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speedometer died

dave wells

New member
55
0
0
Location
White Plains, AL
i have searched but havent found my answer

my speedo was working just fine then just stopped i checked cable and it go melted somehow so i replaced it and it still doesnt even move at all i pulled speedo an checked it it works fine
speed sensor?? if so any one got pics and part number?

how can i fix my speedo thanks for any help
 

K9Vic

Active member
1,261
7
38
Location
Fort Worth, TX
Same issue, I just replaced my speedo cable last week and today the speedo is not working again. I am thinking the speedo is broken and cable is fine, but have not yet dug into it to check. It has always been bouncing even after I replaced the cable tow times. I have an extra speedo, but the miles are much higher then what my truck has. So I will have to see about adjusting that.
 

2deuce

Well-known member
1,476
147
63
Location
portland, oregon
My speedo bounces around too. Seems to be a common problem. I had a spare out of my parts rig. Put it in and that one bounced even more. Put the original back in and on one cold morning a couple of months ago it started making a huge racket when it got near freeway speed. Sounded like the gears were grinding/stripping. It did that for about 4 miles, but hasn't done it since although it bounces non-stop now.
 

Barrman

Well-known member
5,217
1,686
113
Location
Giddings, Texas
I have been dealing with a bouncing needle the last few weeks. Here are my suggestions.

Pull the cable off the back of the speedo, get it down to where you can see it and watch it while you drive the truck forward and backward. If it moves nice and easy without noise, then time to pull the speedo out of the dash to clean, oil and check for broken parts by putting it in a drill and carefully spinning it up. It should be a steady speed with the drill running after a few seconds to get stabilized. If not, keep cleaning and oiling until it does.

Remember to disconnect your battery cables before you pull the gauge cover off. That volt meter is hot and will short out blowing at least 1 fuse and maybe more harder to fix damage.

The speedo itself can be pulled without pulling the gauge cluster. I did mine just last night that way. I figure the fewer times I mess with the electrical plug on the back of the cluster, the less likely it is to break off a contact tab, again.

I would also suggest you pull the cable off the t-case and twist it by hand if the cable has proven to be still one piece. Unhooked from the speedo, it should spin free and easy. If you feel it winding up or binding, pull the insert out through the cab end. Have on clothes you can get greasy because that cable will wip around and find clean spots with great accuracy. Use a rag to clean the insert as you pull it. Check for burrs, twisted spots and any shiny spots. If it looks good, oil it with something lite. I have found a fondness for bicycle chain oil in aerosol cans for this kind of work.

Obviously, if you find something wrong figure replace it. A shiny spot indicates a smashed cable housing meaning it needs to be replaced as well.

If everything looks good, you put it back together and the darn thing still jumps. Then if you have a M1009, it is time to pull the gear reduction box off the tcase and try to get some oil into it. Not very easy since the thing is sealed at both ends and held together with rivets. Lite oil will seep in if your patient though. Keep turning it by hand until if feels smooth.

If you have anything besides a M1009, then you get to pull the plastic gear out at the tcase and see if the teeth are coming apart. Checking the oil level in the t-case would also be a good idea.

Those M1009 owners out there with 33" tires have a speedometer that reads about 6% slow. If your reduction box is the problem, you can live with it, get another reduction box or change out the plastic gears inside the tcase to make it spot on accurate without the reduction box.
 
Last edited:

camoyj7

Member
927
18
18
Location
wonder lake IL
My plastic gear striped out where the square key way went between the reduction box and the speedo gear housing. I couldn't find a 44t gear so i used the speedo gear from a 208 I had laying around. I think it was a 35 tooth gear so i'm going to try it without the reduction box. I'll check it with the GPS tomorrow.
 

Pballer71

Member
85
0
6
Location
Michigan
I have been dealing with a bouncing needle the last few weeks. Here are my suggestions.

Pull the cable off the back of the speedo, get it down to where you can see it and watch it while you drive the truck forward and backward. If it moves nice and easy without noise, then time to pull the speedo out of the dash to clean, oil and check for broken parts by putting it in a drill and carefully spinning it up. It should be a steady speed with the drill running after a few seconds to get stabilized. If not, keep cleaning and oiling until it does.

Remember to disconnect your battery cables before you pull the gauge cover off. That volt meter is hot and will short out blowing at least 1 fuse and maybe more harder to fix damage.

The speedo itself can be pulled without pulling the gauge cluster. I did mine just last night that way. I figure the fewer times I mess with the electrical plug on the back of the cluster, the less likely it is to break off a contact tab, again.

