Lubricating a Speedo

Grey 57 Old Grey Cruiser

2,937 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 19 Dec 2002, 10:12 pm

#16024

I just fitted a recently aquired really nice correct style speedo in to the oval. Thanks VW1960. This one is mint, the clear needle is really clear, red and green warning light bits are perfect. However in operation is a bit noisey. I think its cause the lube has dried out. What the best way to re-lube these things and were do you lube them???
:tree:beer:jesus

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 20 Dec 2002, 11:13 pm

#16224

You would have to be pretty careful not to have oil inside the speedo glass..
You could try dropping one drop of oil down the cable entrance....
Are You sure its NOT the cable.... they can be noisy... especially when they are about to break.... I used to place a couple of drops of oil into the top of the speedo cable every now & then.... I have stopped doing that now as the oil is coming out of the little square hole in the dust cap!!!!

- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 20 Dec 2002, 11:18 pm

#16227

If a tiny drop of oil or 2 doesn't fix it....
You would probably have to pull the speedo apart.... I am about to do this... or I should say I am going to try to open one without stabbing Myself in the hand!!
I have an old speedo I am going to try with... I have opened speedos from japanese cars and I'm pretty sure there wasn't any lubricant inside the speedo... or though I like to lubricate everything.... with oil-grease-Vaseline or petroleum jelly. Most things I pull apart, I usually oil if its a moving part... One drop of oil works wonders....

- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

Grey 57 Old Grey Cruiser

2,937 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 21 Dec 2002, 7:22 am

#16279

Thanks sleepe , nice thought mate. Yeah the noise is pretty loud :thumb

Lee, dont think it is the cable because the noise wasnt there before I fitted this new speedo. And yeah I don't want to have oil ruin a prefect speedo needle and face and get all over the glass.
I have opened up a couple of bug speedos in the past, no real problem. Be careful you done slip with the screwdriver.
Or break the glass.
Cheers
Dean

vw54 Administrator Always Waiting 4 Friday

16,723 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 21 Dec 2002, 9:00 am

#16290

use a blunt knife or flat blade n prise the front cover ring off. then theres 2 screws at the back which u undo and then the mechanism is right there.
no good trying to do it any other way. oil in the drive hole goes NOWHERE:beer

[Edited on 20-12-2002 by vw54]

I read it on FACEBOOK so it must be true

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=91278&page=1#pid848630

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=63561&page=1#pid624099

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=4832&page=1#pid452603

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=60650&page=1#pid574409

Grey 57 Old Grey Cruiser

2,937 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 21 Dec 2002, 9:10 am

#16293

Thanks Dave you have saved me a bit of extra work. Was going to drop a little bit of oil down the drive hole and stick it back in. So I guess its the full works required.
Cheers
Dean:beer

Grey 57 Old Grey Cruiser

2,937 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 22 Dec 2002, 10:09 pm

#16660

Up date, got the speedo out and apart and back together without stabbing my self thru the hand or wrecking it. And now its a quiet as a mouse. And needle dont twitch either. :thumb

vw54 Administrator Always Waiting 4 Friday

16,723 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 23 Dec 2002, 12:28 pm

#16708

If the needle is twitching its usuall the cable stuffed n needs replacing.
a few drops of oil down the cable wont hurt either

:beer:beer:beer:beer

I read it on FACEBOOK so it must be true

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=91278&page=1#pid848630

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=63561&page=1#pid624099

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=4832&page=1#pid452603

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=60650&page=1#pid574409

aussiebug Officially Full-On Dubber

246 posts · joined Sep 2002 · 23 Dec 2002, 1:20 pm

#16714

I've fixed a couple of squealing speedos.

The main shaft grease runs dry after 30+ years and it's this that starts to squeal.

You remove the speedo from the car, and gently pry off the chrome ring around the face - then the glass comes out.

Removing the screws in the back of the speedo releases the mechanism.

