405 Mi16 Speedo problems

Clifford M Poulin (cmpoulin@hopper.unh.edu)
Tue, 2 Jun 1998 13:52:44 -0400 (EDT)

The Speedometer needle in my '89 405 Mi16 is, of course, jittering and I
want to fix it. I've read various things in the archive about it. Some
people say they lubed the cable or replaced the cable and that solved the
problem. Other people say the problem isn't the cable; it's the gears in
the speedometer itself.

Considering my symptoms I'm not sure what to go after: When the ambient
temperature is low (below 50), the needle is rock solid at any speed. But
if the car has been sitting in the sun on a hot day or running for quite a
while, the needle starts to vibrate very quickly at about 50-70mph --
shaking like mad within a 1-2mph range. It really bothers me every time I
look down!

Has anyone else noticed a relationship of temperature/vibration? I know
it's been talked about in the past, but if you've got some advice before I
start guessing, let me know. The first thing I want to do is take the
cable out and make sure it's fine; does the actual cable pull out of the
sleeve, or is it sealed in there somehow? What's the best grease for it?

Thanks,
Cliff