I would also suggest you pull the cable off the t-case and twist it by hand if the cable has proven to be still one piece. Unhooked from the speedo, it should spin free and easy. If you feel it winding up or binding, pull the insert out through the cab end. Have on clothes you can get greasy because that cable will wip around and find clean spots with great accuracy. Use a rag to clean the insert as you pull it. Check for burrs, twisted spots and any shiny spots. If it looks good, oil it with something lite. I have found a fondness for bicycle chain oil in aerosol cans for this kind of work.

Obviously, if you find something wrong figure replace it. A shiny spot indicates a smashed cable housing meaning it needs to be replaced as well.

If everything looks good, you put it back together and the darn thing still jumps. Then if you have a M1009, it is time to pull the gear reduction box off the tcase and try to get some oil into it. Not very easy since the thing is sealed at both ends and held together with rivets. Lite oil will seep in if your patient though. Keep turning it by hand until if feels smooth.

If you have anything besides a M1009, then you get to pull the plastic gear out at the tcase and see if the teeth are coming apart. Checking the oil level in the t-case would also be a good idea.

Those M1009 owners out there with 33" tires have a speedometer that reads about 6% slow. If your reduction box is the problem, you can live with it, get another reduction box or change out the plastic gears inside the tcase to make it spot on accurate without the reduction box.
Post pictures please. I need to do all this, mine worked but one of the dash lights went out so took the dash off to replace it and now both of the lights dont work and the speedo started bouncing and then one day just stopped working advice please. Thank You
 

Barrman

Well-known member
5,217
1,686
113
Location
Giddings, Texas
It is kind of neat when old post come back up like this. I get to update the story.

After posting what I did above a year ago. My 1009 speedo worked perfect. 6% slow, but perfect until a month ago. My wife had been driving it daily for 4 months and called me one day. She said it started bouncing and making weird noises. It was. I figured the speedo needed a cleaning and oiling. That didn't do anything except get rid of the dust on the instrument cover. So I started looking under the truck.

I found the cable clamp under the drivers seat had come out sometime in the past year. Not really a problem except the cable had gotten stuck in the t-case shift linkage and was smushed. (I haven't gotten the nerve to ask Jennifer what she was doing putting it in 4x4 yet. One of those things I am probably better off not knowing.) It was probably done by Colton at the house a week or so before she had the problems.

I ordered a new cable and casing from LMC. I put it on and all was good around town or the first 30 miles of a road trip. Then it would start to slow down. 60 mph would be 30. A few miles later, it would indicate 20 while the GPS still showed 60. Eventually, it would be at 0. Stop for a few hours and it would be great until the 30 mile mark again.

I discovered the smushed casing had caused the cable to stop. Since the plastic gear inside the t-case was still spinning. Something had to give and it was the square slot in the gear. I pulled off the metal gear reduction unit and plugged in the cable directly. The cable stickes in an extra 1/2-1 inch and it worked great. 60% slow, but it worked.

I put tin foil around the shorter gear reduction input and tried that so the speedo would indicate something close to actual. It worked for a while until Jennifer called just an hour ago. She drove the 1009 60 miles to College Station and it stopped working on her way home.

The proper fix is a new plastic pinion gear. However, I would like to get rid of the reduction box. I also need to put in a new rear output seal on the tcase. I will figure out what plastic speedo ring and pinion gear set I need to get with the 33" tires and try to do it all at once.
 

JSF01

New member
172
0
0
Location
Newport News, VA
My speedometer died on my last week and it has me scratching my head. First I checked the cable and it apears good, then I disconected the cable from the speedometer and drove around a bit. while I could not see the cable itself I could feel the center turning like it is supose to. So I reconected it and disconnected the cable from the transmion side and turned the cable by hand. It moved the speedometer and the odometer like its supose to. All the individual components seem to be working fine but together its not working.
 

Pballer71

Member
85
0
6
Location
Michigan
Thank you and sorry im new to all this what does it look like? Like the gear and reduction box i'm gonna do some searching online, but I know this site is way better as in like trustworthyness and all that(think i might have made that wordup ha)
 

andytk5

Member
356
0
16
Location
florida
I have 33"s and my speedo is off just a little bt the weird thing is the noise it makes. It bounces and makes a noise in sync with the bounce like a chin, chin, chin, chin that increases with speed. Highly annoying!
 

Pballer71

Member
85
0
6
Location
Michigan
It just took me five hours today to fix mine it was just one problem after another. Now it works but bounces and makes that noise also is there any way to stop that?
 
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