Two questions:
Should I run it until it breaks and then replace it?
I assume they disconnect it from the transmission but how do they lubricate it?
They probably shot it full of WD40, which has since dried up and the squeak has returned.
WD40 is okay to free sticky stuff and cut gunk and crud, but once the WD40 has done what you need, you have to clean it out and use a real lubricant. I'm not certain what is best for a speedo cable, but I think white lithium grease should do the trick.
I'd disconnect the cable at each end and spray in your cleaner of choice -- WD40 is not the best, but it is okay -- and pull and push the cable in and out and spin it around. If there is any dryness and crud, you ought to be able to feel it. Once you are reasonably sure the you have knocked loose any debris, pull the cable all of the way out of the sleeve and wipe down. I suggest pulling it all of the way out and pushing it back in several times, turning it as you go. Finally, take the cable out, wipe it clean, then put a light coat of white grease on it and put it back in.
You want to be cautious to avoid kinking the cable as you pull and push it, and it should slip out of the casing easily. If it encounters a bind, that is probably the source of the noise you are chasing. It is a bit of a PIA, but it is a job that you should be able to do without a mechanic that will squirt in a shot of WD40 and pass you a bill for $100 in labor ...
I don't know that a speedo cable is a dealer item, or if you can get one from the car parts store down on the corner. My instinct is that this kind of part is a dealer-only item. If you perform proper service, you should be able to save it from complete failure that requires replacement parts. If you pull the inner part of the cable out and find that it is frayed, then you have to replace it.
One fellow I knew swore by light-duty motorcycle chain lube, the kind that foams up, then turns into a liquid.
My '88 pickup has never had the speedo cable removed, let alone lubed. I wonder if the outer sheath has a kind in it, or if it got bent and the inner sheath(?) is rubbing on the cable...
Never use WD40 for a speed cable as it will gum it up after a while. Same with grease. THe proper way to lube one is to pull cable and coat it with dry graphic. You want to keep cable and housing free of oil and grease for consistant performance.
----------------- TheSnoMan.com
Sorry, please allow me to clarify my earlier statement, WD40 is okay -- not great, but okay -- to use as a solvent to clean other even worse crap that is mucking things up. Once the WD40 has done its job to free the sticky parts, it must be cleaned off and real lubricant applied. There are lots of solvents that are better than WD40, but if all one has is WD40, then it is okay. I'd make the trip to the store to get something better, but if you want to use WD40 here, it would get the job done.
Having said that, SnoMan is right, WD40 is sure to gum things up. I did not think that white lithium grease would gum up the works, but I won't argue the point. Dry graphite would be better than lithium grease, I agree with that.
The problem with WD40 is that the silvents in it can dissolve crude that build up in cable from wear and time and while it "looks" okay for a while with time the WD40 evaporates and leaves a sticky mess behind.
WHite grease could work maybe for a while in a warm cilmate but it could get stiff in really cold weather and it too with time with tend to dry out and gum up. (I would think it would work best with a new cable and housing that is clean) Powdered graphite works best here because it is dry and tempatures in a car do not effect it. If you can remove complete cable housing you could flush it out with WD40 real good and then blow it clear with compressed air and that should work for a while because you would clear out any "junk" in there before WD40 evaporates with time and leaves the sticky stuff behind.
----------------- TheSnoMan.com
That's precisely why one has to clean it off once it has done the job you need it to do.
I stand by the idea that WD40 is a reasonably good cleaner, and free-er of stuck or dirty parts, but once it's use as a solvent has been satisfied, it has to be removed or the same problem that caused you to take it down from the shelf will return.
It is only "okay" as a solvent, and there are lots of better ones. If you have to go buy a can of WD40 to use as a solvent, you may as well buy a real cleaner and some real lubricant instead.
That's a good point, and one that I never have to consider where I live.
(I would think it would work best with a new
That's true too. But, if a good lubricant is put into an environement with WD40 remanants, the lubricant should hold up very well. I agree in principle though, if WD40 is used in this application, blasting compressed air into the empty jacket to physically blow the loosened crap out (and the WD40) is a very good idea.
I had a 91 Surf (RHD 4Runner) in Japan a few years ago that sqeeked like mad. Fixed it by undoing the cable at the tranny end and carefully pulling out the cable and coating it with a small amount of wheel bearing grease. Voila - quiet speedo. Still was silent when I sold the car several years later.
Interestingly that old Surf had a motor I've never seen in the US. It was a
4 cylinder FI pushrod engine with everything accesable on top - fuel filter, oil filter, and distributor. Super easy to work on and reliable as heck. Not fast but much better gas mileage than my V6 93 Runner which got 14 MPG and blew a head gasket.Bubba
Use a nice smooth oil like gear oil or even lighter.
Remove the speedo cable from the gear box and also from the speedo head. Get someone with a drill to spin the cable from the lower end and then very slowely pour oil or greas or whatevr you want down the tube.
Whatever you do DONT PULL THE CABLE OUT!! If theres any freys you wont get the sucker back in the tube.
I did this to my 91 4Runner and that was around 3 years ago now. Still going well.
Give that a try, worth doing if you have a spare couple of hours.
Scotty
Judging from the wide range of responses, I think I will go back to the shop and have them replace or lube it.
That's the last thing I'd do.
They will only fix the squeak for as long as it takes to go around the block, you already said they "fixed" it once, and I'd almost put money on the fix as giving it a shot of WD40. They will gladly put more WD40 in and you'll be back in a few months asking for more.
