TheSamba.com :: View topic - Squeaking (increases with speed) front drivers side

Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:51 am

I've been noticing a squeaking noise in the front drivers side when the car is in motion. The faster I go, the faster the squeak, and vice versa (no noise when standing still).

It is a 1965, lowered on a 4" narrowed beam and has drum brakes if that matters.
The noise seemed even more pronounced this morning when it was especially cold out, but that may have just been a coincidence or just an indication that the problem is getting worse over time.

Any ideas what it might be??

Thanks!!!

Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:57 am

Brake dragging? Wheel bearing going bad? Speedo cable going bad? My speedo cable sounded like a dying animal for about 50 miles until it broke completely.

Pull the speedo cable then drive it and see if the noise is still there.
Back that brake way off then drive it and see if the noise is still there.

Couple easy things to try and eliminate or isolate that noise.

Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:16 am

Cali_Army_Guy wrote: Brake dragging? Wheel bearing going bad? Speedo cable going bad? My speedo cable sounded like a dying animal for about 50 miles until it broke completely.

Pull the speedo cable then drive it and see if the noise is still there.
Back that brake way off then drive it and see if the noise is still there.

Couple easy things to try and eliminate or isolate that noise.
X2. You may need to lube the speedo cable. Or the speedo gears where the cable connects to it.
I did this a year or so back. Driving down the hi-way and all of the sudden I have this tremendous "squeal" coming from the dash area.
Disconnected the speedo cable and it went away. I lubed the cable with 3-in-1 oil and it made no difference.
Pulled the speedo and lubed the input shaft(where the cable threads on) and let sit for a day or two on a heater vent in my living room.
Reinstalled the speedo and the issue has not come up since then.

Good Luck.

Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:57 am

It sounds like it's coming from the wheel area (driving wheel, not steering wheel).

It could be the speedo.. I've had that sound too but I think this is a different One.

ill CHeck brakes and wheel bearing.

Fri Feb 24, 2017 11:23 am

When was the last time that you checked/adjusted your front wheel bearings?
I checked mine last weekend? Thankfully they were in good shape. So I repacked them and life is still good.

You really should pull that offending front bearing cover and have a look see what's up. I wouldn't drive the car until you figure it out. Burned wheel bearings suck.

Good Luck.

Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:08 pm

Stop driving the car until you get it figgered out. You may have already caused some serious damage. Let us know what you find.

Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:28 pm

I also had an odd squeak that turned out to be a loose hubcap!

Fri Feb 24, 2017 2:55 pm

67rustavenger wrote: Pulled the speedo and lubed the input shaft(where the cable threads on) and let sit for a day or two on a heater vent in my living room.
Reinstalled the speedo and the issue has not come up since then.

Good Luck.

This may come in handy for me.

My speedo needle has been jumping around for a while. About a month or so ago, I had originally suspected the cable so I lubed it from the top. This lessened the jumping but did not eliminate it. I bought new speedo cable, intending to install it, but didn't.

A couple of night ago I was hearing 3 squeaky clicks before each needle bounce/jump. This would happen every 2 or 3 seconds, depending on speed. The clicking is definitely coming from the speedo. I unscrewed the cable from the back of the speedo and all that noise stopped.

I am going to use the suggested fix here and see what happens.

Fri Feb 24, 2017 3:09 pm

Ok! But also lube the cable with some 3-in-1 oil too while your at it. Pull the cable and housing(if you can) completely from the car and let it hang just like it would as if installed in the car. Then add some drops of oil to the cable from the top and let is work it's way down to the wheel end.

Someone suggested soaking the cable housing in diesel fuel for a day or two to get the gunk out of the housing, rather than replacing the housing altogether. Then lubing with used engine oil. The same poster said that the original speedo cable was the correctly engineered one for the car. Other manufacturers made inferior cables that didn't perform as well as the OG ones did.
I'd just use 3-in-1 oil and call it good.

The above is how I did things. Let me know how it works for ya.

Good Luck

scottyrocks wrote: 67rustavenger wrote: Pulled the speedo and lubed the input shaft(where the cable threads on) and let sit for a day or two on a heater vent in my living room.
Reinstalled the speedo and the issue has not come up since then.

Good Luck.

This may come in handy for me.

My speedo needle has been jumping around for a while. About a month or so ago, I had originally suspected the cable so I lubed it from the top. This lessened the jumping but did not eliminate it. I bought new speedo cable, intending to install it, but didn't.

A couple of night ago I was hearing 3 squeaky clicks before each needle bounce/jump. This would happen every 2 or 3 seconds, depending on speed. The clicking is definitely coming from the speedo. I unscrewed the cable from the back of the speedo and all that noise stopped.

I am going to use the suggested fix here and see what happens.

Sun Feb 26, 2017 2:32 pm

67rustavenger wrote:
Pulled the speedo and lubed the input shaft(where the cable threads on) and let sit for a day or two on a heater vent in my living room.
Reinstalled the speedo and the issue has not come up since then.

