speedometer needle shaking

[tomviam]

Hi guys, I have the old fiat 126, 1978, I have realised the speedometer needle vibrates/shakes on low speed, lets say from70km/h and above the needle is stable and you can see the speed like in all cars, but on low speed...well it vibrates up and down, id like to know if this is just because of the 70's technology or they is something wrong with it.

Regards

[Gadge]

Hi my guess would be the speedo cable is on its way out - the wobbly needle is probably the cable sticking inside the sleeve at slow speeds but unsticks itself when you go faster.

[danthemanic]

Mine is the same, I just assumed it was a 'feature'.

[Xylaquin]

Mine is the same, I just assumed it was a 'feature'.

Me too! I thought it was to do with the older ways of metering in these cars, like how the fuel level meter on modern cars doesn't swing up and down. So the speedometer dial is meant to always be smooth?

[drcdb15]

Hi my guess would be the speedo cable is on its way out - the wobbly needle is probably the cable sticking inside the sleeve at slow speeds but unsticks itself when you go faster.

More likely it's not the cable itself but the lubrication inside it which has dried out. Try removing the cable complete in its outer casing and suspend it vertically in the garage over an old rag. Feed a few drops of oil in at the top. Any reasonable oil will be fine. I use the dregs of engine oil from a 5 litre can, dip in a screwdriver and wipe the few drops onto the exposed inner bowden cable. You might find a can of 3-in-1 oil a cleaner but pricier alterrnative. If you put too much oil on all at once it will simply flood over and run down the outside, so just a few rops at a time, 2 or 3 times a day, until the oil starts to drip out of the bottom end of the outer casing. Then leave it hanging until the surplus has come out (but not so long that it *all* drains out!!) and then re-fit to the car.

[Club1n]

Mine rattles too, not as severe as yours does, but I put it down to the car being so rattly! 

[Lloyd74]

Lubrication is the key, as mentioned prev the path of the cable is quite twisty, as they get dry they get jerky causing the needle to twitch the rotation is taken up in the spiracle cable and then released, you can but a cable lubrication tool which pumps it down the cable, I have one of these but they are the kind of tool you use once every ten years so just do it manually as described, they are great for handbrake cables though as these get water in them and freeze in the winter esp if the outer sheath is cracked