Speedometer Needle Bouncing?
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 344
Likes: 7
Speedometer Needle Bouncing?
What would cause the needle in the speedometer to bounce? It will not stay in one place at all. At noraml speed, it bounces from 20 to 50. Many times when I am driving a steady speed and then speed up, the needle actually goes down.
Do I need to buy a whole new speedometer?
Do I need to buy a whole new speedometer?
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
Disconnect the cable at the speedometer head and pull the innards out a few feet at least and clean the crud off, and shoot some fresh lube in there. Graphite in kerosene is what was listed in the manuals and in those lube tubes they sell at the hardware store. Don't spill any. I don't know why they get wonky that way but I've fixed a couple different speedos doing this. Worth trying before anything drastic anyways.
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 344
Likes: 7
Disconnect the cable at the speedometer head and pull the innards out a few feet at least and clean the crud off, and shoot some fresh lube in there. Graphite in kerosene is what was listed in the manuals and in those lube tubes they sell at the hardware store. Don't spill any. I don't know why they get wonky that way but I've fixed a couple different speedos doing this. Worth trying before anything drastic anyways.
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 344
Likes: 7
OK - Thank you!
Trending Topics
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 344
Likes: 7
Oh, you're funny!
You know.....I worked on the truck yesterday for about 3 hours before my wife got home from work and wanted to go out and eat.
Then today, I worked on it pretty much solid from around 10 this morning until about 4, and it's in more pieces now than it was when I started. Seems like everything I want to do to it, needs to wait until I do something else first. Or...until I buy something else.
You know.....I worked on the truck yesterday for about 3 hours before my wife got home from work and wanted to go out and eat.
Then today, I worked on it pretty much solid from around 10 this morning until about 4, and it's in more pieces now than it was when I started. Seems like everything I want to do to it, needs to wait until I do something else first. Or...until I buy something else.
FTE Legend
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 54,030
Likes: 2,409
From: NY and VA
Oh, you're funny!
Then today, I worked on it pretty much solid from around 10 this morning until about 4, and it's in more pieces now than it was when I started. Seems like everything I want to do to it, needs to wait until I do something else first. Or...until I buy something else.
Then today, I worked on it pretty much solid from around 10 this morning until about 4, and it's in more pieces now than it was when I started. Seems like everything I want to do to it, needs to wait until I do something else first. Or...until I buy something else.
Hotshot
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 14,255
Likes: 199
From: Phoenix, Az.
When you put the cable core back in you may have to disconnect the cable housing from the tranny . To get the core back in the speedo gear. I suggest also inspecting the cable housing under the truck and make sure the core has not worn through it. Especially on any bends in the cable housing. In the past people used to just put up with the speedo bouncing. What it was trying to tell them is the core needed lube. Eventually the core would start cutting in to the cable housing from the inside out. At this point, lube will not work out. The lubed cable will still bind and release where the housing has been cut in to. A new assembly has to be installed.
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 344
Likes: 7
When you put the cable core back in you may have to disconnect the cable housing from the tranny . To get the core back in the speedo gear. I suggest also inspecting the cable housing under the truck and make sure the core has not worn through it. Especially on any bends in the cable housing. In the past people used to just put up with the speedo bouncing. What it was trying to tell them is the core needed lube. Eventually the core would start cutting in to the cable housing from the inside out. At this point, lube will not work out. The lubed cable will still bind and release where the housing has been cut in to. A new assembly has to be installed.
Elder User
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 590
Likes: 4
The same thing is happening in my 69, Has anyone had any issue with the speedometer eating up the speedometer cables? I every time I pull it out it looks like a mouse nest just behind the dash. I have replaced it twice in two years.
Is there a kit to adapt it to an electronic system?
Logistics Pro
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 4,093
Likes: 14
From: Lind, WA- Eastern WA
As it has been said before, "Google is your friend" Check out this link:/www.hotrod.com/articles/electric-speedometer-conversion-junkyard-builder/ If not, you could buy and install a cheap GPS. That would show precise speed.