speedo stuck when parked

[SteveKfl]

Have you looked to see if something like the needle is touching the face of the gauge is limiting the movement?  Those needle indicators are very "fragile".  Please don't ask me how I know.

[Rus Curtis]

Lots of good input here.  Frustrating that logging out to read is still an issue.  I once owned a Subaru that had a stuck speedometer.  It needed cleaning but then I had to re-calibrate it.  Thankfully, it was simply mechanical without any electronics.  I used oil, as you did, but only to free it up.  I seem to recall using a light grease as some friction seems to help with a smooth movement.

The good news is you can test each component separately.  Everything noted so far, I would have tried.

i cleaned old grease, and  ? of the speedo gears and lubed it with 3 in 1 oil. test drove the needle sits just over 10mph. never went above that.  i pulled the t case end of the cable off, and test ran with a drill. worked well returned to 0 every time. re drove it same out come. now sitting at a just a tad over 10mph.  erff just my luck

First, in my limited experience, I've noticed a shoulder or crimped-on washer around the cable itself.  I put that at the top.  To me, that sets the depth the cable will be at inside the speedometer.  The bottom end just has to engage the gear's hole/slot.  If reversed, I believe the cable could slide too far down to not fully engage the gauge.  Or the opposite compensation: Cut that cable longer to fully engage even if upside down and then I can imagine binding.

Both ends of the cable should be square.  If rounded off on either end, it may slip inside one end or the other.   The cable needs to be lubricated.  The housing can wear and if enough wear is present, it can interfere with and possibly damage the cable itself.  This was the problem with my first cable.   I loosened both ends and twisted the housing 180 to put the worn side on the "inside" of the cable's bend on its way down to the transfer case (cable then contacted the opposite undamaged side).  Problem solved (short term but eventually got replaced).  If the cable ends show signs of being rounded off, perhaps the gear drive or the speedometer socket could also have wear (I imagine a cable trying to turn a stuck speedometer - the weak link has to give).

Back in the day, when I tested and fixed my speedo problem, it never occurred to me to test with a drill.  I used my fingers to twist the cable (disconnected from transfer case and pulled out from under the jeep) and observed a small jump in the needle.  That told me the gauge was working.  You could also do the same thing in reverse:  Disconnect from the back of the speedo and while holding that cable housing observe as you allow the jeep to creep forward in gear.  Is the cable spinning?  Apply a gloved finger pinch to create back pressure.  Does it still turn between your fingers?

As you keep troubleshooting, you'll eventually figure out what isn't working -  the drive gear (the slot - can't imagine the actual gear could be damaged), the cable or the gauge. 

[Marla.the.V35]

Rus basically nailed the problem with mine here. I sourced an exact copy gauge that was in brand new condition from ebay (nippon seiki with 0.5 miles on it). It appears to have never been opened.  It wasn't until I compared the old and new side by side that it became apparent how bored out the socket was on the old one. I assume it would intermittently 'catch' on the cable and this is what caused wild fluctuations as well as being stuck at some non-zero speed when at a full stop. Also explains why running it directly with a drill worked (because the bit was a different size than the cable end), though, doesn't really explain why running it with a drill on the cable worked. The old gauge had a lot of problems...in any case, the new speedo is working like a charm, is very accurate (compared it to GPS) and I haven't seen a wild bounce yet.

[tow hook]

Just stop and THINK about that. The job of the two gears in the transfer case is to turn the cable. The job of the speedo head is to tell you how fast it is turning. When the jeep stops, the two gears stop, the qcable stops, and the speedo head should tell you “zero”. There is no way that a bad speedo gear could cause the head needle to remain at 10mph when the jeep is stopped. A bad gear can make the speedo jump or bounce or quiver, or not work at all, but not if the gears are not moving.
  The speedo returned to zero out of the vehicle or with the cable disconnected.  Did you try loosening the cable?
BW

i do hear you, i'm scraping for any ideas.... i have loosen it a half turn at the rear of the speedo. its not turning at all now ( mileage is working )    when i unhook the cable at the t-case the needle drops to 0 . when i run the cable with a drill it works just fine. i've done that now 4 or 5 times... thanks for your help. i thought i saw a guy who does old gauge repairs. 

https://www.bobsspeedometer.com/  i'm sure he's one of many. i'll give him a ring

[tow hook]

Rus basically nailed the problem with mine here. I sourced an exact copy gauge that was in brand new condition from ebay (nippon seiki with 0.5 miles on it). It appears to have never been opened.  It wasn't until I compared the old and new side by side that it became apparent how bored out the socket was on the old one. I assume it would intermittently 'catch' on the cable and this is what caused wild fluctuations as well as being stuck at some non-zero speed when at a full stop. Also explains why running it directly with a drill worked (because the bit was a different size than the cable end), though, doesn't really explain why running it with a drill on the cable worked. The old gauge had a lot of problems...in any case, the new speedo is working like a charm, is very accurate (compared it to GPS) and I haven't seen a wild bounce yet.

 my current gauge is from a early cj 5.( the old o.e. gauge was total unreadable.) the early 5 gauge came with a whole dash that i bought, the speedo cable was cut off but still in it. looked very much the same to me ... maybe that/s my issue

[PercyUK]

Hi Tow Hook, that really is the weirdest thing. 
Sorry if I am covering old ground but from what you just wrote could it be an issue with the length of the inner cable.
 You suggest that it returns to zero when it is undone at the t-case? So is it worth doing that and attaching the dril again however this time apply a little forward pressure to see if the problem remains and then a little rearward pressure to see if it resolves it.
I wonder if when you screw it into the t-case it forces the cable into the back of the speedo causing the problem?

