Smiths Gauge Cable clean, check and lube

Speedometer cable was a bit shaky. British Cables in Canada made this cable for me. Got some advice on clean lube and check. Probably worth doing once per year. This was on my 1976 Triumph TR6. DIYHELP.

[@aeroearth]

The Smiths speedometer had a big diameter drive cup and consequentially high inertia. Might be worth removing the sppedometer's bezel then the two screws that hold the mechanism to the case then check the drive shaft for free rotation and also the indicator shaft for the degree of damping. Could extend the life of the drive shaft if dry with a couple of drops of cycle oil. Also check the worm drive for the odometer for lubrication which if dry can cause periodic wind up and release of the drive cable which shows up as needle flutter. Again, oil can reconstitute the grease if dried out.

[@jamesthomas4080]

Thank you for yet another video that is just what I needed. Your car seems to have all the problems mine does. By any chance is your heater blower broken? LOL.

[@DIYHelp]

Ok. That is really funny. That motor has never worked. I have all the parts and it will be a future video this year. Yes. It’s broke.

[@jamesthomas4080]

@@DIYHelp Well, I'm looking forward to your future video then. 🙂 If I try to turn mine on the fuse blows and I lose power for a bunch of my gages and stuff.

[@Andrewszasz]

@@jamesthomas4080 you should check to see if your blower switch is grounding out on the metal back frame for the dashboard. sometimes the unused connectors get bent and short. that was my problem and fixed it in 10 min, no issues since and blower works great! (well not great, it's a tr6, but i have low and high speeds working!)

[@jamesthomas4080]

@@Andrewszasz I'll be sure to look for that. Thanks!

[@Andrewszasz]

is it fundamentally the same procedure for the tachometer? in neutral, mine is jumpy and makes a soft 'grinding noise' even though the engine sounds fine and not jumping.... any acceleration makes the sound go away and the needle doesnt jump.

[@DIYHelp]

Yes. That cable is very short and typically not a problem. Mine used to be bad but I had the tach professionally rebuilt and for whatever reason it’s smooth as glass now with no issues. So for me it wasn’t a cable issue.