Good Luck.

How much oil did you put in there? I don't want it all over the inside glass of the gauge.

Sun Feb 26, 2017 6:43 pm

That opening took about 3 drops of oil before it puddled at the top, so I stopped there.

My speedo is now sitting on my radiator, propped up so the cable drive is pointed straight up. I'll leave it there for a day or two, as described above, and then reinstall and test it next weekend.

Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:43 pm

Thanks everyone for the ideas.

Update:
I pulled the wheel off and inspected the bearings. They didn't show any obvious signs of damage or make any odd noises when I turned the wheel/drum by hand.
So I did what I probably should have checked first - the speedo cable. Took the drivers side disc cap off the drum and drove with no speedo....
And no noise!

New problem
Now my issue is that I can't get the speedo cable extracted from the back of the gauge. I can unscrew the retaining nut, but the squared male end that goes into the gauge is stuck in there! Is there any trick to getting it out without damaging the cable and/or gauge in the process?

Tue Feb 28, 2017 5:00 am

Scottyrocks, Yea all of 2-3 drops are what went into my speedo. A work of warning, it may still squeal a bit the first time you drive it. but it should subside pretty quickly.

squagon, Time for some PB Blaster. Pull the cable housing back anough to expose the cable a spray into the speedo drive. Wait a day and try removing the cable from the speedo. If it won't come free spray it again and wait.
If you can get a pair of needle nose on the cable. Grab is a give it a gentle wiggle, careful, you don't want to break the cable off in the back of the speedo.

Good Luck.

Wed Mar 01, 2017 10:09 am

I suggest taking the speedo out of its housing and turning it upside down before spraying in the PB Blaster. That way the stuff will get to, and stay, where it needs to be.

Wed Mar 01, 2017 11:13 am

Muir claimed too much oil or grease will gum up the speedo. Some have seen oil migrate to the face, ruining its appearance. Try a little first and give it time.

I've had noise and jumpy needles on my Type 3 speedo, and it goes away if I push/pull on the cable a bit at the speedo connection. This puzzles me a bit, but it fixes it sometimes for weeks or months. Is the cable made wrong with too much play? Is my speedo gearing worn at the connection? I've never figured it out.

Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:27 pm

Yes, that is why I had asked earlier how much oil to drop into the speedo drive port. 2 or 3 drops was the most it would take, and I didn't force anymore.

Sat Mar 04, 2017 11:39 am

I reinstalled the speedo just now.

Whereas before I had a cycle of three clicks followed by a bouncing needle, now I have one click with no bouncing needle, so the lubing helped somewhat, but not completely.

I could replace the cable to see if that stops the problem, but putting my ear right to the speedo while the car is moving tells me that the sound is coming from inside the gauge. And anyway, lubing the gauge wouldn't change the cable's characteristics if that's where the problem lies.

What is entailed in a speedo rebuild?

Sat Mar 04, 2017 12:12 pm

scottyrocks wrote: I reinstalled the speedo just now.

Whereas before I had a cycle of three clicks followed by a bouncing needle, now I have one click with no bouncing needle, so the lubing helped somewhat, but not completely.

What is entailed in a speedo rebuild?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=179776&start=10

FWIW I had to lube my speedo 2 times before the squeal ceased.
But I did have a spare that I could experiment with if I had to do a rebuild. It's not hard. You just have to be very careful with the needle so you don't break it. Also make note of it's location related to the post that keeps it from falling below the "0" mph mark. You want to make sure to get it in the correct location.

Good Luck.

Sat Mar 04, 2017 2:13 pm

The best way to lube a cable is get a baggie, snip off the corner en`uff to get the cable in and get some electrical tape and tape the baggie to the housing. Hang on a nail and put about 1 oz 30 W oil (or equivalent) in baggie, put some thing under the end and when oil starts to drip (about 1 or 2 hrs) remove the baggie/oil from the top and let drain for 1/2 hr. It's now lubed for life.

Sat Mar 04, 2017 4:34 pm

67rustavenger wrote: scottyrocks wrote: I reinstalled the speedo just now.

Whereas before I had a cycle of three clicks followed by a bouncing needle, now I have one click with no bouncing needle, so the lubing helped somewhat, but not completely.

What is entailed in a speedo rebuild?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=179776&start=10

FWIW I had to lube my speedo 2 times before the squeal ceased.
But I did have a spare that I could experiment with if I had to do a rebuild. It's not hard. You just have to be very careful with the needle so you don't break it. Also make note of it's location related to the post that keeps it from falling below the "0" mph mark. You want to make sure to get it in the correct location.

Good Luck.

All right, I'll do it a 2nd time, then.

In the meantime, I read the thread you linked. I think I can pull the speedo apart, and clean and lube the gears. Thanks!