[Bruce_W]

  To quote myself:  “There is no way that a bad speedo gear could cause the head needle to remain at 10mph when the jeep is stopped.”
  There may be a way. If there is dirt or a rock or some other debris, or a broken end of a cable from a previous repair in the hole in the driven gear where the cable goes, it could put pressure on the head, through the cable. How far does your cable go into the gear? Does it go in far enough to allow the cable housing seat on the gear adapter without screwing down the nut? Will the upper end of the housing seat against the back of the speedometer easily, without tightening the nut? Now I’m thinking that there may be something in the gear, inside the square hole that receives the cable, or in the square hole in the head, or the cable is too long. Both ends of the housing should seat easily against their respective receivers and the nuts should tighten easily by hand, without pliers or any other tools.
BW

[tow hook]

Hi Tow Hook, that really is the weirdest thing. 
Sorry if I am covering old ground but from what you just wrote could it be an issue with the length of the inner cable.
 You suggest that it returns to zero when it is undone at the t-case? So is it worth doing that and attaching the dril again however this time apply a little forward pressure to see if the problem remains and then a little rearward pressure to see if it resolves it.
I wonder if when you screw it into the t-case it forces the cable into the back of the speedo causing the problem?

i have not. i have talked to bob's speedos in howell mish, the cable could be jamming up in the speedo. i plan to take a 1/8" off the cable. if not it's top end 400$ to fix the speedo. they do free est 

[tow hook]

  To quote myself:  “There is no way that a bad speedo gear could cause the head needle to remain at 10mph when the jeep is stopped.”
  There may be a way. If there is dirt or a rock or some other debris, or a broken end of a cable from a previous repair in the hole in the driven gear where the cable goes, it could put pressure on the head, through the cable. How far does your cable go into the gear? Does it go in far enough to allow the cable housing seat on the gear adapter without screwing down the nut? Will the upper end of the housing seat against the back of the speedometer easily, without tightening the nut? Now I’m thinking that there may be something in the gear, inside the square hole that receives the cable, or in the square hole in the head, or the cable is too long. Both ends of the housing should seat easily against their respective receivers and the nuts should tighten easily by hand, without pliers or any other tools.
BW

cable is brand new, and yes it goes together easy should i tighten/ snug up the t case side with a wrench ? i plan to take off a 1/8" and see how it goes. i did loosen up the speedo end by a 1/2 turn. me do the same on the t case side. before i cut. as per the wacks video on the speedo cables they are the right lenght.

[Bruce_W]

  Read again the last sentence in my last post. No tools should be needed. If either end requires pliers or a wrench it may have been cross-threaded and the threads damaged. They’re very difficult or impossible to get straight after that. The M38 and M38A1 had a hex nut on the bottom of the cable so they could be snugged with a wrench, but they were meant to be waterproof. Your cable should only have a knurled nut to be tightened by fingers only.
BW

[tow hook]

  Read again the last sentence in my last post. No tools should be needed. If either end requires pliers or a wrench it may have been cross-threaded and the threads damaged. They’re very difficult or impossible to get straight after that. The M38 and M38A1 had a hex nut on the bottom of the cable so they could be snugged with a wrench, but they were meant to be waterproof. Your cable should only have a knurled nut to be tightened by fingers only.
BW

so over the weekend i had some time to look at it.

threads are ok.

test drive 1  speedo it a 1/2 turn loose, loosened up cable on  t case end an test drove no change,
test drive 2  loosened up the t-case side more ( hand tite) same/ no change in speedo
test drive 3 removed cable ( speedo reset to 0 ), and took a 1/8" off the end.  made t case end in hand tite as i could .test drove speedo didn't move much at all. got stuck at 9 mph i will chaage my tom tom and ck speed vs gps on next test drive

sat night i talked to a fella in my local jeeo club, his cj 5 speedo would get stuck at times, his cable was 1/4" too long

could be my issue ? should i take more off ?

 thanks for all the help

[PercyUK]

If it was me then yes, in my mind everything is pointing to a cable issue and it can only be the length of the inner (assuming you have the right cable in the first place). I would grind or file a bit off at a time till it works.

[tow hook]

If it was me then yes, in my mind everything is pointing to a cable issue and it can only be the length of the inner (assuming you have the right cable in the first place). I would grind or file a bit off at a time till it works.

yes, if some had a known good cable and could send me the length. that would be great. i'd hate to spend a whole day filing down a cable. i'll probley take another 1/8 " off later an see how it goes.

[Bruce_W]

  With one end connected and it’s nut finger tight, and the nut on the other end slid back out of the way, will the cable housing slide easily up to its mating surface, where the nut would normally hold it? If it doesn’t and you have push it up tight, as if there is spring tension in the cable, the inner cable is too long. Everything should fit together with no effort and no tools.
BW

[tow hook]

  With one end connected and it’s nut finger tight, and the nut on the other end slid back out of the way, will the cable housing slide easily up to its mating surface, where the nut would normally hold it? If it doesn’t and you have push it up tight, as if there is spring tension in the cable, the inner cable is too long. Everything should fit together with no effort and no tools.
BW

let me check it over today. i don't recall any tension. i'll put the cable in the t case lose, an go up the street an tighten it a tad each time and see what that gets me. it should work till there is tension on it.

 thanks again