Kindly let me know if replacing the inner speedometer cable will stop the fluctuation of the speedometer needle,
Thanks
Yes it will could. Sometimes they are just gummed up if oil has been used as a lube in the past. You could inspect and remove the grunge (if it exists) and see it it improves. A little graphite at the gearbox end might help. Avoid lubricating the speedo end. I have chased this problem down before on our XJ6. Removing and cleaning the inner didn’t work; replacing the whole cable didn’t work; replacing the right angle drive nailed it! If there is a kink anywhere on the cable both the inner and outer could be suspect. Paul
It depends on the specific cause of the bounce. Most likely it’s the internal speedo cable dragging against the inside of the outer cable, otherwise its a gearing issue at either end, possibly in the instrument. There are two small nylon gears in the speedo, one to advance the trip odometer and the other the main odometer, the spindles of either can over time stick on their bearings sufficiently that their actuating arms will bind against the gear teeth and either strip the gear or cause it to crack, which will cause the needle to bounce.
I kept and carefully inspected my old speedometer cable after I installed the new one. The sheath is flexible wound steel covered in vinyl. In a few places the vinyl was cracked or torn. Water got in there and locally rusted the core. So the flexible core had a couple of rigid spots maybe an inch long. In that case I guess replacing just the core would be acceptable, but why do that. Complete cables are not expensive.
I had a cable that was to long which ground out the speedo internals.
Even with a full rebuild both the E Type and MK2 have a bit of flutter.
I replaced the cable since it was melted in places. rerouted a couple of ways, and had the speedo refurbished, and checked the cable extension, and it still dosn’t stay steady. It is fine on acceleration, but drops when you back off. I will be trying the angle drive next.
If you have the instrument out then you can check if the problem is in the instrument itself.
Take a 3" piece of solid copper wire such as used for house wiring (14, 12 Ga will do), strip and fold one end over to give a double section about 1/2" long. Flatten the folded end so that it will fit diagonally into the square at the back of the speedo. Put the other end in your cordless drill and run it (slowly at first, to make sure you’ve got the direction right). If the needle doesn’t bounce (and the odo and trip count up) then your needle bounce is in the cable, and the worst problem in the speedo head is possibly miscalibration.
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Hi Stewart,
What should be the length of the speedo cable protruding from the nylon retainer?
Thanks
Benny
Thanks, I’ll give that a shot.
MB