You'll see a 1/2 buried worm drive with some brownish lumps of grease (if it's original). Access to the main shaft is very poor, but after cleaning out the old grease (dig it out with match sticks or anything small, use Vaseline as new grease (it's light, but non-drying) and push it into the worm drive area. Spining the main shaft backwards will help drag grease down into the bearing area. The later speedos (with 10th mile odos) have better access to the shaft area than the earlier types. You may also be able to push some in from the cable end - you'll fill up the cable hole first but can dig that out later - just keep putting a dab of vasiline on the end of the shaft and press it in with your thumb.

Place a tiny dab of vasiline on the other gears (don't use oil - it might throw off on to the other workings), and remove any excess vaseline from the worm drive, put it all back together and it should be quiet for years.

Rob
Rob and Dave's aircooled VW pages
Repairs and maintenance for the home mechanic
http://www.vw-resource.com

Grey 57 Old Grey Cruiser

2,937 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 23 Dec 2002, 8:29 pm

#16788

Hi Rob, I put a drop of oil on the inside of shaft and regreased the worm gears. Have I done the right thing here?
Will even a small amount of oil cause a problem??
It seems to be OK so far!!!

vw54 Administrator Always Waiting 4 Friday

16,723 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 24 Dec 2002, 7:56 am

#16905

Dean

yeah Vaseline would be better, as Rob says, the oil will probally soften the old grease and make it penetrate into the gears.

now you know how to lubricate the speedo, it will be easier net time it starts to squeal.

I read it on FACEBOOK so it must be true

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=91278&page=1#pid848630

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=63561&page=1#pid624099

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=4832&page=1#pid452603

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=60650&page=1#pid574409

aussiebug Officially Full-On Dubber

246 posts · joined Sep 2002 · 24 Dec 2002, 12:12 pm

#16948

Grey 57 wrote:Hi Rob, I put a drop of oil on the inside of shaft and regreased the worm gears. Have I done the right thing here?
Will even a small amount of oil cause a problem??
It seems to be OK so far!!!

Grey,

A drop or two of oil into the main bearing is probably OK, but it's not as good at "gap filling" a worn shaft as grease is, so it might not last as long as grease.

It depends on the oil you used too - engine oil has a lot of ingredients you don't need for lubricating a speedo shaft, and some oils (sewing machine oil for example) might be too free flowing and throw drops out of the bearing on to the face or can. I'm probably being over-cautious here, but after carefully cleaning up the inside of the face I personally don't want any contaminants messing it up.

I thought about it a lot before trying Vaseline, and have had one speedo running for years with this fix. It's not too thick to get some into the shaft, and is thick enough to stay put with the gears spinning.

I just fixed a second speedo a few weeks ago, and it's nice and quiet too now.

Funny thing with this second one - I think a PO must have used a type3 or type2 speedo cable in it - it's about 30cm longer than a bug speedo cable, and was doing the "needle jump" even though the cable itself was OK - too many bends I think, causing the cable to bind up inside the sheath. Then the squealing started, so I replaced the cable at the same time as I fixed the squeal.

Rob
Rob and Dave's aircooled VW pages
Repairs and maintenance for the home mechanic
http://www.vw-resource.com

Grey 57 Old Grey Cruiser

2,937 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 31 Dec 2002, 9:23 am

#17727

Well the run home from Apollo Bay along the Geelong Road has made me aware the "new speedo" is not reading correctly. Had a feeling that the car seem to get up to speed a lot quicker with new speedo.

The speed advice radar on the Geelong Road advised that I was travelling at 94kph and the speedo was telling me I was doing 65mph. Even rough conversion tells me that one is not right. And I think I know which one. Think a bit oil might have got into the works (magnetic spinning bit). So out she'll come again.
Will use Robs advice this time.

Happy New Year all

Dean

jenz58 Postal Menace

9,121 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 1 Jan 2003, 12:02 am

#17810

Dean I went under that radar on Geelong Road yesterday and the reading was spot on with Bel's which means it is wrong. From all other accounts Bel's speedo is roughly 10 klms p.h. over what she is actually doing:jesus

p.s. Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!:party

[Edited on 31-12-2002 by jenz58]