Shakey speedometer....whats the fix?
 

My speedometer stick wobbles and shakes at upwards of 30mph and below 65mph.

How is this fixable?

Is there a cable that needs tightening/Lubing up?

Thanks, ps2cho

Is this on your '88 300TE? It has an electronic speedometer....so its likely an issue with the pickup/sender on the transmission, or an issue with the gauge itself....as there is no mechanical wire connecting it.

Yes for my 88 300TE.

The other gauges are fine such as the RPM. Is this a big/expensive job to have this fixed?

I'm not a tech... but are you sure about that?:confused: Here's the cable for it:

http://catalog.worldpac.com/mercedesshop/sophio/wizard.jsp?partner=mercedesshop&clientid=catalog.mercedesshop&baseurl=http://catalog.peachparts.com/&cookieid=2781CGTPO2BN0GUNZO&year=1988&make=MB&model=300-TE-001&category=P&part=Speedometer+Cable

I have a shaky speedo on my 201, and my reseach on this site indicates that it's a common problem on these cars. Some have corrected it temporarily by lubing the cable, but the consensus seems to be that replacing the cable is worth the reasonably small expense for the permanent fix.

Again, I'm not tech, and have no first had experience in this particular matter -- (I haven't done anything about mine -- I just haven't got around to it.) -- so please correct me if I'm wrong.:)

jp

From experience the 124 (88 300D) and coupe(91 300CE) have cables. I'd be surprised if the wagon was different. Also, electronic sensors tend to either work or die outright, so its unlikely you'd have the shaky needle.
G

[QUOTE=pawoSD;1793420]Is this on your '88 300TE? It has an electronic speedometer....so its likely an issue with the pickup/sender on the transmission, or an issue with the gauge itself....as there is no mechanical
cable>>

That chassis is cable..they did not use electronic speedo until '96..
All 124 chassis are cable. There is a pick-up in the speedo head , but that gets a signal from the cable rotation and is used for CC. Nothing to do with the speedo reading...........

I'm not a tech either, but if there is a cable, you should be able to drive the speedo with your drill, in reverse, using a Robertson head (square) bit. IIRC, it'll show about 40mph, maybe enough to eliminate the speedo itself as the culprit.

I may have found it in my Mercedes Bible in the back:

Q: Shakey needle vibrates or jumps.
A: Route speedo cable correctly. NOTE: Lubricating a speedo or cable will always result in failure of the unit.

I guess I gotta remove the instrument cluster for this right?
http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/W124InstCluster

Tighten the cable.

My W124 speedo needle bounces a little at low (< 30 mph) speeds...did so when I bought it at around 72K miles. Never bothered it, and it hasn't gotten any worse.

But with my VW, I found that the culprit was always a bent or kinked cable...

In my experience this is not true. If you lubricate put some lithium grease on the end of the speedometer cable it will not result in failure of 'the unit'. I have lubricated the speedometer cable on multiple w201 and w124 cars over the past 5 years and have yet to see any failures.

Additionally, spraying some white lithium grease on the end of the cable will often correct the high pitched noise that cable driven speedometers sometimes make.

Wow....I assumed the 124 had more advancements...I guess it does have a cable. :dizzy2: Weird. My "older" 126 is electronic....

More tips on 300CE Speedo
 

Just want to be included in this post activity for my reference. Ben Carter

W124 Speedo not working/rattle sound
 

Hi,

I just purchased a 1988 300CE (65K) from the original owner. It has been very cold out & the car was kept (since new) in a heated garage.
NOW the Speedo has completely stopped (only the Speedo).

* I also hear a rattle/clicking noise as I accelerate with speed while driving. I can hear this sound from within the dash / underneath the guage cluster area.

A "bearing" is mentioned as a problem. Can someone please expand on that?

The speedo cable may be disconnected...
 

Check behind the cluster. Not difficult to removed the cluster. There is a DIY.