[Healeys] speedo

Oudesluys coudesluijs at chello.nl
Mon Apr 19 02:03:20 MDT 2010


In general a speedo (or rev counter) cable should never be lubricated 
with oil. This will nearly always lead to problems: to much oil being 
used, pumping action up or down, little resistance to corrosion.
Let the outer cable soak  in petrol or white spirits for a day or use a 
degreaser unit to pump degreasing agent through the cable for a while. 
Rinse out thoroughly with clean petrol or white spirits and let dry 
forcing some air from an air gun through it.
Clean your inner cable in petrol or white spirits, dry thoroughly and 
apply lithium grease sparingly (ball bearing grease as used in the wheel 
bearings, this can endure some water). Just a thin coat well worked into 
the strands will be sufficient. Needles to say that everything, 
including your hands, should be spotlessly clean. That should be all. No 
pumping action and oil/grease in the wrong places.
Also make sure you shim out the angle drive (or the standard drive on 
the box in other applications) and speedo. There should never be any 
load from the inner cable onto the drive or the speedo.
If the clamp ring on the inner cable is on the speedo side, check with 
the cable fitted to the speedo: there should always be a little play 
up/down with the speedo connected and the angle drive disconnected. Take 
measurements at the angle drive side, the male part (cable end should be 
shorter than the hole in the angle drive is deep).
If the clamp ring is on the angle drive side apply the same procedure 
with the cable fitted to the angle drive.

In short:
Use grease, not oil and make sure that the inner cable can move up and 
down a little when fitted in any application. Of course it also should 
turn freely and there should be no kinks in outer or inner cable.

Kees Oudesluijs
NL


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