It took me a while to figure out what it was. At first i thought the sound was coming through the speakers as i drove. Can it be lubed or are replacements commonly available?

thanks.

 

Lube will do you no good, get a factory one, they are still available and worth the cash.

edit: for my 91 dealer had mine in stock, not 100% sure on your 86.....but try to get a OEM replacement.

 

I believe the part # is 83710-89151 for 85-88s

 

Thanks for the replies. Since i posted this i learned that NAPA sells 125 different ones and rock auto sells a kit to make one to length.
My noise isn’t anywhere near as bad as some have described in posts i’ve found but it’s one of those things that once you’ve heard it, you can’t NOT hear it.

 

Yes, you can lube the speedometer cable, but from what I read, it isn't that easy to do, and is more of a "Band Aid" fix as most people have the noise or bouncing speedometer come back not long after.

It is best to get an OEM speedometer cable if it is still available. It looks like the part number above is correct.

 

Good thread, Yota brethren!
Does anybody know/remember/have picture of the OEM cable?
What could cause jumping? Does the tip of the cable wear out where it engages the meter mechanism? OR does the meter mechanism end wear out?

 

I think the bouncing of the speedometer is caused by the inner rotating cable wearing against the outer stationary cable and sticking a bit as it rotates. I find that the bouncing needle is worse at lower speeds.

Also note that the speedometer assembly itself could be causing the noise, but is usually much louder. If the speedometer cable is not firmly connected to the back of the combination meter (gauge cluster), you will get a horrendous noise. Don't ask how I know...

I have not looked at enough high mileage speedometer cables to determine if the ends of the cables or back of the speedometer wear faster than the rest of the speedometer cable.

 

Take out cluster, pull cable, smear a tiny dab of grease on the part that enters the speedo, reinstall.

Or wait. It stops when the weather is warmer

 

Mine was clicking and making the speedo have a minor jump, when it was super cold it had a gawd awful grinding noise that made my whole dash rumble...

After taking it out and looking at it you can feel the sloppy ness and feel binding when you turn the end with your fingers, spin the new one and it feels like butter I would imagine after 240k the inner cable wore out the internal and was binding on the outer metal wrap as old yota said. I could see no physical wear on either ends of the cable.

 

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...r-tool-280182/

Here's how I lubed mine. Has been quiet and smooth ever since that thread was posted even in sub-freezing temperatures. The truck has over 400,000 miles.

 

Excellent! Thanks, Alexman. My truck has “only” about 180k miles.

 

You Da Man, Arlindsay! Tnx!

 

I have also lubed speedo cable although the video makes a interesting point where he purges the cable housing first. Good idea.

 

Mine has been making this horrendous noise for a couple years now, seems to be happening at warmer and warmer temperatures as the years go on. Eventually I'm sure the cable will break but I'm not taking the cluster out until then. Turn the radio up!

 

You can lube it, I recommend graphite although I know of people who have used either 90w or regular motor oil. My thoughts being that oil will collect dust and cause the issue to come back faster, I lubed one with graphite and it worked fine for 50K until the truck was totalled out. I have one currently that needs it but I haven't torn into it yet because it isn't a five minute job.