There have not been a "wide range of responses." There was a discussion on the merits or lack thereof of WD40 as a cleaner, but after you get past whethor or not using WD40 is good, the rest of what we said was pretty much the same. Everybody seem to agree that if WD40 is used as a cleaner, it must be removed because it gets gooey as it dries, and will cause the same problem to return. I don't like WD40 for anything except removing glue and gunk from pretty much anything. Once the parts I am working on work freely, I flush the WD40 and apply a proper lubricant, where "proper" varies with the project at hand.
There was a comment about pulling the inner cable out of the outer one, and if the inner cable is frayed it will not go back in. I agree, but if the inner cable is frayed, odds are good that this is the squeak, so you need a whole new speedo cable anyway.
Right on.
I've seen more stuck, rusted, and galled parts because the customer "lubricated" things with WD-40. It's great for cleaning and displacing water. Any lubricating properties disappear literally overnight, which is really bad, because the WD-40 just rinsed off the "real" lube.
Just 'cause it says "lubricating" on the can...
WD-40 also says it "frees stuck bolts". Apparently whoever put that on the label never used PB Blaster, which REALLY frees stuck bolts!
"light-duty motorcycle chain lube, dry graphic, White grease could work maybe for a while, wheel bearing grease"
"THe proper way to lube one is to pull cable and coat it with dry graphic."
Whatever you do DONT PULL THE CABLE OUT!! If theres any freys you wont get the sucker back in the tube.
Once the WD40 has done its job to free the sticky parts, it must be cleaned off and real lubricant applied. (assuming cable must be pulled to be cleaned).
Bullshit !!! White lithium grease is fine for a speedo cable. I am talking about the white lithium grease you can buy in a tub, not the shit you buy in a spray can. GM even sells a speedo cable lube that comes in a tube and looks just like white lithium grease.
More bullshit. White lithium grease works fine in all temperatures. I have used it for the past 30 years and have not had any of the problems you claim. I also live in the northeast were the temps get to 20 below zero in the winter months and it works just fine. You want the white lithium grease you can buy in the tub, not the shit they sell in the spray can.
(I would think it would work best with a new
WRONG !!!! You need to pull the cable out to lube it properly.
If theres any freys you wont get
If the cable is frayed it needs to be replaced, not lubed.
Amelia
Minimum fee.
A little worthless trivia on WD40: WD-40 is a Water Displacer (that's what the WD stands for) that happens to be an OK solvent. It was designed to eliminate water and prevent corrosion on electrical circuitry. It is not a lubricant as others have mentioned. WD40 has its place, but not as a lube.
Some uses for WD-40: Attract fish. When sprayed on fishing bait, WD-40 covers up the scent of human hands on the bait to better lure fish, according to USA Today. The WD-40 Company receives hundreds of letters from consumers confirming this use, but prefers not to promote WD-40 as a fishing lure since the petroleum-based product could potentially pollute rivers and streams, damaging the ecosystem.
Cure Mange. While spraying a dog with WD-40 gets rid of parasitic mites, according to USA Today, the WD-40 Company, feeling that the potential misuse of the product is too great, refuses to condone using WD-40 to cure mange on animals.
Prevent squirrels from climbing into a birdhouse. Spray WD-40 on the metal pole or wires.
Remove a ring stuck on a finger. Several medical journals claim that WD-40 is the perfect cure for a toe stuck in the bathtub faucet, a finger stuck in soda bottle, or a ring stuck on a finger.
Remove chewing gum, crayon, tar, and Silly Putty from most surfaces. Spray on WD-40, wait, and wipe.
Clean decorative snow from windows. Spray windows with WD-40 before spraying with artificial snow so the decorative spray will wipe off easier.
Prevent dead insects from sticking to your car. Spray WD-40 on the hood and grill so you can wipe bugs off easily without damaging the finish.
Make hangers glide over a clothes rod. Spray WD-40 on the clothes rod so hangers can be pushed back and forth easily.
Clean clogged spray paint can nozzles. Remove the nozzles from the spray paint can and the WD-40 can, place the nozzle from the spray paint can on the WD-40 can, give it a couple of quick squirts, and replace both nozzles.
Remove oil spots from driveways. Spray with WD-40, wait, then blot. The mineral spirits and other petroleum distillates in WD 40 work as a curing agent.
Thread electrical wire through conduits. Spray WD-40 on the electrical wire to help it glide through winding conduits.
Prevent grass clippings from clogging up a lawn mower. Spray WD-40 on the underside of lawn mower housing and blade before cutting the grass.
Clean sap from gardening equipment. Spray with WD-40, wait, and wipe clean.
Prevent mud and clay build-up on bicycles. Spray the bicycle with a thin coat of WD-40.
Remove baked-on food from a cookie pan. Spray WD-40 on cookie pan and wipe clean. Then wash with soap and water.
Remove dirt and grime from barbecue grills. Remove the grill from the barbecue, spray with WD-40, wait, and wipe clean. Then wash with soap and water.
Remove chewing gum from the bottom of a shoe or sneaker. Spray on WD-40, wait, and pull the gum free.
Keep dogs, maggots, and flies out of trash cans. Coat the trash cans with a thin layer of WD-40.
Take squeaks out of new shoes. Spray WD-40 into the leather and shine.
Remove grease stains from linen. Spray WD-40 directly to the stain, rub it in, let is soak for a few minutes, then wash through a regular cycle.
Take squeaks out of a box spring mattress. Remove the fabric covering the bottom of the box spring mattress (by simply removing the staples), and spray the springs with WD-40. Staple the fabric covering back in place with a staple gun.
Polish wood furniture. Spray WD-40 on a cloth and wipe.
Clean crayon from a blackboard. Spray WD-40 on the crayon marks, let soak for 10 minutes, then blot clean with a cloth.
Free a tongue stuck to frozen metal in winter. Spray WD-40 on the metal around the tongue.
Told you it was some worthless trivia....
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