Gary Lewis Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 Gary, I replaced my speedometer cable a few months back and used a cable luber and the pictured lube. The tool was purchased on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Motion-Pro-08-0182-Cable-Luber/dp/B0012TYX9W/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Cable+luber&qid=1609983315&sr=8-2 John - Thanks for that. So you could lube the cable from the bottom. Right? And how has it worked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 John - Thanks for that. So you could lube the cable from the bottom. Right? And how has it worked? I have the Kawasaki (green anodized) version of that same tool. Have for decades! There's plenty of pressure in an aerosol can to push lube. Be sparing. You don't need a huge puddle up behind your cluster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85lebaront2 Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 I have the Kawasaki (green anodized) version of that same tool. Have for decades! There's plenty of pressure in an aerosol can to push lube. Be sparing. You don't need a huge puddle up behind your cluster. I also have two of those, a large and a small one, Matt gave me a number of years ago. Since I do not have and cable driven speedometers, the small gets used for throttle cables. It really helps on lawn and garden tractors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Gary, I replaced my speedometer cable a few months back and used a cable luber and the pictured lube. The tool was purchased on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Motion-Pro-08-0182-Cable-Luber/dp/B0012TYX9W/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Cable+luber&qid=1609983315&sr=8-2 Just added this to my cart after Bill mentioned it works for mower throttles also I see there is a v3 version. Has anyone tried that style? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 I also have two of those, a large and a small one, Matt gave me a number of years ago. Since I do not have and cable driven speedometers, the small gets used for throttle cables. It really helps on lawn and garden tractors. I used to have one, back when I rode bikes. But it got lost in our many moves. In my reading the majority of people said to use graphite to lube speedo cables. But the next group of people said they use lithium-based grease. However, the counter from the graphite people was that grease will get old and hard where graphite won't. And, it can make a speedo cable stiff in cold weather. Dad always used graphite, cautioning me that if I used grease to only grease the bottom half of the inner cable since too much grease can get into the speedo and ruin it. Apparently that was a problem in the early days, but our speedos have a pretty serious input bearing that doesn't allow anything through. So I don't think ours would be ruined with too much grease. But, as Jim said, I don't want a puddle of grease. So I chose to go with graphite, fortified with Teflon. Both are dry lubes so shouldn't cause a mess nor get old or stiff. We shall see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 I pulled the speedo and cable out today and it appeared to be dry, and when I ran a rag down it there was very little that got on the rag. When I went to O'Reilly's they didn't have any specific speedo lube. However, the vast majority of what I'd found online said that graphite is the way to go, and I found Blaster's spray graphite lube. But right next to it was Blaster's Dry Lube With Teflon. So, bought both. I hung the cable up in the powder coating booth and gave it two coats of graphite, which turned it black. Then I gave it two coats of Teflon, and it was still black to my eye. But the overspray was white and the camera said the cable was white. So I coiled it up in a bowl and sprayed it with a good dose of graphite and Teflon. And then I rolled the mix around to ensure that the cable was saturated. I believe it is now well and truly lubricated. Gary, your methodology reminded me of when a boy, needing to lubricate the drive chain of my motorcycle, I would remove the chain and coil it in a pan. I would cover it with new motor oil and Vaseline petroleum jelly and gently heat the pan. The Vaseline would melt and the chain would be moved around to mix everything together. The chain would be remain in the pan and allowed to cool whereupon the mixture was like grease. The chain was removed and hung on a nail. With an old towel, the excess grease was wiped off and the chain reinstalled. This did a pretty good job with minimum sling-off. And of course, this was before the advent of 0-ring chains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 Gary, your methodology reminded me of when a boy, needing to lubricate the drive chain of my motorcycle, I would remove the chain and coil it in a pan. I would cover it with new motor oil and Vaseline petroleum jelly and gently heat the pan. The Vaseline would melt and the chain would be moved around to mix everything together. The chain would be remain in the pan and allowed to cool whereupon the mixture was like grease. The chain was removed and hung on a nail. With an old towel, the excess grease was wiped off and the chain reinstalled. This did a pretty good job with minimum sling-off. And of course, this was before the advent of 0-ring chains. David - I had a similar process on my bicycle's chain, but it was just for cleaning. I put it in a Folger's coffee can and added gas, and swirled it around. Poured it out on the ground in the alley, where all our oil and gas went to keep the dust down, and hit it again. Once it was clean I hung it up to dry and then lubed it with motor oil from a Golden Rod oiler like this one. (I can't believe they still make them!) But your process would do a better job of getting the lube to stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n84587/Speedometer_Testing_Results.jpg Looks like if you just go fast enough Big Blue's and Dad's speedos will end up spot on! I'm sure (from Ford's perspective) it was better to have the instrument a little optimistic. My speedometer seems very accurate with the stock tire size when compared to GPS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 9, 2021 Author Share Posted January 9, 2021 http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n84587/Speedometer_Testing_Results.jpg Looks like if you just go fast enough Big Blue's and Dad's speedos will end up spot on! I'm sure (from Ford's perspective) it was better to have the instrument a little optimistic. My speedometer seems very accurate with the stock tire size when compared to GPS. Jim - I'd kinda like to have a reasonable understanding of my speed as I go anywhere - not just at high speeds. Anyway, what I did today was to install the lubed speedo cable, which went in very nicely and spun easily until it engaged in the VSS, so I'm sure it isn't kinked. And, it is LUBED! Also, the 20" Bosch Icon wiper blades came in today. That size is just about right for the Bullnose trucks as there's less than 1" of clearance between the end of the wiper and the upper windshield trim. These blades fit nicely and are a big improvement over the 18" ones that are standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 Jim - I'd kinda like to have a reasonable understanding of my speed as I go anywhere - not just at high speeds. Anyway, what I did today was to install the lubed speedo cable, which went in very nicely and spun easily until it engaged in the VSS, so I'm sure it isn't kinked. And, it is LUBED! Also, the 20" Bosch Icon wiper blades came in today. That size is just about right for the Bullnose trucks as there's less than 1" of clearance between the end of the wiper and the upper windshield trim. These blades fit nicely and are a big improvement over the 18" ones that are standard. I think the difference in overlap and clearing even an inch closer to the hood make for better visibility. At least I notice it. I hope your speedo jerkiness goes away with your belt and suspenders approach. I like TDL for many sliding things like screens and patio doors but never considered mixing it with graphite. I'm still using the waxy/greasy kind of cable lube like John pictured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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