Speedometer cable

[errjam]

So it's cold this morning and the cable ? Behind the dash sounds like it's trying to consume it's soul and 'constructive' advice ....
:-p

[errjam]

So the rubber boot that holds it I. Position in the firewall is loose I pushed it in and it was still nosiey I pulled it out and it doesn't sound like it's eating plastic I'll zip tie it in place and report later

[1990new]

This is a very common problem and I am fairly certain that just about everyone who has owned a Festiva (and many other makes of cars too) for a while, and who lives in a place were it gets cold, and even warmer climates as time goes by, has experienced it.
This is a lubrication problem that occurs in two places and involves time and temperature. The lower the temperature of the lubrication, the more difficult it becomes for the lubrication to do its job. The longer the time since the last lubrication, the less lubrication is present because of drying out and breakdown.

The problem you describe:
1. Cold temperature activation
2. The noise is coming from the speedometer in the cluster
3. The dial is jumpy
is the result of insufficient lubrication in the speedometer itself.
You can usually fix this in the short term by removing the cluster and dropping a few drop of 3in1 oil into the hole where the speedometer cable goes into the cluster. A more permanent fix would be to disassemble the speedometer and lubricate the shaft of the eddy current generation disc with a long lasting lubricant. Not sure what the original lubricant in there is.

The other lubrication point is the area inside the cable that the shaft snakes through. I lubricate this by removing the cable where it attaches to the transmission, pull the inside cable out of the shaft, clean it thoroughly and then apply lithium grease lightly to the entire length of the shaft. Not sure if this is the correct lubricant but it has worked for me. Also, make sure you have the correct length cable. Automatic trans cables are not the same as standard trans cables and will not work correctly..I speak from experience on this.

Here is a link with a lot of info about how speedometers work. Ours is the mechanical eddy current type.
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-...ter-works.html

[errjam]

Thanks bud