lube for tach and speedo cables

[fredd65]

what lube should i use on my tach and speedo cables?...it's a 65 if that makes any difference...and yipeee, it's almost cruising season!!!....thanks for any tips

 

[Ken Anderson]

Delco ST-800, ideally. Assuming you don't have that, then a LIGHT multi temp grease, no chassis lube. You should remove the cable from the housing and lube it and reinstall it in the housing. Do not pump gease into the cable housing using one of those cornball adapters. If you do, you will shorten the life of your speedo & tach.

 

[67HEAVEN]

I don't know if I used the right grease, but I placed some white lithium grease in the palm of my hand and then pulled the cables through it to coat them well. Then, I re-inserted the cables in their housings.

 

[Vette66AirCoupe]

I thought you were only supposed to use graphite.

 

[Eric]

I thought you were only supposed to use graphite.

Oops! Me too, I used it on my truck and the speedo stopped dancing the jitterbug. As long as it lasts until I kill the truck its attached to, I'm okay.

-Eric

 

[JohnZ]

Speedo and tach flex shafts ideally should be lubed with a graphite-based product like the original Delco lube; Corvette Central sells a product called "Kable-Ease" in a small tube that's made specifically for speedo and tach shafts - I bought a tube ten years ago, and it'll out-last me. Lube the flex shafts, then wipe the excess off before installing them back in the casing. A good auto parts store should also have graphite-based cable lube, or a good second choice is the gray moly lube, applied the same way. Chassis grease is a BAD idea, especially if you drive your car in cold weather.

 

[Vette66AirCoupe]

John,

Is the product you are referring to a dry graphite?

 

[Ken Anderson]

Delco ST-800 is not graphite based nor did Delco EVER recommend any graphite based products to be used in speedo cable service. They did recommend replacing the cable and housing as a set, due to the fact that the housing wears out faster than the cable, especially the tach cable. ST-800 was designed to work from -30 degrees to +130 degrees, temps a production vehicle would normally operate in. Of course our Corvettes are never driven in those extremes, so you can use whatever you wish.

 

[JohnZ]

John,

Is the product you are referring to a dry graphite?

No, it's graphite in a black petroleum-based carrier about the same consistency as white lithium grease; you apply it to the flex shaft and wipe off the excess.