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speedo oil

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sp53

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What kind of oil should I use on the little gears of the speedo. My gut reaction was 3 in I oil; will that damage anything? What I did use was some marvels mystery oil because I used it to loosen stuff up and figured it was in there anyway. Any replies will be appreciated because I what to get this back together before I forget how it came apart.
 
I used a spray can of WD-40 and that helped force the grime out. Seems to have worked for me. I did not take the gears apart though, only sprayed them while in place.
 
the preferred lubricant is dry graphite. remove inner cable, put some graphite on a rag and pull the inner cable through the graphite. then insert inner cable back into sheath.
 
sorry I spoke too soon, but this is a good way to lube the cable. for the plastic gear, I would use silicone lubricant
 
I have heard "experts" say not to use any lubricant inside as it will make things gummy and the change in friction can mess up the reading.

Plastic gears (or fiber/bakelite) don't need lubricating. Maybe that's why they used it.
 
I would say the place to NOT put lubricant is on anything supporting the needle/pointer. Putting generous quantities of oil on the cable entrance is also generally discouraged. A drop of light machine oil on the worm and pinion for the odometer should not be a problem if the old grease and grime have been washed away. 3-in-1 isn't a bad choice, it's basically extra refined 30W (in the red bottle) or 20W (in the blue bottle). Lubricate the gears, work them at low speed using an electric drill running in reverse, and then wipe all the excess off. Also avoid getting oil on any of the odometer wheels and related parts.
 
I used WD40 to wash away the old dirty original lubricant. I left it at that. Everything moved freely. Within the past two weeks, two years later, my speedo has begun to hang up. It is now coming to rest at any point between 0-30 mph. I will pull the gauge this winter and am strongly considering a clear dry lube that I sell in my company's product line. It will not attract any dirt.
Dry lubes are difficult to accept because you can't see anything there, no gooey biproducts. Exactly what I believe I want in this very delicate environment.
 
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