The Ford Barn

jimmiej · 08-29-2010, 05:29 PM

I'm new to the Model A. I have a 1929 Sport Coupe in which I have a jumpy speedometer. Driving at a constant speed the the speedo will jump back and forth 35-45 etc. The previous owner had a outer original cable and an inner cable in good condition that was not installed. Outer cable 61". Inner cable 62 1/8 ". I lubed it with spray lithium grease. Kept the routing smooth. I have read the other posts on this topic on this forum. I don't know if this is the original cable as the previous owner has passed on. I see the advice to use graphite based grease. Is lithium grease a bad substitute? The cable spins freely when not installed. It is slightly tighter when in the speedometer but spins. Ideas and helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. Jim

ford1 · 08-29-2010, 05:44 PM

right now the speedo head itself needs to be cleaned,the old grease in it has hardened and is binding up the speedo shaft, you can pull the flat plug on the side of the speedo and carefully remove all the old grease, wd 40 works good, just be careful of the numbers on the dial, i would send it out to have it cleaned and repaired, it will be cheaper in the long run

Aerocraft · 08-30-2010, 07:57 AM

Do a Fordbarn search on speedometers and cables and you will find a number of threads addressing your question. Gar Williams

1931 flamingo · 08-30-2010, 12:24 PM

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Recently my speedo stpped working, pulledit and cable out, cable was in one piece, and lightly lubed, cleaned it and relubed, and reinstalled. Speedo had been rebuilt years ago(20-25). Reinstalled it and lasted about 2 blocks. Replaced the cable AND housing with new repro and seems to be working fine now. Some one had mentioned on my previous post that sometimes the tip gets rounded off and I think that's what happened to mine.
Paul in CT

08-29-2010, 05:29 PM	#1
jimmiej Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 55	speedometer cable questions I'm new to the Model A. I have a 1929 Sport Coupe in which I have a jumpy speedometer. Driving at a constant speed the the speedo will jump back and forth 35-45 etc. The previous owner had a outer original cable and an inner cable in good condition that was not installed. Outer cable 61". Inner cable 62 1/8 ". I lubed it with spray lithium grease. Kept the routing smooth. I have read the other posts on this topic on this forum. I don't know if this is the original cable as the previous owner has passed on. I see the advice to use graphite based grease. Is lithium grease a bad substitute? The cable spins freely when not installed. It is slightly tighter when in the speedometer but spins. Ideas and helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. Jim

08-29-2010, 05:44 PM	#2
ford1 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: oroville ca. Posts: 1,554	Re: speedometer cable questions right now the speedo head itself needs to be cleaned,the old grease in it has hardened and is binding up the speedo shaft, you can pull the flat plug on the side of the speedo and carefully remove all the old grease, wd 40 works good, just be careful of the numbers on the dial, i would send it out to have it cleaned and repaired, it will be cheaper in the long run

08-30-2010, 07:57 AM	#3
Aerocraft Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 1,387	Re: speedometer cable questions Do a Fordbarn search on speedometers and cables and you will find a number of threads addressing your question. Gar Williams

08-30-2010, 12:24 PM	#4
1931 flamingo Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: new britain,ct 06052 Posts: 9,390	Re: speedometer cable questions Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Recently my speedo stpped working, pulledit and cable out, cable was in one piece, and lightly lubed, cleaned it and relubed, and reinstalled. Speedo had been rebuilt years ago(20-25). Reinstalled it and lasted about 2 blocks. Replaced the cable AND housing with new repro and seems to be working fine now. Some one had mentioned on my previous post that sometimes the tip gets rounded off and I think that's what happened to mine. Paul in CT