Bouncy Speedo?

[ianc]

Hey folks,

I'm having some issues with my speedo. I've searched around, but haven't found a similar problem. Most people's speedos are either low by 5-10 mph, or off by a factor of 2 or 3 when they lose a couple magnets in the diff.

My problem is that the speedo needle bounces around. It will swing from 40 to 90. It seems very sensitive to heat. In winter the speedo will seem correct, but if it's been parked in the sun for awhile, it bounces like crazy.

I don't think it's the sender, but... Anyone know something about the inner workings of the speedo that could cause this? Repairable? Car is an 80. Thanks,

ianc

[sander]

Hey ianc,

Probably not the same problem, but I have a bouncy speedo as well. If I'm going anything under about 30 mph the needle jumps all over the place.

In my case, it's because the cable is a little kinked and it's making the needle jump at slower speeds. Once I get up faster than 30 it doesn't matter and the needle settles down.

[randywebb]

for a mech. cable it means the cable is no longer lubed and will be breaking soon

for an elec. lead speedo, it probably means there is a bad connection somewhere

[1982911sc]

It may be a sign your voltage regulator is not working properly, that is what mine did....do you headlights ever dim slightly when you let off the gas? I would check your alternator/voltage regulator....also when the regulator is failing it may be intermitment failures, so using a tester on the battery may not pinpoint the problem. good luck

[ianc]

Thanks for the answers folks. I'll take a look at the electrical connections and grounds in particular. Hopefully it'll be that easy...

ianc