Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Thanks for that P Newbie. And thanks also to all who have been sharing their knowledge and experience on this issue. That should make the task much easier for a novice like me when I get to the point of crawling under there. To be 60 lbs lighter and 15 years younger would be a big help too, but that's on me

As an aside to this conversation, I am going to make an attempt to drive to The Florida Packard Club meet here in town on Sunday. It's only a few miles from where the car is kept. On my last two forays around the block, the speedometer has not bounced but the cable has made noise as it has for a long time. I only hope I don't go out for a ride and back for a tow...

Good luck on your foray out to the club meet Cartrich. Might not be a bad idea to just reach up under the dash and undo the speedo cable coupling and pull it out of the gauge. As Pat, the repair gentleman says, it will eliminate any further damage to the mechanism and gears.
Quote: You're describing me here, so a) I feel your pain and b) if I can do it, you can too!! LOL Chris.

All,
Chris gave me permission to show some of the repair of his 39 Six Stewart Warner speedometer.

This unit was a good example of needing cleaning and lubrication. Very good original unit.

Cleaning: Removing the old, crusty gear grease and bearing oil is always a given. What most people are not aware of is the tendency of the spinning magnet (cylindrical in the case of Chris' Stewart Warner) to attract metal debris (see photo). If large or thick enough, the debris then begins to contact the speed cup, whose shaft is directly connected to the speed pointer (or in older cars the rotating speed indicator, ala pre-30's Packards and other makes). The contact of the rotating debris then clutches with and drags the pointer to either full scale or bouncing.
As I stated prior in this post thread, hardened grease and oil can also cause needle bounce. Notice the before photo of the dirty mainshaft oil wick. Also, all the tan areas on the frame are the dried residue of oil and grease.

Lubricating: I use silicone based grease and oil so that the final unit should last longer than any of us. Not only does this make the needle pointer more steady, but makes the unit quieter and puts a much lower load on the drive cable and transmission driven gear, for long lasting service.

I hope this helps to explain the process.
Pat

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