing. This will keep it from jumping loose and getting dirt back on it and lube on your interior.

Since you are on a roll go ahead and do the tach cable as well. Now you're a pro.
 
Do you disconnect the housing from both the speedometer and transmission? Then pull the cable out at the speedo end? If I replace with a new housing and cable, does the new cable come already lubed?
 
zuburg said:
Do you disconnect the housing from both the speedometer and transmission? Then pull the cable out at the speedo end? If I replace with a new housing and cable, does the new cable come already lubed?
Click to expand...

NO, just reach under the dash and unscrew the speedo cable housing end fitting from the back of the speedo. Pull the cable housing assembly out far enough to set it on the floor over some newspapers spread out on the floor of the car. Now pull the core cable out of the housing and re-lube it. I always use bearing grease, but they are meant to be greased with graphite grease. Never let the inner cable touch anything while you are working. That's why you should coil the cable up in your greasy hands and feed the cable back into the housing bit-by-bit as you apply grease. When the cable seems to "stop" when you are pushing it down, turn the cable slowly while pushing and it will go down the rest of the way into the speedo driven gear in the transmission. Now clean off your hands with gasoline and wipe the outer cable housing clean. Screw the cable end fitting back into the back of the speedometer and you are done.
If noise persists while driving, the speedometer itself needs to be lubed which requires removal from the dash. You might be able to get away with re-lubing the end bearing as others have suggested above.
If that doesn't fix the noise problem, you have to remove again and perform a more thorough cleaning and lube job of the whole unit.
NO, the new cable does not come pre-lubed.
 
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