I don't know if it's a common problem, or if it's an easy fix but I notice between 1 and 20 mph the needle seems to bounce. Not that I need to know I'm going exactly 12mph, but it would be nice if there was i fix available so they wouldn't do that anymore. Anyone got a solution/fix?

 

If its an 84 camaro, I beleive its the cable driven speedometer. What worked for me to fix it was too remove the gauge cluster and pull the cable out of the speedometer housing and lubricate it.

 

Great thanks I'll try that. I have the entire interior stripped right now with the exception of the main dash, I'm sure it's not hard to get the cluster out but hows getting to this cable, pretty easy? And what would be good to use to lube it. Thanks in advance!

 

im having the same problem , but it's usually at highway speed that it happens to me, and the car stumbles a bit as well with the needle bouncing.
anyone know what could cause this in a 1990 formula?



sorry, not trying to hijack your thread, it just seemed like a good place to post my problem as well

 

VSS needs to be looked at. does the SES light flash? it's a typical thing.

 

my dash lights were unhooked by the previous owner of the car, so im not sure if theres a code or not.
where exactly is the speed sensor located, and how can i check if its bad or not?

 

haha i love these fourms, i get to figure out all my problems along with everyone else.. my 86 does it, and my 92 just started doing it.. accept on the 92 at times the rpm gauge does it too.. (just not nearly as often as the speedo

 

I was just where you guys where not to long ago, searchig aroudn and asking small stuff like this, lol



As far as removing the cluster its not to bad, especially if you have small hands.....take off the black bezel, not hard, then at the bottom of the cluster on each side there are 2 nuts in by the light bulbs, remove those....pull the cluster out as much as it will go(not much) now the fun part and I find the easiest way to do it is to recline the seat all the way back and lay on it where your heads under the dash, now reach your hand up to where the backside of the speedometer should be and find the speedo cable now feel around where it plugs in to the speedo for a little metal clip thing and u just pull t back and pull the cable and there you go. Note it may also help to lower the steering couln but you dont haft to. As far as lubricating it you can use sever different things, I personally used white lithium grease, but Ive heard of others using a graphite lube or wd40, just make sure u dont get any on the very end of the calbe where it plugs into the speedometer, also needle nose;s make it eay to pull the cable from the housing....If you find where the cable connects under the hood to the cruise control if equiped, you can unscrew it there and then from the part inside the car shoot brake fluid in to clean it out then reattach under the hood and lubricate.

hope that helps

 

hey where did you get the gauges in your little sig?..

 

that would be for the mechanical one correct? not the one in my car?

 

yours is electronic yes. honestly go to the dealer and pay the 40 bucks to have them test the VSS and speedo. Then you can buy the part and put it in. guessing can get annoying REAL FAST! but 90% of the time it is the VSS, mine did the same thing. get ready for a big bill though. i tried every VSS (all made in china) and only the AC delco one worked (200+ bucks) good luck and keep us posted

 

I got them on ebay, they are white face glow gauges, pretty cool huh?

 

Don't short-cut the operation by not cleaning the cable housing. Shoot it with brake clean until the fluid is clear. To lube, use Napa Sil-Glyde, a speedo lubricant. Put a glob in your palm and slide the cabe through it as you thread the cable back into its housing. FYI, the speedos are mechanical, 82-89 and electric, 90-92.

If your trip odometer doesn't work, check the following link:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/faq-...-fix-pics.html

JamesC

 

alright, i'ma look more into this... and yea camaro i love those gauges, never knew anyone that had them installed, i want them for my 92, how hard are they to install?.. and are they just like stickers or what?..

