Bouncing speedo needle

[Estanley]

I have an 81 4x4 and the speedo needle bounces until it gets up to hwy speed and it reads about 15 to 20 mph fast. I"m running stock heigth tires. Can anyone tell me how to stop the bouncing and make it show the correct speed?

[71swb4x4]

The bouncing is almost always caused by a dry cable. Lube the cable up as best you can and see if that works. Sometimes you can actually pull the whole cable out of the sleeve, lube it up, and put it all back together.
It could solve the problem with it being off, but if it's still of when it doesn't bounce anymore, you will probably need a new gear for the transfer case. It's a pretty easy fix.

[felixthecatjr]

Originally Posted by 71swb4x4

The bouncing is almost always caused by a dry cable. Lube the cable up as best you can and see if that works. Sometimes you can actually pull the whole cable out of the sleeve, lube it up, and put it all back together.
It could solve the problem with it being off, but if it's still of when it doesn't bounce anymore, you will probably need a new gear for the transfer case. It's a pretty easy fix.

Any particular lube to use for the cable?

[vtwinsport]

You might have in issue with the gears in the transmission. I replaced mine for that same reason (2wd) and it still bounces. I am leaking trans oil from that spot though and I know there's worn out parts back there cause it doesn fit well anymore.

[willett]

man, mine does it too (sometimes)

i will be ripping down the highway and my speedo starts going ape!

after a few clicks it usually resumes normal function

[Turbo85GMC]

+1 for the speedo cable. Check it for any sharp bends, adjust the routing as straight as possible, lube, and if all that doesn't help, replace.