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Triumph TR3 - Wavering Speedometer

For the year I've owned my '61 TR3A, my speedometer needle wavers at any particular speed, rather than holding steady. There might be a five mph swing as the needle floats up and down, with no steady rhythm.

Any ideas what's up? Does this sound like a speedo issue? Cable?

Thanks for any clues!

Bill Stagg

Bill Stagg

Bill: I would check your cable for lack of lubrication or maybe to much as both will cause the cable to bind and release and thus give you a jumpy speedo reading
J.W. Herbert

Hi Bill - Glad you enjoyed your summer of fun with Mary-Beth and you nice TR3A. I enjoyed all those pics you sent me from TRA in Auburn. Have you found a name for "him/her" yet ? Look at the comments under "Sad Days" in the TR6 group regarding sad winter days.

Now to the point - My speedo oscillated from 40 to 80 mph and that was after I had the speedo fully overhauled by Nisonger in NY. I had a broken tooth on a fiber gear so I had them do a full overhaul including re-calibration. I was very satisfied.

My speedo cable goes all the way from the rear of my overdrive, loops around near the starter and up to a clamp holding it on the flange in front of the battery box, then through the firewall to the dash. At some point during the removal of my starter and replacement about 5 times over the last 7 years, I accidentally got the cable wedged between the starter and the block flange at the bottom where the oil pan in fastened. This caused a really nice sharp compression in the outer casing and after I spent $15.00 for a new cable from TRF and installed it correctly, it's rock steady.

That should be a quick and easy fix. What's next ?

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A
Don Elliott

Don: When you installed the new cable from TRF did you lubricate it first or does it come pre-lubed? I have the same wavering issue and am trying to isolate it to the cable or the speedo itself.

Tom Addison.
T Addison

Tom - Both the new cables I bought and installed had some lubricant in them and they turned freely and I didn't add any more lube to them.

In the past, I have lubed the cables when I had wavering needles in the hope that the sticky fibrous grease would dampen out the wavering. It worked on some occasions.

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A
Don Elliott

Thanks, all, for the suggestions and guidance. I'll run this down as soon as my as-yet-unnamed TR in hauled into drydock for various winter projects. I'm still having too much fun to give up a single good driving day for the speedo issue.

By the way, the heater I installed last winter is working great! And it sure helps to have side curtains to keep all that heat inside (Thanks, Berry!).

Regards to all,

Bill Stagg
1961 TR3A
Bill Stagg

Bill-Glad you found the heater a worthwhile project. Certainly better than no heater at all. Just a couple thoughts on the friendly speedo that waves. Trying removing the speedo and drive it with with the end of an old cable or the pointed end of a nail chucked in a variable speed reversible drillmotor. If the needle still wavers the problem is in the speedo head. You can also check the calibration by running it up to 60 MPH and checking the time to show 1 mile. The return spring tends to weaken with age and the indicated speed becomes more optimistic. Here is an excellent site for Smith/Jaeger instruments:http://mywebpages.comcast.net/rhodes
Berry

This thread was discussed between 16/10/2003 and 24/10/2003

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