 

I wish they woud have already been sticky, but they werent to bad, you can either glue them or use double sided tape, the hardest part was getting them to sit right and not bend the ends where the wires connect, but other than that hook thm up to the parking light wire behind the headlight switch and ground it and good to go, Majot improvement over the dull stock lights

 

The cable itself isn't bad. Getting it off the cluster can be a #$%#$. Like what was already said, pull it out what you can and you should be able to get to it.
To get the cluster out you will probably have to drop the steering colum.
Now I have a question as long as we are on the subject. I know this cause I tried to do mine. The cable wouldn't go on the custer. Does anyone know where I can get a new cable that will work and if I'm lucky a Part# too.
89 RS 305 5 speed.

 

I had a hard time one time to get the cable to plug back to the speedo, i took it back out and checkd to make sure it would plug to it and it did, sometimes you have to get the cable to turn a certain way to line up right and plug in.

 

Spose I will try it again. I have been thinking about taking the cluster out and making sure it will fit. It's not that hard to drop the colum.

 

The male end of the speedo cable and the female connection on the speedo head are both rectangular (IIRC) and have to mate in order for the cable to click into place.

JamesC

 

Hey I'm going to go thread resurrecting because I'm having the same problem.

Today I ripped out the 145MPH speedo a PO put in that always tried to tell me I was doing 110MPH+ on the highway. I managed to track down one of those aftermarket 140MPH speedos with the Z28 logo on it right here on TGO. I cleaned it up, and installed it today. Before I installed it I lubricated the crap out of the speedo cable. I would put a shot of Wd-40 into the cable sheath, followed by a puff of black graphite, feed about a foot of the cable down the sheath then repeat until the whole thing was back in. I pulled the cable back out after to make sure everything went smooth and the entire thing was covered in black WD-40 so it appeared the operation was a success.

After I reinstalled the cluster and started driving away, I noticed that from 0 - 35, the needle does the jitterbug back and forth by about 5MPH. After 35, everything is smooth sailing.

I know the speedo head is good because now it reads my speed dead on, but this bouncing is really bothering me since I know now It's not the cable.

WTF is it?!




Thanks.

 

speedo cables are picky from all my exp with them use the actual speedo cable lube and clean it out as they mentioned above with the break cleaner and unhooking it at the end, i think if you do it that way it will solve your problem....pretty much do as JamesC says

 

So hang on I'm a little confused as to how you guys are saying to clean it.

You say to unhook it from the transmission and shoot brake cleaner through the cable sheath and watch until the fluid comes out clear?

 

yea unhook both ends (remember if you got cruise control it will unhook there to) and spray brake cleaner through the cable, then clean the rod inside the cable with a cloth and break parts cleaner....then take and put some of that speedo lube in your hand and put it up and down the rod (that can be taken out of context ) then reinstall it

KYLE87 has a good decription of how it was done a few posts up, IMO use the speedo lube, if not the white lithium would be the best other option

 

I will try that.

Yes I have cruise. Where could I unhook it from?

I'd prefer not to jack the car up if possible with the cruise method because of a BS home owners association down here.

Christ I have to practically tell them to FO for just jacking up the front end and pulling the wheels to check for play in the hubs

 

MY 85 has a one-piece cable. Should yours be the same--and I'll assume it is--just remove the cable from the speedo head and trans.

JamesC

 

i think the older ones had the 2 piece cable

anyway my homeowners hates me and all my gear head friends, they hate loud cars, loud air tools, and anything else that comes from this house, but funny i got the best landscaping and best yard of anyone out here, i just work on cars and got to many toys....... we been toying around with the idea of putting a "burn out box" out back of the house im sure they will love that to.......the guy across the street HATES me....well the day he moved in he came over cussing me out MF this S this F that GD everything about a loud car leaving here, so i X1000 back to him informed him he made a enemy by talking to me like that, said if you would of been polite about it i would make sure people were more quiet when leaving well now i dont care at all about him..........but enough with the rant about neighbors and home owners asso.

 

Lol.

Check your thread on that very subject to hear my story on that.

 

yea thats why i made that thred, i seen that maybe i wasn't the only one making people mad for no reason!!!!!!!!!