Speedo says 100 when I'm going 50....

[50Champ]

I took my Stude out for a 10 mile drive today even though it's 34 degrees here and I don't know how to turn on the climatizer. As soon as I started driving over 20 mph I heard a funny noise and saw that the speedo was bouncing wildly between 80 and 100 mph. When I got up to around 50 it stayed at 100 or above and was still noisy. However, the odometer still worked normally. Was this caused by the low temperatures? It's been down in the teens here the last couple of nights. Will it fix itself when Spring rolls around and the temps increase? Should I disconnect the cable from the back of the speedometer? Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance....



1950 Champion 2 Dr. Sedan

[dean pearson]

I think your car just wants to go faster!

Dean.

[wolfie]

You need to oil the speedo head. You may need to clean it. Others will pipe in with a better explanation of how to do this as I am not familiar with your particular car. I also spray the cables with penetrating oil. It SEEMS to penetrate the casing over time so I spray everything I can find. Steve

[DEEPNHOCK]

Also check the lube on your speedo cabler core.
It should be lubed with a light oil/graphite based lube.
Lubing it with chassis grease can cause it to wind up and unload/wind up and unload (similar to a pinched cable housing).
HTIH
Jeff[8D]

[mbstude]

My '58 did that on a cold morning. I had to replace the whole speedometer.

Matthew Burnette
Hazlehurst, GA

[BobGlasscock]

Yeah, just make sure you get a pic of that reading 100 mph before you fix it!

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

[Milaca]

I heard that speedometers are like the FOX news channel...always accurate. Therefor, if the speedometer said that you were traveling at 100 mph, then by golly you WERE traveling at 100 mph!

So
They
Used
Delco
Electronics
Before
Autolite
Kept
Engines
Running?

Brent's rootbeer racer.
MN iron ore...it does your body good.

[Tom Bredehoft]

All joking aside, what no one wants to tell you....

The speedometer head is driven by magnetic friction, or drag. The cable turns an armature inside the head. This armature just clears the outer section, which is held with the needle at zero by a very weak spring. As the inner armature turns, magnetism between the armature and the outer section turns the outer section. The faster the inner turns, the farther the needle turns.

If there is anything, oil, grease, grit, whatever, between the two turning sections, the needle will register higher. Yours needs to be seriously disassembled and cleaned, the bearings lubricated, and reassembled.

[img=left]http://www.alink.com/personal/tbredehoft/Avatar1.jpg[/img=left]
Tom Bredehoft
'53 Commander Coupe (since 1959)
'55 President (6H Y6) State Sedan
....On the road, again....
'05 Legacy Ltd Wagon
All Indiana built cars

[gordr]

Tom is 100% right. The back side of the slender little spindle which carries the speedometer pointer is a thin needle that is supported by a bronze bushing set into the rotating magnet structure driven by the cable. A lack of lube, and that tiny little bushing gets wallowed out, and the pointer spindle shifts enough for aluminum speed cup on the pointer spindle to come into contact with the spinning magnet. This will cause the speedometer to intermittently peg out at the top end. Left unchecked, it will soon destroy itself. I had exactly that happen on the 2R truck I've been working on lately.

If you can't do anything else, disconnect the speedo cable from the back of the instrument.

Next step: lube the speedo cable as Jeff suggests, and try again. If the speedo still misbehaves, the problem is in the head, and it has to be serviced.

Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

[Flashback]

The cold causes this when the lube in the speedo gets
old and when it gets cold real "stiff" All the lube
advice is good. might be sure to clen the old out and
away good. I use "white Lube"

Tex E. Grier

[cbonner757]

Hi, 50Champ. After a lot of digging, I found a tube of lube specifically for speedometer cables that is a graphite liquid, not powder. I've yet to road test it, but I'm told it is at least as good as lithium white grease, and made for the cables of older cars. Here is a link to it at Mac's Antique Auto Parts. I used it on the new cable core I put into my 51 Champion.

http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb.dll?parta~dyndetail~Z5Z5Z50000021a~Z5Z5Z513656~P2.50~~~~~~~F

Regards,
Clarence

[StudeRich]

quote:Originally posted by 50Champ

I took my Stude out for a 10 mile drive today even though it's 34 degrees here and I don't know how to turn on the climatizer.

OK, I see no one addressed this issue which should be an easy fix.

If you have a functioning Heater water valve, heater core, defroster core, Def. Fan and Heater Fan.
Just open the the right outside fender vent door, close the inner door, pull the "Heat" control to full on, switch the Heat Fan to "ON".

OR...read the owners Guide.

StudeRich

[50Champ]

Since nobody suggested WD-40 I'm guessing that I shouldn't use that instead of the graphite or the grease. I'm going to disconnect the cable from the speedo until I get something for it.

I tried the climatizer last winter and it didn't work so I think I'll just take short trips on sunny days while wearing a heavy coat and hope for the best.

Thanks to all who left comments....



1950 Champion 2 Dr. Sedan

[stude62]

I had this same problem on a 1977 Plymouth Volare that I owned (and believe it or not, it was one of the best cars I ever had the pleasure of owning - and I still miss it dearly). Anyway, you want to get this looked at ASAP-the longer it goes on the more damage it can do the cable.

Stu K


'63 Lark Regal, "Miss Rose"