1955- Speedometer head making noise now

[doug7740]

I can try looking under the dash of my car, but unless I can see under your dash for myself I don't think it would do much good. Trying to help over the internet does has it's limitations. If you look at the length of the wire that goes to the bulb and use it as a guide, it might give you some idea of where the bulb connects.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

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[zeroroadkill]

Yeah i did that and it appears to go somewhere around the steering wheel but all holes are filled. maybe an extra for something else? Checked all dash switches, all full. oh well.
thanks

 

[doug7740]

When you turn on the headlights or parking lights does the ignition switch illuminate? There is a separate lamp for the ignition switch and a separate lamp for the headlamp and the left fresh air knob. Since you said that the lamp seems to go somewhere around the steering wheel, I think it’s the lamp that illuminates the ignition switch. I got a chance to go under the dash of my Thunderbird and take this picture for you.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[zeroroadkill]

I’ll have a look in fact the previous owner did replace the ignition switch before I got the car so maybe that’s it definitely hard to see I will check it out and let you know. Thanks

 

[Ward 57]

I’ll have a look in fact the previous owner did replace the ignition switch before I got the car so maybe that’s it definitely hard to see I will check it out and let you know. Thanks

I have an extendable articulating mechanic's mirror that has come in very handy in situations like this. Used it to aim some PB blaster on the dash light rheostat that is hard to reach but was able to aim the stream. Dash lights work again. Had a dexterity game as a kid where you had to do everything in reverse through a mirror which honed my skill in this manor.

 

[04tbirdjerry]

It never ends,
Now the speedometer head is making a grinding noise and jumps to 80mph while doing 35mph then goes silent for a while and acts normal. Going to disconnect the cable from the head and lube.

This happened in my 1950 Ford, unfortunately i did not react fast enough and the needle litterally fell out and was dangling. I bought another cluster online and just used the speedo part. I found out that there is a lubrication hole, on top, where the speedo cable is connected. You only need to put a few drops of 3-in-one oil in that hole to relubricate the cable end. You better do it quickly, as from the time mine started squawking until it failed was only 2 weeks. Good luck!

 

[zeroroadkill]

Yeah took out the head and did lube the wick hole. All working fine now.

 

[zeroroadkill]

When you turn on the headlights or parking lights does the ignition switch illuminate? There is a separate lamp for the ignition switch and a separate lamp for the headlamp and the left fresh air knob. Since you said that the lamp seems to go somewhere around the steering wheel, I think it’s the lamp that illuminates the ignition switch. I got a chance to go under the dash of my Thunderbird and take this picture for you.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird BlueView attachment 13760View attachment 13760

YEAH that was it With my meat claws that was a bugger to get in! Now only one more bulb to replace, the radio.
Thanks

 

[doug7740]

Helping over the internet has it's limitations, but since we kept at it we were successful. I'm glad that I could help. Also, before you replace the bulb in the radio I want you to know that the radio will only illuminate when the headlights or parking lights are on and the radio is powered on. The radio will not illuminate if it is off.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[zeroroadkill]

Do you have a problem with overheating in traffic or with extended idle on a 85° or hotter day??
I’ve improved the cooling a lot with a new improved radiator, large opening thermostat, 6 blade fan, new hoses, high output water pump, new shroud seal, fan in proper position, new fan belt, new fluid but she still doesn’t like stop & go traffic! I’ve seen the modified spacer but it cost about the same as an electric fan and if it doesn’t work I still have to buy the fan!

thanks

 

[Ward 57]

This happened in my 1950 Ford, unfortunately i did not react fast enough and the needle litterally fell out and was dangling. I bought another cluster online and just used the speedo part. I found out that there is a lubrication hole, on top, where the speedo cable is connected. You only need to put a few drops of 3-in-one oil in that hole to relubricate the cable end. You better do it quickly, as from the time mine started squawking until it failed was only 2 weeks. Good luck!

I have a couple of shops that can fix that. They are out there but if you found a replacement good for you.

 

[doug7740]

Do you have a problem with overheating in traffic or with extended idle on a 85° or hotter day??
I’ve improved the cooling a lot with a new improved radiator, large opening thermostat, 6 blade fan, new hoses, high output water pump, new shroud seal, fan in proper position, new fan belt, new fluid but she still doesn’t like stop & go traffic! I’ve seen the modified spacer but it cost about the same as an electric fan and if it doesn’t work I still have to buy the fan!

thanks

I think it’s time to start a new thread. This one started out with your speedometer making noise and moved to finding the location of an extra illumination light bulb, and now to an overheating issue.

Start the new thread so the group can offer some suggestions on that topic.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[Tater Salad]

Attached is an article I wrote about speedometer lubrication.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
View attachment 13687

Doug, thanks for all the great info. In regards to the four holes below the speedometer cable attachment. I know the two closest to the speedometer head is gen and oil. What are the lower two for? Illumination for fuel and temp gauges?

 

[doug7740]

Attached are the 1955/1956 speedometer light locations.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[biddle]

Attached are the 1955/1956 speedometer light locations.

I inserted the full size image into your post using this method-

 

[Murray]

Yes you can, but since the oil wick lubrication hole is at the top you will need some sort of long thin tube to deliver the oil into the hole. As I said, I had a hard time doing that so I just removed the speedometer head from the dash. I'm glad that I removed the speedometer, because I was able to completely disassemble it and repair it the proper way. If you end up removing the speedometer and disassembling it let me know I have lots of pictures of that repair.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

can you please send those pictures of the repair-thanks! immense help showing whole process if possible

 

[doug7740]

Attached are some pictures that I took showing you how to disassemble and remove the speedometer mechanism.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[Tater Salad]

Any idea how accurate these speedometers are? After oiling, mine doesn't scream or peg to one side or the other, but it does float with a range of 30 mph or so. When I rebuilt my transmission the gear was a metal gear and badly worn, so I bought the new nylon one to replace it which had the same amount of teeth. I do believe it reads quite a bit faster than im running.

 

[doug7740]

Just so I understand correctly, after oiling your speedometer now it doesn't peg to one side or the other and it floats within a range of 30 mph or so. If that's the case and it wasn't like that before you you took the speedometer apart, I would check the coil spring under the speedometer needle for damage.

The accuracy of your speedometer is determined by the coil spring under the speedometer needle. Too tight and the speedometer will register slower than the car is actually moving. Too loose and the speedometer will register faster than the car is actually moving. Since you have to remove and disassemble the speedometer to adjust the coil spring to change accuracy of the speedometer, it can be very time consuming. In my case I compared what my speedometer was registering with one of those radar speed signs that the police sometimes put up on the neighborhood side streets. My speedometer is registering 3 mph faster than I am actually going, which is good enough for me.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[Tater Salad]

Thanks Doug. I didn't take the speedometer apart, just pulled the whole assembly toward the front to oil the wick. Due to high squeal and erratic movement. Added several drops of 3 in 1 over a 3 day period. Had the old cable which I hooked up and drove with an electric drill. It quieted down and looked pretty steady up to about 70 mph (with drill, also needs to run in reverse). However after reinstalling and driving it floats between 40 and 70 when cruising approximately 40 to 45mph.