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MG TD TF 1500 - tachometer cable lubricant

My tachometer cable has recently started getting noisy, and I am unsure what lubricant should go into the zerk fitting on the little gearbox that hangs off the back of the generator. Grease? Oil? Does anyone know what the factory specified?

Jack Long

I believe the factory specified grease or oil. Fresh grease would be fine, but old dried out grease is no good at all (mostly hard soap residual). On the other hand oil tends to leak out. If there is old grease in there a few drops of oil should soften it. Lubricating the cable is really a separate issue.
Dave H
Dave Hill

After cleaning the old stuff out, I coated the cable with white lithium grease, it has worked well. PJ
PJ Jennings

Jack -

Here's what the TD/TF Workshop Manual recommended for the tach drive.

Pages:
16
P.2
P.5

Lonnie
TF7211

LM Cook

The TD/TF WSM and the Operation Manuals for TD and for TF differ on the type of lubricant to use in the tach drive.

Grease is recommended in the WSM - see my previous post.

However, the Operation Manuals for TD and for TF/TF-1500 recommend 90 weight hypoid gear oil. (??)

TF & TF 1500 Operation Manual AKD658A:
Pages 39 and 64

Lonnie
TF7211



LM Cook

I only use 50/60-year-old information as a guide, there are so many modern lubricants today that are far superior to what was used back then. Any doubts on what to put in the gearbox, lower unit outboard lube works as well as anything. It can be bought in different types and grades also. Problem with some original gearboxes is they leak, which should be addressed after cleaning. PJ
PJ Jennings

Quote " On the other hand oil tends to leak out. If there is old grease in there a few drops of oil should soften it."

My Tach gear box sat, in a cardboard box, for over 40 years. When I finally got to reinstalling it, nothing would turn. I removed grease fitting and kept flooding it with spray Kroil in a pressure can. Eventually it loosened up and the old grease, now dissolved in Kroil leaked pit through the seam. (Thanks for the leak in this case.)
I believe its important to get all the old stuff out. There is an issue with grease compatibility. Different greases use different bases to form the soap out of the oil. Mixing greases with different bases can result in the formation of a hard compound with little or now lubricating qualities.
Over a week or so I continued to clean out the gearbox until I could see no more residue and the gears turned very freely.
I then used a Teflon based grease inserted through the grease fitting hole and packed/spread with a tooth pick.

Jim B.
JA Benjamin

"My tachometer cable has recently started getting noisy" Lubing the gearbox has nothing to do with lubing a noisy cable. Google "Speedo cable lubrication", many videos and products out there. If you can carefully remove the inner cable end circlip (if it is still there), you can remove the inner cable and just oil it, wipe excess off and reinstall. That appears to be a real original cable, so take good care of it. George
George Butz III

This thread was discussed between 13/03/2019 and 14/03/2019

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