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Hello all. My speedometer is making some funny sounds, some needle bounce and I have read about the oil hole at the back. I would also like to pull the cable and oil it up. Am I better to remove it from the transmission, pull it up and run oil in from that end, or can I remove it from the back of the speedometer and pull the cable out(thought there would be a clip holding gear on). I started at the transmission the other day, but I could not get it loose after removing the retaining clip. I was reluctant to put too much force on it so I put the clip back on and thought I'd ask. I have looked through the service manual and didn't see anything about it, but I also may have missed it. Thank you in advance for the assistance. This forum has been the best thing since sliced bread since I purchased the car. Many thanks to all participants.

All of the cable driven speedos I've ever worked on the cable has to be pulled out from the speedo head.

Unscrew the cable from the back of the speedometer. The inner cable simply pulls right out. Cover all upholstery and carpeting before removal. If the inner cable touches anything it stains.

All of the cable driven speedos I've ever worked on the cable has to be pulled out from the speedo head.

True in this case and I'd guess true of all drivelines derived from the junior car engineering but not universally true on Packards; on many prewar senior models the cable is removed from the bottom (transmission) end due to the incorporation of the gear drive as part of the lower end of the cable. Though the cable can ge removed from the gear housing the cable flange is too large be pulled through the sheath. Picture of the 32-36 bottom cable end attached just for interest.

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Great, thanks guys. Appreciate the help.

The 49 is accessible from the back on the speedometer. Mine was making noise also, so I took it loose and pulled the interior part free of the armor, and cleaned it with some carb cleaner. Let it dry overnight, then greased it with white lithium grease, taking care not to get much on the 5-6" closest to the speedometer head. You don't want to get excess grease or oil on the head. Then reinsert the cable into the armor. You will probably need to crawl under the car and disconnect the cable from the transmission into to get the square part to marry up. It's not difficult to do, just a bit messy. Be sure to snug up the nut to the transmission so that it doesn't leak. It doesn't take too much force. The other thing to look at is the speedometer itself. Sometimes it is good to clean the contacts with electronic contact cleaner, then recoil them using a toothpick with neatsfoot oil. Just a very sparse drop. Do this only if the cable trick doesn't take care of the noise.

Well I finally pull the cable off the back of the speedo. I've been busy rebuilding my front shocks(another story) and doing brake work. Tha cable appears to be well lubricated. I looked around the back of the speedo with a mirror and cannot find the oil hole. Could someone please point me in the right direction. I spun the piece the cable goes in and it seems to turn smoothly and could get a response from the needle. Still would like to oil it and see if the noise goes away. Here's hoping the snow goes away soon with a little rain to wash the salt off the road. Got the bug to drive!!!

EDIT: Now having said that the cable looks to be well lubricated, and having some afterthought, it's been greased, and the grease, although not dry, does seem to be thicker that what I figure it should be. In my somewhat addled mind, that would cause the needle to bounce as the cable tightened and the released as it overcame the stiction of the grease. Again, your thoughts people. Thanks to all who take the time to input with their

Re-borrowing a 22-23 series instrument cluster photo JD posted earlier, the oil hole should be in the center of the square area at the end of the arrow and directly under the screw. There may be a small dot of felt in the hole making it appear flush and even harder to see. Other speedometers will have an oil hole in a similar squared area but may be located to the side rather than directly under a screw.

If after oiling the speedo there is still noise, perhaps the cable is not well lubricated farther down the housing. Typically where there is a bend, the cable rubs against the housing side and lube may be wiped off. If the lube is thick, it may also not flow well enough to keep that area where things are rubbing covered.

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Howard, you are a wealth of information. Thank you. Going to crawl under the dash right now.

Good grief, what a rotten place to put a lubrication hole. I managed to cramp my 6' 2" frame in, wipe and could see the hole. Thank goodness for pin point lubricators. Got a couple of drops in. Now as above, snow's gotta go!

Thanks again Howard.