whining in dash

[ajb999]

92 l efi. i let the car warm up for about 10 minutes this morning and started to drive. when i got to about 25 mph a whining started coming from somewhere in the dash behind the instrument cluster. when i slowed down to turn it got quieter then stopped. then when i got onto the onramp it started doing it again and got louder as speed increased. after a couple minutes it went away doing about 75. it didn't seem to affect how the car ran but i've never heard anything like this come from it before. any ideas on what it could be? it was pretty loud and i don't think it was coming from under the hood.

thanks,
adam

[packrat427]

It sounds like you need to lube your speedo cable , use a grahite type .

If it is behind the cluster , and it increases with speed , Pretty sure that would be it ,
They usually act up worse when it gets cold , and the colder the louder.

[ajb999]

after i changed my cluster my speedo cable made a little noise and i lubed it and it went away. this sound was completely different though. that's what i can't figure out. i don't know what could even be in the dash back there to make the noise it was making.

[packrat427]

Is it a whining like noise interferance whine , like a radio , or a friction whine ?

[ajb999]

it's almost a mix. more of a friction whine though. it was coming from left/back behind the cluster. when i had my cluster out i don't remember seeing anything back there but there wasn't much room to see either.

[freshtiva]

I agree with packrat. Ive had to lube a couple of speedo cables. Is your speedo jumping around any? Sure way to find out is to disconnect it at the transaxle and see if the noise goes away.

[Dave G]

May be the speedo head, rather than the cable. Try taking it out and drenching it in Lock-Ease.

[ajb999]

it sounded like it was coming from the left side of the instrument cluster and not the right side. i have a cluster w/ a tack in it too if that helps. daveg, by speedo head do you mean the part in the cluster?

I agree with packrat. Ive had to lube a couple of speedo cables. Is your speedo jumping around any? Sure way to find out is to disconnect it at the transaxle and see if the noise goes away.

^^ i lubed it when i changed my clusters. that was only a few months ago. the needle doesn't jump around either. i guess when it warms up i'll pull the cluster and check everything.

[25Horseplay]

When my speedo made noise it drove me nuts, I didn't drive it till I lubed the speedo and cable. Do both if your in there.

[ajb999]

thanks for the help. i'll make sure to do both. it hasn't done it again since this morning atleast. i don't really feel like going out and working on it in -5 weather right now though. what do you guys use to lube it? i can't remember what i used last time but it must not have been very good if it only lasted a few months.

thanks,
adam

[Dave G]

what do you guys use to lube it?

I've used "Lock Ease" on both of mine, but here is probably something better out there (see below). What I've done is removed the cluster, removed the clear plastic face, stuck the spray can snorkel in around the numbers, and sprayed the heck out of it from several different angles. It certainly quiets them down & stops any "jumping" of the needle, but can make a mess of the white numbers on the odometer(s).

I have always heard that you should never use oil on instruments like this, only dry lubricants like graphite (Lock-Ease is graphite suspended in some sort of non-oily liquid). Back before I'd heard this I oiled the speedo on a motorcycle and it was all screwed up for a month or so until (I guess) the oil dripped off the works.