speedometer needle still bouncing after replacing speed sensor, and the plastic gear that fits on top of it. 18 tooth speedometer 'gear head'.

I have also replaced the sensor on the rear diff for the abs.

do you think its the cable?

is it really necessary to remove the whole dash to replace the cable?

the speedometer needle will work then bounce from the speed indicated on the dash to 0.

 

A less than perfect cable will cause a speedometer needle bounce. Usually not necessary to remove a dash to unhook the speedometer cable from the head.

 

so I did remove the bottom dash piece, it has body mount tabs, and then one torx screw holding it in,

I have removed my dash controls for the headlight before, and the windshield washer ****, if you can pull the **** out, you can take a pair of pliers and remove the tab that holds the **** in place,

then removed all of the torx bolts,

and then I thought I could remove the speedometer cable with the dash still connected to the harnesses,

but I just took a pair of linesmans pliers and cut the cable near the brake pedal,

and then disconnected the harnesses,

to remove the speedometer cable,

you dont have to remove the quick disconnect from the speedometer sensor, the cable will just pull out.

gonna get another one and see if I can get my speedometer working again....

 

Sometimes the speedometers themselves start to get a little weird as they age, but usually a bouncing mechanical speedo is from a failing cable that's "winding up"

 

has anyone changed one for a 88 ford f150 custom 4.9 5 speed manual 4x4?

that has the part number,

the guy at the parts store ordered 2 different ones, and I am going to take the cable with me to match it up,

its a dorman part #.

 

and it has cruise control.

 

I changed the cable, the sensor on both the t-case and rear axle, and the plastic gear on the end of the speed sensor.

and still the needle bounces,

it wont hold at a certain speed, or it will, but then quit.

its a 88 ford f150,

no fuses, or pcm controling the speedometer on this model?

 

No. If the needle is still bouncing, then the problem is either with the speedometer itself, or the drive gear on the transmission itself is worn out.

 

Make sure the speedo cable is not in a tight bend from transmission to speedometer That will cause the bouncing needle for sure as the inner cable tries to turn inside the outer case.

The issue I have with my 89 F250 is around 35 to 45MPH I get the bounce. I change the speedo cable layout and it changed the bounce from the lower speeds up to the 55 to 65 MPH range. I had to mess around several times to get it corrected.

The biggest issue was where the speedo cable bends from transmission to floor board. That's a 90deg bend and that's probably where your bouncing speedo issue is at.

 

where did you get your cable from? I measured the entire length of the cable and its 80 inches. O'Rileys can only get a 90 inch cable.

they said mine wasn't listed, 88 Ford f150 custom with 5 speed manual and cruise control.

I was thinking about just ordering it from a online catalog like lmc truck, wonder if it would make a difference?

 

On my 89 F250 4x4 5 speed, the drive gear in the transfer case was slipping on the shaft.

 

I got mine from a junkyard. Cleaned and relubed the cable before installing it. Never measured the length of it when I swapped them.

 

I bet its the psom. Seems like most end up with this problem.

 

A 1988 doesn't have a PSOM.

 

I worked on a 1996 F-150 and found out the antilock brake module caused alota problems. I just unplugged the module and problem went away, as there is none available anymore