Speedo locked up?

[daytona kid]

I've never had my speedo working since I put my 68 charger together. I thought it only needed a cable so I got one. It broke before the needle ever moved. The speedo was frozen. I then made a tool that fit in the speedo in place of the cable, shot some wd40 on/in it and got it spinning, but it's still pretty stiff. Is this common on 68 rally speedos when they have been unused for a long time? I bought the cluster used and I guess it may have to come back out to fix the problem. Or can I remove the cluster face/lens bezel and just pull out the speedo?

 

[R413]

Have to take it all out. You can clean it and OIL it and get it working. Take the speedo out of the cluster and spray it from the inside also. Spray it with some brake cleaner and work the crud out of it. I like CRC in the red can it won’t melt plastic or stain paint. I like to use engine oil on these. WD40 is not a good long term (over a day) lubricant.

some have this oil port on the back. I don’t think a 68-70 rally has this.

 

[myk r sanchez]

Is oiling the speedometer a maintenance item?

 

[R413]

Well after 50 years it sure is! Same with the cable.

Look in your factory service manual. Section 0 is lubrication and Maintenance. Spend some quality time reading that section.

How many people lube the hinges and lock cylinders on your daily drivers?

 

[steve817]

lots of moving parts and clearances that need to work in harmony for a correct reading. i restore speedos and calibrate. pm if interested

 

[daytona kid]

I don't really care about a correct reading, yet, thanks anyway. I have a 3.91 rear end gear so the speedo is going to be off. I'll change the speedo gear for that later.... I got the cluster out and all apart, and freed/lubed up the speedo, I also reset the odometer to about how many miles I have on it. Don't tell anyone, ha. That odometer was like figuring out a Rubik's Cube, shezz!.. Now to get it all back together,, tomorrow, yawn!.. I'll report the results..

 

[R413]

Here is factory speeedo cable lube with instructions.

I’d say the cleaning step is very important after 50 years of use. I pull out the core and wipe it with a lint free cloth and Brake cleaner. Put in in and take it out and repeat until the rag stays pretty clean. Then apply lube. I’ve been using wheel bearing grease in a tube, it’s not overly thick. Valvoline #615 dark red.

 

[daytona kid]

I got it all back together and all is good. With my 3.91 rear and 30" tires the speedo reads about 5 mph higher than actual., I can live with that awhile. Don't feel like messing with the speedo gear right now. Besides that will help me keep from getting a speeding ticket..