Wobbly Speedometer...Speedo head worn?
 

This is my next job on the wagon.

Problem: Speedometer needle is erratic and has a 20mph swing when I am going between 50-80mph. I can hear it spinning behind the cluster -- click, click, click, but at a high speed.
I have replaced the cable, TWICE (Gemo brand). It is routed correctly against the transmission.

Could the actual speedometer head be worn a little so that it is slipping inside?
Any other things I can try here?

PS: This has been going on for 7 years...I kinda just got used to it, but now its affecting my cruise control since I sent it off to be resoldered + fixed last month. The cruise control will stutter because the speedometer is swaying. Plus its just driving me crazy now and I've had enough.

This partially sounds like my 190E. The speedometer head will make a tick tick sound but the cruise control is in effected. This makes me think the problem is in the head. Or the cable isnt fully engaged or something like that. I really really dislike these mechanical speedometers.

In my 300D the cable was bad. It gave me a 10 MPH bounce and that really pissed off the cruise control. I replaced it with an MB cable and have been fine ever since. I had the cluster out a few weeks ago to replace some of the idiot lights and managed to do something to the cable and induce a bounce in the needle. :mad: Doesnt effect cruise but still pissed me off royally.

With your problem my initial thought is the cabl buts you've replaced it. Twice. Is Gemo == MB oem? I've never bought anything other than MB branded cables. All my initial installs were successful. I know the cable spins a small disc that a sensor picks up. I'm not sure how everything is mechanically coupled so I can't say exactly. Is there any speed range that the needle is smooth?

You might want to consider grabbing a speedometer/cluster from the junkyard and seeing how it performs against yours. That way you could definitely say one way or another it is the head or the cable.