Escort problem

[Zoro]

A friend of mine just got a 97 Escort LX wagon, 92k and new tranny possibly w/o overdrive(original tranny had overdrive). In the afternoons when the cars been sitting for awhile and it's hot inside the speedometer will stick and only move every 10 mph and regardless of temp it freezes when the speed goes above 70.

If you bang on the top of the dashboard it will make it adjust to the current speed then it freezes again, this doesn't work over 70.

Besides the fact that it's a Ford, what's wrong with it?

 

[Rev Den]

Dry cable. Remove, clean, relube, reinstall.

Rev

 

[Zoro]

At which end?

 

[Rev Den]

The entire cable.

Sorry.

Rev

 

[old_man]

Several things can cause speedo issues. Cable is one. By the way, a whole new cable is about $10 at Autozone.

What I have seen more, given the jerky movement you describe, is magnetic crap getting up under the dash and in the back of the speedo unit itself. The speedo gauge works by spinning a magnet in an aluminum cup. It generates eddy currents and a reverse em field. Hows that for a $2 answer. Well, the crap gets between the magnet and the aluminum cup and causes drag and all kind of hassles. You can also have the bearings the needle runs on, get gummed up. To make sure you really get it fixed, get a new cable, lube it and install it, While you have the dash apart doing the cable, use a little compressed air at low pressure to blow any crap out of the gauge assy, and drop a bit of light lubricating oil on the bearings. When you put the speedo cable on the TC, make sure the speedo housing is rotated so that the gear in the TC is fully engaged.

Good luck.