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Speedometer needle bounces[ALL/1998] posted by Mark Erickson on
Sunday, 27 July 1997, at 8:11 a.m.
The Needle on my 83 240 DL bounces from around 5 mph up to about 30 mph.
My guess is that the cable needs lubing but when I was nosing around
under the dash I found what looked like the speedo cable but it ran from
the Speedometer to a box under the dash..I take it it's an electrical
component, my question is
1. Can you lube the speedometer cable?
2. If so what should you use?
3. How should you go about doing this? My only other experience with this problem was with a 63 VW Bug so I don't want to screw up this speedometer
but I want to fix it before it gest worse. Thanks
Re: Speedometer needle bounces[ALL/1998] posted by Dave on
Sunday, 27 July 1997, at 3:53 p.m.
Yes, your speedo cable needs lubing. Bouncing up to 10 mph is pretty common, so it must be pretty dry to bounce at 30mph (just hope it hasn't worn the inside of the casing too bad).
The small cable you found from the speedo goes to the Lambda Sond (oxy sensor)warning light counter box (BTW the reset button is inside the box). This shoudn't cause bounce, but it wouldn't hurt to lube it too. The main speedo cable is right next to it and undoes by hand with a twist lock plastic nut.
You can effect a mildly successul lube from under the dash (don't drip on the carpet), but you may prefer to pull the cable back into the engine compartment or remove it altogether to do the job properly.
I've had good luck starting with WD-40 as a cleaner followed by a grease gun packing (the grease helps to dampen any vibration), but a graphite based oil would probably be the specified lubricant.
Be careful re-connecting the cable to the speedo. Make sure the square end is is aligned and slips back into the connector relatively easily (either move the car or jack up the rear end and spin the wheels to alter the cable position if needed). Don't force the connection, damage to the speedo gears can result.
Re: Speedometer needle bounces[ALL/1998] posted by Henry T. Mui. on
Wednesday, 30 July 1997, at 12:02 a.m.
Thanks Guys,
I was going to also post that same problem with my 84' 240. Now, that I
know how to cure the problem I can now get to correcting it!