I have an AC 1 : .800 ratio 90* adapter on the transmission cable. This seems to be an unusual part. Recently the speedometer has started erratic needle swinging and is no longer reading true when compared to GPS. I have previously swapped the drive and driven gears in the transmission, and replaced the cable, and had it reading steady within a MPH or two of GPS. I think the speedometer head is ok, just the drive to it isn’t steady. Last time it was doing this erratic needle bounce, a new cable was the solution. This adapter has a zerk on it, so seems like greasing it could only help. I can’t find anything that says what kind of grease to use, so wondering if anyone else knows or can recommend something other than whatever is currently loaded in my grease gun. I don’t really want to replace this adapter, then have to go back to swapping drive and driven gears again. If I do, I’ll get a 1:1 adapter instead of this weird reduction gear. Better still would be no adapter, but the cable outlet is pointed right at the exhaust pipe.
I would do some googling something light , like a lithium grease or silicone based grease not anything thick or heavy like wheel bearing grease . I would probably try getting some gear oil or regular 10-30 in it first and see what happens
Get in touch with Rusty at Speedometer Service in Colorado. @e1956v here on the HAMB Speedometer, Generator And Alternator Repair In Colorado Springs (speedoservice.com)
For the adapter a lightweight high temperature grease, but it sounds to me like the speedometer is the problem. Low speed fluctuations up to 30 or 35 is usually cable, above 35 it’s usually all in your head….speedometer head.
Powdered graphite is what the old timers used. It can be a messy job, though, so if you can, pull the cable and "lube" it on the bench or in the driveway away from the car, upholstery, etc. But you almost have to do that anyway so the cable can be held vertically and whatever lube you're using can run downhill, end to end. You can also grab the cable tip in a drill chuck and run it at a moderated, slow speed to help the lube move along the full length.
Sorry but do NOT use graphite on a cable it’s a speedometer repairman’s best friend. It works its way up into the speedometer and causes more problems for you. My father used to say that sh_ _ts made to sell not to use. It may be good on door locks or hinges but not speedometer cables. White lithium grease is best for cables or in a pinch Vaseline if that’s all you have. Not trying to step on toes or anything Shift Wizard, just passing this on.
I guess wit the HAMB crowd I should have said Preparation H would also work as that might be more available
I was taught to use white lithium grease on speedometer cables 62 years ago in high school auto shop class. I've also used Vasoline on them. You just wipe the cable off, put some of the grease on a couple of fingers and feed the cable through the grease on your fingers and back into the housing. It's not really rocket science.
Had one of these on my toolbox top for more years than I can remember , all I ever used on speedo cables .
I did. Found lots of adapters for sale, nothing on what to lube one with. Not sure how I’d go about shoving gear oil or 10W30 through a zerk.
I have a 1:1 right angle on my trans. Came with zerk so I grease it along with everything else, half a pump tops. Probably 30k miles or so. I have a factory 1:.5 for use with 4.11 ['70 Mustang] and lower gears that has no ability to grease, 20k and doing fine. At 60 mph cable rpm is 1000 which is standard for speedo's.
The seal to the speedo cable is usualy to the shroud so the cable and associated mechanism is lubricated by the oil in the trans. I would have thought this would be the same.
More than likely if your speedometer cable is bouncing it is because the cable is winding up and releasing violently it is caused from the cable getting bound up in the tube from a lack of grease/lubricant. I have personally used just normal old wheel bearing grease in numerous speedometer cables over the years (I used to use motor oil in a squirt can but the problem is with oil is sometimes it leaks out and gets all over everything), grease has it has worked just fine since I started using it In fact I used it most recently on a 1978 Corvette that the speedometer would bounce from one end of the speedometer to the other. Now that being said you will need to pull the speedometer cable off the back of the speedometer and slide the cable out of the "tube". When you slide the cable out of the tube sometimes it might be mildly stuck and you will have to pull it out using pliers be gentle with it You can stretch it out and ruin it. Once it is out you will put a fair amount of grease on it and you will push it back down the tube (Make sure before you pull it out of the tube you note how it is seated in the tube So you can make sure it goes all the way back down and locks into the other end) it's kind of a messy job so be warned It isn't a complicated job but it does take a little bit of finesse especially if that cable is full of dryed out glue like grease. Once you get it back in the tube hook it back up to the speedometer and more than likely that will stop the erratic bounce of the speedometer needle. I have probably done this to 40 cars out of the hundred plus vintage cars I have owned and at this point it's almost like a maintenance thing when I first get the car up and running I go ahead and grease the speedometer cable especially on really old cars or cars That look like they've been through some serious abuse like an old work truck. (I'm a big fan of resurrecting dead cars cleaning up up driving up for a few months then selling them for a small profit I've been doing this since I was a kid so I am relatively speaking, I am very familiar with wore out junk lol). Also it should be noted to people doing this on different vehicles other than the one that is mentioned in the comment on some cars the speedometer cable might be two or even three parts each piece of the cable is a potential bind-up spot, on most cables all the sections are serviceable and again all you need to do is grease the actual spinning cable. Most of the times I've had an issue it's usually the section up by the back of the speedometer sometimes the speedometer can also be the issue and that is a little more tricky I have put just a few small drops of motor oil on the back of the speedometer through the cable hole and then slowly spun it using a drill and a little homemade tool out of a broken speedometer cable that allows me to spin the speedometer a little bit to get the oil inside of it I don't know if that is a good way to fix it so don't do that unless you're comfortable with it, But I have done it to my cars but mind you they aren't duesenbergs or super rare 1950s speedometers They are run of the mill cars like Plymouth valiants or Ramblers. None of which have a lot of value so if you screw something up it isn't the end of the world and the parts are relatively easy to find. Edit: I forgot to mention the little 90° elbow thing with the zerk fitting I would just push a little grease into it I don't think it really matters which grease It's not like it gets real hot in theory it shouldn't have water getting in it All it needs to do is be a lubricant. You can buy white lithium grease for your grease gun if you are really worried about it, mechanics have been using it in speedo cables since the beginning of time. My personal compliant with white lithium grease is it tends to dry out and get crusty in a relatively short amount of time compared to modern disc brake wheel bearing grease But if I remember correctly when I was in high school back in the early 1990s in auto shop that is what the instructor (probably the best teacher I've ever had) recommended to use was white lithium grease, If he is still living he is probably in his late '70s or early '80s so I would imagine that's what he was taught to use when he was growing up but lubricants have came a long way since the days of basic white lithium grease but I digress.
I bought one of these years ago for giggles and shots and it’s come in handy Soo many times it’s paid for itself 10x over
Putting some closure to this thread, at least for now. Greased the 90* adapter with the same stuff I use on ball joints and driveshaft U joints. Cleaned and greased the cable with syl glide. Still getting some needle bounce, and its reading is about 10% high compared to GPS. In PM with Rusty, it seems that my speedo head is worn. The odometer shows 93K miles, which I believe to be accurate, or at least close enough. The magnet part of the head is able to move forward/ backward about 1/8”, where it should have no free play. That’s probably causing the erratic and incorrect readings. It’ll do for now. I’ll send it out over the winter.
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