High-pitch Squealing Sound from Front

[chuck hahn]

Also, when i have the cables off for lubrication, i use a length of welder wire and a few pieces of rag ( like a gun cleaning kit operation) and drag it thru the cable housing and clean the crud out of there...then a good application of grease on the cable itself.

[natejelovich]

Following up from a few months ago...

I was able to deduce that the screeching sound was coming from the speedometer. I still don't know exactly why, but I'll try the grease inside the metal connector spot.

Question, will dry graphite grease do the trick?

Another question... Somehow while I was driving, I lost half of my speedometer needle (see pic), and it stopped working altogether (or will be extremely jumpy and create the screeching sound).

Is there a way to get the glass off so that I can put the other half of the needle on and inspect the gears inside?

I basically want to be able to pull the black part away from the orange part. Doable?

[chuck hahn]

Fold up a bath towel a few layers thick.
Place the speedo glass down and press down firm ly to hold it good.
See the metal bezel is folded over right where it meets the plastic housing.
Take a small flat tip screw driver and go around that folded over crimp and gently pry it up
Go a little at a time and just go around and around until that crimp is all the way up and then remove the glass and bezel from the housing.


To recrimp, just have the wife or friend hold down on the speedo ( on the thick towel) and use a regular flat tip and small hammer to fold the crimp back down and TAP it tight to the lip on the plastic housing.

The folded over towel acts as a shock absorber so the glass doesnt break.

[chuck hahn]

NOTE....Just smear some light grease ( Vaseline has been used ) into the worm gears..dont try to move the number cogs if you can help it..they will only go in one direction and the little plastic things that they are joined together by can snap pretty easily.

Wipe the worm gears wih some Qtips to clean, relube...call it good enough.

AND AND AND as you lift the broken needle off the pin..be sure to very slowly and easily wiggle it STRAIGHT UP AND DONT GET IT KINKED!!!!!
The pin it is pressed onto snaps like glass if its tweeked or treated roughly. Cover the face plate with some painter tape to protect it as you do the removal.

Search thread about the subject or maybe PM Rustybronco and ask for pics of his removal tool. Get a good understanding BEFORE you go to it is all I am saying.

As for removal of the trip meter knob stem..It just screws on. Once the glass is off ( and obviously the broken needle ) you can remove the 2 face plate screws and lift off the face. Youll see where the shaft to the trip meter comes out and the trib knob is screwed on. grip the trip meter shaft with some small needle nose pliers and then unscrew the knob shaft. Now that everything is out of the way, the guts will come out of the housing easily. any questions..shoot me a PM and I will give you my number to talk it thru.

[natejelovich]

Thanks Chuck!!

Worked like a charm for the most part. I was able to take the casing apart like like you suggested and used the fork trick I saw in another post to pull the speedo needle out.

The needle still jumps a bit, and I hear the screeching occasionally, but definitely not as often. So, I'm hoping once the grease gets in all the right spots, it will stop altogether.

Thanks again Chuck! Much appreciated!

[chuck hahn]

Be sure the hole the needle pin comes thru is real clean and also down by the end the cable joins to. Get them real clean with some cleaner spray and then some air to flush the areas good.

Just a GENTLE dab of cleaner and keep the face from getting anything on it.. If you have already buttoned it up..then I guess I am too late.

[chuck hahn]

Have you cleaned and relubed the speedo gear drive at the wheel?

If you look in the hole the cable goes in, youll see there is a "redish-brown plate" with 4 little squares in it at even intervals. That "plate" unscrews and allows you to remove that lower worm gear. I used a set of split ring pliers pointed tips to unscrew mine.

Next, you can gently go around the rubber seal over the big worm gear and pry it out and remove the bigger upper gear.

Now you can clean the grit out of the entire housing and the gears, relube, and reassemble.

[natejelovich]

Unfortunately it is all back together... but my fault for not thinking of that...

The sound definitely sounds like it's coming from the speedo itself, but will for sure clean out the gear box at the wheel as well (that might help the jumping at least). Thanks for the how to info!

[chuck hahn]

Yes...the jumping is what I was focused on. And note that the metal plate that is between the wheel and the speedo drive ( with the 2 tabs that go into the wheel hub ) should be FLAT and not have the tabs bent backwards . Its an indication that the axle bolt at some point had been OVER tightened. If that metal interfacing plate isnt flat it can momentarily grab as its trying to turn...thus it "snaps free" as it passes the binding point..which makes the cable twitch..which transfers all the way up to the speedo. Sort of a follow the path kind of reaction going on. Follow this explanation?

[SqDancerLynn1]

SIMPLE fix turn the speedo cluster upside down. Pour a few drops of trans fluid into the connector let it soak in.

[chuck hahn]

Lynn..he just opened it up and relubed it. I was thinking that where the speedo "flywheel" looking thing passes around inside that metal hood deal, there may be an ever so slight rubbing that is making it hum.

Sorry I dont know the "technical" names of the parts, but if youve had one open youll know what I mean.