| Bill E Bob | -- 11-17-2018 @ 5:40 AM |
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1947 Ford speedometer with a sticky needle--have to tap the glass to get it to register. Have been unable to locate any blow up diagrams to see what I might be getting into. Any suggestions as to teardown or lubrication of said needle? Cable and odometer functional. Thank you in advance.
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| TomO | -- 11-17-2018 @ 7:20 AM |
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I suggest that you take it to a place that does instrument repairs, like Bob's Speedometer. Oil in the wrong places can collect dirt and further aggravate the condition. The needle is mounted to a shaft that goes through pot metal and has a magnet on the other end. The magnet could be weak, the shaft could be binding or the needle could be binding on the glass. There is a hair spring that returns the needle to zero and the needle is pressed on the shaft. Both of these are very easy to damage. Tom
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| Bill E Bob | -- 11-17-2018 @ 7:32 AM |
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Welll, that settles the DIY part of the equation. Thanks for the information.
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| carcrazy | -- 11-17-2018 @ 8:06 AM |
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If the needle bounces violently against the upper stop, do not drive the car with the speedometer connected. Permanent damage will be done to the speedometer, like the needle breaking off!
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| juergen | -- 11-18-2018 @ 4:30 AM |
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Bob's charged me $500 to repair a 34 speedo. Since then I start with doing it myself. I use some old Singer sewing machine oil which seems to work fine. Take out the case and using a tooth pick oil the surfaces which the speedo needle shaft touches. If it does not help the problem, you can always send it to Bob's. Oiling it won't break it or make the problem worse.
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| supereal | -- 11-29-2018 @ 10:45 AM |
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We also use Bob's Speedometer. Their phone number is 1-800-592-9673. They will examine your unit and give you an estimate of the repair cost. They also carry a large stock of rebuilt and NOS instruments. The speedo in my '47 was in bad shape from exposure, probably in a salvage yard. I opted for a like new unit that didn't cost a whole lot more than getting the original rebuilt.
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| Drbrown | -- 11-29-2018 @ 9:51 PM |
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As you probably know, since the indicator needle pops up and displays when you tap the gauge glass you can rule out the cable feed from the tranny as being the problem (assuming the car speed indicated appears to be correct and there's no bouncing needle). Don't see it mentioned but did you remove the plug/screw on the top of rear-top-side of the speedo case (behind dash) and put a little light-weight oil in the hole ? That sometimes fixes your type of problem. If the odometer rotates while driving then it appears the internal parts of the gauge are working. Otherwise, inside the gauge its likely the brass bushing that holds the shaft of the steel cone that covers the rotating magnet on the end of the incoming cable feed is binding. These parts seldom break or get dirty enough to bind but can only be lubricated by taking the speedo apart .... not a daunting job if you proceed carefully. I have a '47 and a spare speedo, and could send you photos if you PM me. This message was edited by Drbrown on 11-30-18 @ 7:29 PM
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