Speedo sticking

[injebreck99]

The speedometer needle of my 1959 Minor is sticking high, also reading low all the time, I think it may be the speedo itself, how does one go about removing it please, I can't see any access without removing the heater.
Ref the ride height issues I posted earlier, I have found that the N/S is low.the tyre rubs on the wing in certain circumstances, I will have to see about raising that side.

[beero]

First thing to do is remove the cable, clean and oil it, or renew it if necessary. Could be rusty or dirty and sticking.

[Chris Edgar]

In the (distant) past I have used grease to lubricate after cleaning,
helps to damp the tendency to swing.

regards,

Chris

[Sidney'61]

If you open the gloveboxes you should find a small round hole in each liner going through to each side of the speedo, this is to get a screwdriver in for undoing the two fixing screws, the speedo can then be pulled out.

[mike.perry]

They are Philips screws and they should only be slackened a couple of turns then wiggle the speedo out towards you.
If like me you can never find the screws through the holes then all will be revealed if you remove the glove box liners

[injebreck99]

That's what I needed to know, thanks all.

[MarkyB]

If you do decide to grease the cable then wipe any excess off for a few inches close to the speedo as it may find it's way inside and cause more problems.

[injebreck99]

I have removed the speedo(eventually), and found that somebody had used thin graphite grease on the inner cable which had worked it's way into the head, I applied a small amount of brake cleaner and gently blew an airline into it, upon reassembly it seemed much improved , but not perfect, I used thick water pump grease to regrease the cable after cleaning it first,two new speedo illumination bulbs went in and job done !.

[MarkyB]

I bet the water pump grease was thick!
How old was it?
My dad had half a pot of it left over from the 1940s I think.
That was quite thick 30 years ago and won't have got any thinner in the 30 years since.

A useful tuning tip just for you is use some regular grease like you will use for the trunnions.

[injebreck99]

The WP grease was about 30 years old, bought when I was at a Vauxhall dealers where I did my apprenticeship, I greased the bottom 3/4 of the cable with it, it now works well.
All I have to sort out now is the incorrect welding of the floor pan, (stitch welded), and an engine becoming smoky, !!