What where and how?

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RIP: 80 300SD
RIP: 79 450SEL
2002 E430 4matic (212,000km)
2002 ML500 'sport'

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FACEBOOK: PANZER450

Where: Cable head where it attaches to the speedo.
How: Get some light oil and drip about 1/2 oz onto the cable shaft letting it flow into the tube.

Ok..will sewing machine oil work?

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RIP: 80 300SD
RIP: 79 450SEL
2002 E430 4matic (212,000km)
2002 ML500 'sport'

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FACEBOOK: PANZER450

As long as it's light oil and does not dry out. I used air tool oil in mine. It was making a horrible squeal that vibrated the whole dash until I put some oil in it.

How long does the "lube" fix seem to last? I've always read that speedo cables will always fail if you lube them. Mine grinds and squeaks too but I've just lived with it...

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1960 MB 190Db w/ full sunroof
1985 Toyota Pickup
2006 Honda Odyssey EXL R&N
2001 VW Jetta GLS TDI

It's worked for the last month on mine without any issues. My cable is 26 years old with 211K miles so if it fails anytime soon I think it's had a pretty good service life.

Would this oil-from-the-top work on a bouncing speedo needle? I've been assuming its the cable, and thought I had to lube it from the bottom to fix it.. so of course, I've been putting it off

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'83 300DTurbo http://badges.fuelly.com/images/smallsig-us/318559.png

Broadband: more lies faster.

If it's the slight "old-car" bouncing, then it's an oil-filled damper inside the gauge. Not easy to refill, can be done though. Lubricating speedo cables doesn't usually work for a very long time and some speedometers die if the lube gets inside the gauge.

Does the oil make its way out the other end somehow? Mine makes noise in the winter before the car warms up, so I figured I'd oil it before it got cold this year.

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1985 300TD-euro 352,000 mi
1974 240D (1?)52,000 mi - has a new home now

It can do that. Seen a couple speedos ruined that way - the cable starts to act like a screw conveyor and pushes the lube to the gauge causing failure there. Depends on type of lube of course, if it just happens to be something that the gauge can tolerate - then, no problem.

I've had a better outcome by cleaning up the cable. Did that to an Opel I used to own, lasted for years. IIRC the method was bathing the cable overnight in, um, something. No idea what it might have been. Worked anyway.

Does the cable pull out of the sleave from the top or the bottom?

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Ron Schroeder
'85 300 Turbo Diesel 2 tank WVO
'83 300 Turbo Diesel 2 tank WVO
Some former WVO vehicles since ~1980:
'83 Mercedes 240D
'80 Audi 4000D
'83 ISUZU Pup
'70 SAAB 99 with Kubota diesel
'76 Honda Civic with Kubota diesel
'86 Golf
Several diesel generators
All with 2 tank WVO conversion
LI NY

Will WD-40 work, or would something like a little tungsten oil be better?

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'79 300SD
'82 Chevy Chevette diesel

The cable doesn`t pull out of the sleave. At least the ones I have messed
with on the 123`s.

The last one I replaced I got at Pick N Pull for $7.00. much better than
$50.00 or whatever new. been working for the last 7000 miles.
the last one snapped when the spedo head locked up.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Someone once told me that the proper lubricant for a speedo cable is graphite - same stuff used inside lock cylinders.

Anybody else hear this?

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Dale

Cables failing due to lubricating them is an old mechanic's tale with little merit to it, IMO. If a cable is on the verge of failure and someone lubes it and then it fails, it must be the lube, right? No, it failed because it wasn't lubed regularly. Chassis grease (not oil) has been the recommendation I've known of, and I've got a grease gun fitting somewhere that attaches to the speedo head end so you can push the grease down the housing.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned some sacred MB cable lube that costs $999/oz! No, I'm not saying something like this exists, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Maybe it's the cousin of the sacred sunroof lube.

Hahahahaha... there's no such thing! You're thinking of tung oil -- tungsten is an elemental metal used in incandescent light filaments and in abrasives.