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 "Dipping" your (speedometer) Wick. 56 Dodge ExampleJump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [50 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
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56D500boy |
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Exner Expert 10K+ Posts: 11158     Location: Lower Mainland BC | . Recently Dels56 and I were discussing lubrication of the speedometer. I knew about the "wick" being inside a screw-in adapter on the side of the speedometer head but I had never removed mine on my 56 Dodge. Today, while sorting out the basement after a hot water tank leak (pin hole leak with the water shut off but over a 7 day period), I came across a spare 56 Dodge speedometer that I had purchased some time ago. First thing I did was I removed the "wick" holder from the speedometer head. I don't know why but I was surprised to discover that the wick is a small round felt rod. I then found my 3-in-one oil and found that about 5 drops thoroughly saturated the wick. I then reinstalled the wick in the wick holder and then the wick holder in the speedometer head. Easy peasy. I went out the garage and reached up under the dash to remove the wick holder on my car's speedometer. It didn't want to come off by hand (like the holder on the spare speedometer did) so I will have another go tomorrow with a very stubby flat-bladed screw driver in the palm of my hand and, working blind, I remove the wick holder and oil the wick. I presume there will be a minor challenge working blind and getting the wick holder threads started in the speedometer head. Some info and photos: (55-56DodgeSpeedometer_Back_ShowingLubricationWickHolderInstalled.jpg) (55-56DodgeSpeedometer_Back_ShowingLubricationWickHolderInstalled_CloseUp.jpg) (55-56DodgeSpeedometer_Back_ShowingLubricationWickHolderRemovedButDry.jpg) (55-56DodgeSpeedometer_Back_ShowingLubricationWickHolderRemovedAndWickOiled.jpg) Attachments ----------------  55-56DodgeSpeedometer_Back_ShowingLubricationWickHolderInstalled.jpg (133KB - 508 downloads) 55-56DodgeSpeedometer_Back_ShowingLubricationWickHolderInstalled_CloseUp.jpg (91KB - 504 downloads) 55-56DodgeSpeedometer_Back_ShowingLubricationWickHolderRemovedButDry.jpg (102KB - 513 downloads) 55-56DodgeSpeedometer_Back_ShowingLubricationWickHolderRemovedAndWickOiled.jpg (107KB - 499 downloads) | ||
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| 56D500boy |
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Exner Expert 10K+ Posts: 11158 Location: Lower Mainland BC | . Guess what? For 56 and maybe 55, there were two possible manufactures of the 55 and 56 Dodge and Plymouth speedometers, Auto-lite and Stewart-Warner - Maybe Auto-lite was 55 and early 56 (at least in Dodges) and Stewart Warner was later. Not that it really matters. Or does it?? Turns out that they used different thread pitches on the oiler wick case. I didn't think of that until I tried to put a wick into an Auto-lite speedometer that I have been modifying. Would not go in. Oops.  No idea at this moment where the other wick case is except "In the Basement". Oh my.  Live and learn. Too soon old. Too late smart. Stewart Warner: Auto-Lite REFERENCE (regarding odometer failure, not oops the wick is different): http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=80150&...  Edited by 56D500boy 2025-06-06 5:49 PM | ||
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| 56D500boy |
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Exner Expert 10K+ Posts: 11158 Location: Lower Mainland BC | 56D500boy - 2025-06-06 2:48 PM No idea at this moment where the other wick case is except "In the Basement". Oh my. I guess I lucked out. After maybe 20 minutes of methodically searching I found the "missing AutoLite wick holder" with the rest of my spare 56 Dodge gauges. The difference in the wick holders is the Stewart Warner holder has fine threads and the AutoLite coarse(r) threads. One will not go into the other. I soaked the wick with 3-in-1 oil and screwed it into the AutoLite head. (PS: It was the one with knurled end) (55-56DodgePlymouthAutoLiteSpeedometerLubricationWick_NoteCoarseThreads.jpg) Attachments ---------------- 55-56DodgePlymouthAutoLiteSpeedometerLubricationWick_NoteCoarseThreads.jpg (147KB - 351 downloads) | ||
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| Mope R. Geezer |
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Expert Posts: 2141  Location: Idaho - where men are men and spuds are spuds | I think this is one of the most ingenious gadgets Chrysler engineers came up with! Last year my DeSoto speedo started howling/screaming at me. Just unscrewed the wick "thimble", applied a few drops of light oil on the wick, reinstalled and BINGO problem solved! | ||
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| Powerflite |
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Exner Expert 10K+ Posts: 10523  Location: So. Cal | |||
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