Technical Click, Click, Click

Having just completely insulated my old beater with Kilmat, finished the interior, I am blown away with how much different the car sound, the doors have a solid sound when shut and the ride is pretty quiet with the exception of the Classic Instruments speedometer.

I'm certain the speedometer has always made the clicking sound ever tenth of a mile but when the car lacked any real interior it was so noisy I didn't hear or distinguish it from all the other creaks & rattles but with the windows up and quiet in the car, I hear the clicking.

Anyone else have a speedometer that act's like this, is there a fix for it short of replacing it with a new one? HRP

 

Speedometers are highly over rated.

 

I have two classic instruments speedos one in my 52 gmc one in my 31 chevy but both are electronic never noticed any noise, is yours cable drive, you probably already know they can make a noise.

 

Wrap it with Kilmat.

 

Sorry about that, I inadvertently omitted the fact that the speedometer is indeed a electronic type and not cable driven. HRP

 

Probably has a solenoid that advances the odometer. Get used to it, or turn up the radio, or disconnect it, or get a new speedo, or put a bigger motor in the car (which is the best option)

 

If any one calls you Capt.Hook,it's not the speedO and keep running !

 

Call classic instruments and ask them yet ?

 

ear plugs work good

 

Years ago I bought a little adapter that has a grease zerk on one end and threads on to the speedo cable on the transmission end that allows you to pump grease into the cable housing. Works great for fixing the ticking. I think it was a doorman product.

 

If you drive faster it should sound like a steady hum. Which do you prefer? Or.............see Jim's Best solution!

 

C'mon now...It's a beater !

 

Ill have to file that one up in the ole forgetter.

This one is electronic and the noise comes from the odometer clicking off 1/10 mile. That is a click every 528 feet

 

Leave it to Jim to figure out a ideal solution, first I guess I will eventually get use to it, I don't have a radio, disconnecting it is a possibility, buying a new speedo is a option but the bigger, louder rum-pity engine would be cool but it this point the current engine still got plenty of miles left.

That's funny Dana, that never occurred to me. HRP

 

This is what I would have done.

 

Your ride is so quiet you can hear your electronic speedo click over the tenths....First world hotrod problems.

 

That is what I have done but I haven't heard back from the tech department, I Know they won't replace it and I don't expect them too, heck it's a pretty old speedo but maybe they can shed some light on the noise problem. HRP

 

I don't know how or where your speedometer is mounted, but there's always the possibility that you found the perfect "sweet spot" that happens to magnify and amplify any little sound it makes. If the speedo is mounted directly to a metal or plastic instrument panel, or that panel is mounted directly on a metal dash panel it may be transmitting the sound over a much larger area.

Try insulating any mounting points in some kind rubber grommet or dense foam rubber. But you may also have to run some separate ground wires to keep everything powered properly. If there's sufficient room you might also try attaching a strip of dense foam rubber around the speedo housing with a zip-tie. It might help to dampen the vibration set up by the solenoid or whatever the mechanism in there is.

 

Cut the mufflers off, problem solved.

 

The speedometer is mounted in the old ensign style dash insert on a original 1932 Ford metal dash, identical to my old Deuce pickup and the same electronic speedo, I have about decided there is not much I can do at this stage of the game with the season being on us.

It would be a nightmare to pull it out but that might be the end result, still waiting to hear from Classic Instruments. HRP

 

Yeah... Looks like it might be a bit tight in there. I was just thinking along the lines of maybe reducing some of that metal to metal to metal contact. And it might or might not even lead to that much of an improvement.

 

I had one do the same thing and no one could fix it so I bought a new one.

 

...turn your hearing aids down,..or if you don't have any, be thankful you can hear that little click...maybe you need louder mufflers...

 

Danny, I had a electric Stewart Warner "Wings" Speedo in my 36 that clicked every 10th of a mile, always just figured it was the nature of the beast. Mitch.

 

I sure it is older tech here that is the cause . Newer OEM speedos and odometers are all electronic and they are silent . The older one is may always have made the click click click , the day it was new and you didn’t know it . I’m thinking rap the rear with some foam pipe type insulation may lower if not stop the clicking . Mine is cable driven with the steel 32 housing and a new cable inside well lubed and it is silent . Amazing how well even a Speedo cable was made years ago . Same as all of us on here I suppose also .

 

If you drive fast enough, the tick will turn into a buzz.
Maybe you should wrap the speedo with some Kilmat, like someone suggested earlier. The Kilmat caused the problem, maybe more of it will solve the problem. If the speedometer is encased in the Kilmat, the click sound can't get our, right? It might kill the speedo, but then you would have a good excuse to buy a new one. Gene

 

I believe replacement is the answer.

 

I think this is the BEST solution for an electronic speedometer that is clicking!

 

Still haven't heard anything from the Classic Instrument tech department. HRP

 

When I wrote it Danny hadn’t said weather it was cable driven or electric.