Posted by Clint Dixon [172.69.170.151] on Sunday, September 27, 2020 at 08:29:04 :
In Reply to: Original Speedometer Cable Lube posted by Andrew in MI [173.245.54.232] on Sunday, September 27, 2020 at 03:38:05 :
I just went and looked at my W-Series Approved Lubrication service department poster. It calls for semi fluid chassis lubricant.
I do remember I tried a spray lubricant one time that was designed for dirt bike chains. It is thin when you spray it on but turns thick and tacky almost immediately. I ended up having to pull the entire cable out of the housing and cleaning it completely with brake cleaner. It was way too thick and the cable was not rotating smoothly, but rather whipping, inside the housing.
Here is what I do now: The same poster calls for a few drops of 10W engine oil in the wick at the back of the speedometer. While I am doing this, I unscrew the cable from the back of the speedometer and give a squirt of oil into the cable housing. I am using 10W30 motor oil. It seems to work pretty well.
You may be okay using gear oil. If you start seeing your speedometer needle start flicking back and forth from peg to peg, then your lubricant is too thick and the cable is whipping inside the housing.
Junior