Speedo Cable Question:

[Captain D]

Hi guys,

I recently swapped out my instrument gauge cluster bezel. In order to do so, I disconnected and removed the cluster itself and everything went great - disconnected the battery first before I got started and took my time to ensure that it was done right, etc.

All of the gauges and lights work just fine and as they did before I removed the cluster - except for the speedo cable. It worked perfectly fine prior to this mini-project, I disconnected and reconnected it just as I should (I heard the click that it locked back into place), but now the needle tends to slightly vibrate. I disconnected it again and sprayed a contact cleaner and the speedometer needle held firm like it should when I did a test run. Then, I took the car out a few days later only to see the needle begin to vibrate again!  

I don't know what else to try since everything is fitted just fine as it should prior to the swap. Any ideas on what to try next or what it could possibly be? I read that if I have to swap out a new speedo cable, to go with a NOS since repops suck, but the cable worked just fine 2 days ago, lol. I'm guessing that I can still safe to drive the car okay and it won't affect anything else mechanically with the car even if the cable isn't up to par just yet...?

Thank you for the time in reading my issue and for any guidance,
Aaron

[Dino]

It's not the cable.  You have accidentally locked the needle.  That click you heard may not be the cable housing popping in place.  Where the cable plugs into the back of the speedometer there's a big cup that controls the movement. Grab it and give it a slight tug with the cable attached.  It'll give a little and you'll feel the click and presto, needle will be dancing again.

If you have a non a/c car you can reach it from the bottom, if you do have A/C find someone with small hands and drop the column a bit to make more room.  If you have no radio in the dash then you can reach it from there as well.

[twodko]

Cool stuff Dino! Little details like that make this forum for me. 

[Captain D]

Hey Dino,

Thanks for the reply and help. Just so that I'm understanding it correctly, the cup you referred  to - its not actually on the cluster itself since its nothing more (at least on mine) than a stud with this cable and clip simply sliding over top of it. All that I can do on mine is slide the cable and clip over top of this stud to where I hear the click. I did try to slightly tug it out (while still attached to the cluster), but didn't feel any slight change or second click as I tried to see if it would give a little. Is this what you were referring to or was I doing it completely wrong, lol?

Thanks again,
Aaron

[Dino]

You know what, I'm an idiot (most knew this already, now you do as well  )

You can't undo the lock with the speedometer in place, my bad.  It's been a while.

Indeed when assembled, all you can feel is the stud the cable goes in to.  Only when you remove the speedometer, you can reach the cup.

Notice the round edge between the middle of the speedometer and the odometer gears?  That's the cup you're looking for.  When you have the speedometer out, turn the wheel and feel for resistance. (the needle WILL move when you do this)  Now pull it back toward the cable housing and feel the difference.

[Captain D]

You're definitely not an idiot,   I just appreciate the reply and guidance,  

I think I see what you're referring to in the pic, what to do, and how to do it. I suppose my biggest question here is this - can the speedometer be removed without having to remove the entire gauge cluster itself? With it being a pain in the a$$, and with my Charger being a non-a/c car, do you think that its possible to unscrew those two screws with everything still intact or are there other additional components that need to be removed? By the looks of how everything looks so tiny, I doubt that you'll write back with the news I want to hear, lol...

If I do have to remove the whole cluster again, it's crazy to go through all of this just to help keep the the needle from jumping around too much, lol. The needle itself is not locked up or stuck at all (it'll easily go up and down with the increase or decrease of speed); it's just got too much play in it. When driving, I do tend to hear some slight vibrations coming from inside it. But then again, I could just be hearing things since it can be hard to hear inside the car at times...  

Thanks again!
Aaron

[Dino]

There is one way to reach it without getting the whole cluster out.  But before we go there, you say the needle does move?  I understood it just vibrated but didn't give you the actual reading.  If it works but vibrates or bounces then first remove the cable and see if it has issues.  Also check the plastic gear in the trans to make sure it's not damaged. 

If the needle moves but not a whole lot then it's the disc though.  The tension on the disc is quite low so it requires very little force to pop back out.  Normally you would have to remove the whole thing but if you can get behind the speedo and pop the bulb out, you'll have a half inch wide hole to stick a bent piece of wire in.  Try to guide it behind the cup and give it a tug.  You'll know when you have it when you hear a click.

Now when the cable and gear checks out fine, and the cup is free so the needle goes all the way up and down but the needle still vibrates, you've got something else going on and it's likely the speedo gear itself.  Worst case scenario you'd have to take the cluster out and either fix or replace the speedometer.

Did I understand this correctly?  You replaced the whole cluster so in effect the speedometer is not the same as the one you had before?  It may just have a bent cup or axle and that'll be near impossible to get perfect.

Check cable and gear first, if there's a kink in the cable it'll cause the needle to bounce.  If all that check's out then try the coat hanger wire thing.

If you happen to have an old cable then cut off a small piece, stick it in the back of the speedometer and turn it with your fingers very slowly, see if you can get the needle to go smooth.  If not then your issue is in the speedometer itself.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Captain D]

Hey Dino,

Thank you again for the info,  . I apologize for the delayed response - between work being a little busy and keepin' the girlfriend happy, its been a slow time getting a reply back,  .

To answer your question, its actually the exact same instrument cluster, gauges, wiring, etc. that I had restored a few years back Only thing new/different was that I swapped out the front bezel, which was why I had to remove the whole thing altogether. And, yeah, you're absolutely correct - the needle itself moved up and down just fine when doing either 30mph or 60mph; the only problem that I was having was that, when the needle moved with that speed, it just had too much play in it/slight vibration.

I checked the cable for any kinks, and its fine and secure everywhere. The only thing that I did was to spray a contact cleaner and it was working fine (which made me think that the cable wasn't making a good connection perhaps), but then it began to have that slight vibration in the needle again when doing either 30mph or 60mph. Now, I've been doing some more test runs and its perfect again with no vibration/play, lol  . Its been that way for a few days now, so I suppose I'll let it be for the time being rather than tearing into it...

However, I 'greatly' appreciate your time and efforts in providing a detailed tutorial on how to go about doing it correctly just in case, 'down the road' it starts acting up again!  
High regards,
Aaron