Should I open up and lubricate a recently purchased used speedometer?

[Guest]

My speedometer recently failed. Upon opening it up I discovered that the lubrication on the worm gear had all but dried up, and there were bits of metal everywhere. This may have been due to heat from an overheating bulb, as the face panel was very warped.

I bought a new speedometer from a user on here that came of an '82 GS1000G with 4,400 miles. I have a really reliable system for opening the speedo/tach that allows it to be put back together easily but with a bit of scarring. I'm afraid that the lubrication drying out will happen again... 30 year old lubricant doesn't seem so ideal to leave in there.

Do y'all think I should open it up and clean it, or leave it alone? Any other experiences on here with failed speedos or ones that have run forever?

As always, thanks for the sage advice.

[Brendan W]

My speedometer recently failed. Upon opening it up I discovered that the lubrication on the worm gear had all but dried up, and there were bits of metal everywhere. This may have been due to heat from an overheating bulb, as the face panel was very warped.

I bought a new speedometer from a user on here that came of an '82 GS1000G with 4,400 miles. I have a really reliable system for opening the speedo/tach that allows it to be put back together easily but with a bit of scarring. I'm afraid that the lubrication drying out will happen again... 30 year old lubricant doesn't seem so ideal to leave in there.

Do y'all think I should open it up and clean it, or leave it alone? Any other experiences on here with failed speedos or ones that have run forever?

As always, thanks for the sage advice.

First thought is what is or was the charging system voltage topping out at.
I wouldn't open a speedo without good reason. Try it out and see how the needle behaves and maybe shoot some lube at the drive input.

[hjfisk]

I have in the past just drilled a couple access holes and stuck a straw on a spray can of white lithium grease and had real good results then just seal the dril holes with a dab of silicone or epoxy

[klylor10]

Ohh, I like the idea of just drilling a little hole and spraying in some lube. Did you do anything to prevent shards of plastic from drilling going inside the unit? I was thinking of a little vacuum while I drilled...

[JTGS850GL]

If you're concerned about debris getting into the speed-O then just use a soldering iron to burn a hole in the plastic case. Never done it like that but better then drilling IMHO.

[tkent02]

If you lube in between the input piece that the cable spins and the outer threaded part that it spins inside of, it will fix %95 percent of speedo problems, no drilling or taking things apart is necessary. Turn it over and shoot a tiny bit of lithium grease in there, done.

[greg78gs750]

also be careful spraying stuff in there, any spatter/runoff on the inside of the glass will necessitate disassembly anyway.

[jdvorchak]

My mantra is "don't fix it until it's broke". I would lube what you can from the outside, sparingly, and test it.