Help with siezed tach

Do we have an expert who can help me with this?
Thanks Jim

The inside where the cable connects should be moving.
It drives a little magnet, that in turn will take the needle on.
Mine was stuck also, the grease inside got hard.
I cleaned it with white spirit util it got loose.
Grease it again afterwards, good luck.

Peter Jan

Sorted in about half an hour . Thanks for your help.

Jim, DO NOT grease it! You need a single drop of clock oil on the shaft - grease will spread and start to gum up again. Instruments need very, very sparing and careful lubrication. 3-in-1 is way too heavy, WD40 is not a lubricant so clock or instrument oil is all you should use. Whatever you use will find its way into the rest of the mechanism over time. Similarly you should not lubricate the cables as the strand twisting has the effect of pumping whatever you apply up the cable and into the back of the instrument.* Modern cables are PTFE or Nylon lined anyway.
It’s worth noting that if you send your instruments to a UK restorer and try to make a warranty claim for any reason, if there’s evidence that you’ve lubricated it they will charge you.

*10 years ago I had been driving my '68 Mustang for about 3 hours on a French motorway when I noticed a drip coming from the bottom of the dash. On investigation, I found the T5 gearbox was slightly overfull and transmission oil was pumping all the way along the cable, collecting in the speedo casing and dripping out of the bottom. The Archimedes Screw effect of the cable was raising it around 2ft above the level in the gearbox.

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Thanks for the tip . I think I have some clock oil ,if I can find it .

Just spoke to Speedy Cables and they recommend NO lubricant in the instrument…They also recommend it be stripped down . I will try it first .

If it’s actually been seized solid it needs something. But literally, one drop of very thin instrument or clock/watch oil. Andy’s right - it really needs stripping, as the bush bearing has probably picked up. You’ll probably get it seizing up again but I guess it’s worth a try.

And please, don’t ever lubricate a cable drive!!

I thought I had better check the speedo as the old cable was also bust . Also stuck , now free.