This makes no sense, but bare with me. Last winter I heard the cable screaming, forgot about it, yesterday it started bouncing which reminded me so I took it out and greased it and felt the slop first, about half turn. When I put it back in it was reading fast, this is a lifted brat with big tires and it always read slower that accual speed, by fast, I mean buried it on the freeway. The only thing I can figure is the slop in the cable and the grease freed it up. The odometer is reading the same as it did before so I'm trying a new cable, about 14 bucks at the local dealer, 10 from 1st street subaru then 7.50 shipping. Anyone had anything like this before?

I had a similar problem on my 88 wagon. the seal at the tranny had gone bad and allowed oil to move up the inside of the cable into the speedo housing.. only fix I know of is to replace the gauge if thats what has happened. I would try a new cable first though.

I agree same thing happened on my 81 wagon moister or oil or something got up in the dash bushings and made the magnetic ring contact the cable, so instead of the magnetic ring getting dragged by the mag field it was a direct connection, Whinning like an sob then tink!! the needle broke. still made that horable noise though. I just found a junk yard unit and replaced it.

 

Good luck

OK, now I've been driving the thing for a couple months and here is what is happening, every other time I drive it, it go's nuts, it seems also to be heat related(when it's hot it go's nuts). I took it apart and cleaned the exess grease out of the end of the cable and the speedo head and it worked ok for a couple of drives. I think maybe the speedo head is honed and it winds up. Any body!

zanny dooks sedan would read off the scale, racking miles up on the odometer, about 5 miles per mile. so oil in the cable? i'll check that out

Oil in the cable; sort of, Caleb has it right. The oil seal in the tranny at the cable output is gone or shot. Oil migrates up the cable and eventually into the speedometer head. Once it's in there, the speedo gets wildly optimistic. Replacing the speedo works for a while IF you clean out the grease/oil in the cable first. Only permanent fix is to ALSO install a new seal at the transmission. I can't tell you how that went although the seal is only about $15 from SOA. Before I installed it in my old GL wagon it was "retired."