Speedo Rattle

[Zilverado]

Okay, so I've asked for help with this issue on other forums before, and never found the answer. Now that I've found this new community of PF junkies, I thought I would try again...

 

Our '92 has an annoying rattle in behind the speedo head on cold days. It goes away after a while, but I would like it not to do it at all if possible. The speedo (needle, not digital) still works fine, except for this annoying detail.

 

I have taken the gauge cluster off in the past to try and track the problem down (it was a number of years ago, so the details are a little foggy). On other vehicles, I have been able to simply pull the speedo cable and lube it up to get rid of cable chatter. Thinking this might be my issue with the Pathy, I tried the same approach, but I couldn't pull the cable. There was a white plastic piece at the end of the cable which came off, but that was about it. As for the speedo head (gauge), I did nothing to it - for fear of messing something up.

 

So, has anyone else experienced this condition? If so, was there a remedy?

 

Thanks in advance.

[M in KC]

I've got the same symptoms on my '91. After she warms up she's quite. It will be interesting to see what other have done. For now I just live with it. Phil sez Spring will be here soon.

[Zilverado]

...Phil sez Spring will be here soon.

Not soon enough - - we're having a bit of a cold snap here in the "Great White North". It's currently -26*C (-15*F). If you consider the wind - what we call windchill - it's -36*C (-33*F). Did somebody say "global warming"? And could you send it our way...

 

Thanks for the response. I hope someone comes back with an idea.

[5523Pathfinder]

Heres a idea from my ASIST computer...

 

 

Symptoms: Speedometer has excessive needle vibration and noise at speeds above 50 mph. Speedometer, cable, and drive pinion might have been changed but did not affect the incident.

Field fix: With the vehicle supported safely on a rack and the rearwheels off the ground remove the speedometer head and watch the speedometer cable while running the drive line at about the incident speed. If the cable is noisy and chattering in movement the nylon drive gear in the transfer case may have turned on the output shaft and become oval-shaped. If the gear is deformed, replace it.