Speedometer Cable Squeak

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OldsDad

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Mar 16, 2019
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My son took his 83 Hurst out of storage today and the speedo squeeks pretty badly. If you lube it from the Bottom will the lube be pulled up the cable or should it be done from the dash down, What type of oil or grease works the best. Last year it was more of a Cold car noise and once the car warmed up it went away
 

ssn696

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Pull the cable out of the back of the speedo by pushing the lock ring towards the back of the cluster and tugging on the cable. A couple of squirts of 3-in-1 oil will quiet it down and make it last longer. Excess will flow down their side of the cable.
 
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69hurstolds

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Usually, cable squeaks are due to dryness. If it has cruise control, the cable isn't super long. It only goes from the dash to the top of the fenderwell. You can either remove the cable from the sheath, clean it, lube it, then reassemble, or you can try to drip some cable lube in from the speedo head end, but that's a hope and a prayer. You can always replace the cable assembly with a new one (last resort)

You would benefit from a graphite/oil mix most likely. You can use dry lubes, etc., but the oil/graphite has done me well. Pretty much any oily lock lubricant would work.

Here's some graphite/oil mix from Amazon, but you can probably buy it locally from any of the hardware stores or auto parts stores near you for just a few bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0185XNU64/?tag=gbody-20
 
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69hurstolds

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If you decide you need a cable.....

WITHOUT CRUISE CONTROL

GM still makes one for a NON-CRUISE 83 H/O. GM p/n 88959479. Lists for 93 and change!!! (CC1016) 83.5" long. The production cable is likely a 2 piece unit. The replacements are normally one piece.

These are all the p/n's it MIGHT be under- 88959479, 25033554, 15519256, 25032649, 25032664, 25033406, 25033405, 25033407

WITH CRUISE CONTROL

If it's got cruise, you'll need to figure out if it's the upper or lower cable squeaking. Probably upper, which is p/n 25032595 (CC1102) 41.3" long. AKA part numbers 25032869, 15592489, and 88959472

Lower cable w/W40 is 25032383, 25032278, 88959454 (CC917) 65" long.

Search ebay/rockauto.com, etc. They're available on the secondary market. $30-$40 or so for the GM stuff. Not sure about the aftermarket crap.
 

57 Handyman

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Feb 6, 2017
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While on topic of speedo cables, can a bouncing speedometer needle at lower speeds be due to insufficient lubrication in cable? As speed increases, the bouncing goes away. Thanks for your input.
 

69hurstolds

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While on topic of speedo cables, can a bouncing speedometer needle at lower speeds be due to insufficient lubrication in cable? As speed increases, the bouncing goes away. Thanks for your input.
Yes. They call this "whipping" of the speedo cable. Sometimes people use 400 foot long cables (I exaggerate to clarify) when they can get by with a 4 foot one which doesn't help the situation any. Use the shortest possible cable within reason, but you don't want to have any binding or kinking. If you get a bend or kink in the cable, you can get whipping too.

Usually you can take them loose at both ends, pull out the inside cable, clean them up good, spray cleaner down the sheath too and clean out any crud in there, and relube everything with graphite cable lube and reinstall. If it's still whipping after that, then most likely you'll need to replace the cable/sheath assembly.
 

pagrunt

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Sep 14, 2014
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Years back (before the masses had internet & cell phones, LS motors) you could get an adapter that screwed on to the cable & pump grease thru it. Haven't seen them in ages.
 
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