69 camaro, 396, 4-speed - my speedometer's odometer is just about to turn 95000.0 - it's about 1/2 way between the 94999.9 and 95k. the needle started bouncing a lot (about 10 - 20 miles) and now makes a constant bump bump sound. also the odometer quit working completely. i know this sounds like a cable problem. i tried to grease it without taking it out and didn't seem to help much. could be i need a new cable or just grease it better, but I'm wondering if the odometer my be stuck and causing the problem? seems to have started just when the odometer hit that mark. thanks for any replies.

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To see a pic of my car, click here... (http://images.honesty.com/imagedata/h/522/43/25224385.jpg)

Hi Mike....since you state that both issues (needle bouncing and odometer stopping) started at the same time, I would tend to agree with you that it is an internal problem.

I cable will make noise and could cause bouncing, but that shouldn't affect the odometer....

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Steve - Central Ohio Camaro Club (http://www.ohiocamaros.com)
'69 Camaro RS/SS-350 - Daytona Yellow
'95 Camaro Z-28 - Sebring Silver
click here to see my webpage ---> My Camaros (http://www.mindspring.com/~mccorry) (updated 5/18/01)

more details - the speedo needle jumps about 5-7 mph with the accomping click sound. seems to do it very close to the same rate no matter what the speed (a little faster when going faster, but not much) tried to grease it, but no luck. may have to take the cable out. cable doesn't feel like it's exactly squared off at the end. (like it could be worn down a little and not just a straight 90 degree bend at the end) can't help but thinking the odometer my have something to do with it. is there any reason why the speedo would still work and the odometer stop turning? also is there anything i could do as in run the mileage up or down a little to see if it frees up the odometer? heard used car salesman used to do this with a drill, but i'm not sure how.

Normally, the little plastic odometer drive gear only has to move one of the geared odometer wheels at a time; with yours, it's having to move five wheels at once (from 94,999.5 to 95,000.0). The end of the cable has probably worn the square hole in the drive gear almost round over the years, and now with the load of having to overcome five ratchet springs instead of just one, the end of the cable has started to slip inside the plastic gear - that's why the odometer isn't working at all, and the speedo needle is jumping. If you can see that the square end on the cable is worn, you might be able to get away with just replacing the cable with a new one with a nice sharp square end, depending on how "rounded" the square hole is in the plastic drive gear. If that doesn't work, the speedo housing will have to come out and go to an instrument shop for rebuild. Go ahead and try a new cable - if that doesn't get it working, you'll need a new cable anyway so the old one doesn't "round off" the inside of the new plastic drive gear when you get the speedo rebuilt.

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JohnZ
'69 Z28 Fathom Green

well i tried to find something to turn the speedo by hand and finally found a screw that did the trick. i could get the speed needle to move, but the odometer wouldn't budge and it made the same clicking sound. think this sound is coming from the odometer trying to turn maybe.
prices I've seen for a repair make it look like i might as well buy a new 140 mph unit. saw them for $165 - 169 at ricks or year one. may still check around town, but with Jackson, Ms. being so "lack of auto things" doubt if i find one.
may have to live with it a while anyway, wasn't planning on this $200 expense.
i tried to figure out best way to get the speedo out. didn't see it in my shop manual. should i just unscrew the 2 screws in the top of the bezel/lens and dash to remove the clear plastic cover and the speedo will just come out from the front or will it need to come out from the back someway?
has anyone used these 140 mph speedos? what's your opinion of them?

why can't they all be this easy!!!!!!!
took the bezel/lens off to see how the speedo would come out. this still didn't give me a good ideal, must have clamps or screws in the back?
anyway, while i had it off i turned the odometer by hand and got it to go to 95,000. 1/10's turned too so i ran it up to 2 tenths and took a spin. everything works just fine now. i know this may be temporary or i may have to pop it over every thousand miles until it stops working completely, but at least maybe it will last for the trip to cruzin' the coast!