Ford Escort - Bouncing Speedo!

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Tue 9 Nov 2004 18:26
Ford Escort - Bouncing Speedo! - esuoz
Hi,

I've just taken a '96 (N Reg) (96k miles) 1.6 Ford Escort for a test drive and discovered that the speedometer bounces around by about 5-10mph. I've heard that this can be due to worn differential bearings and that the only way to solve it is by replacing the whole gearbox. Is this true? And if so, does £400 for the car seem like a fair deal considering the potential work involved in replacing the gearbox?
I also discovered the car makes slightly unsettling creaking/knocking noises as it pulls away in first/second. These aren't repeated as it goes over bumps so i presume that it has something to do with the drive train rather than the body shell/chassis?

Any opinions would be much appreciated!

Cheers,
Damian
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Tue 9 Nov 2004 18:32
Ford Escort - Bouncing Speedo! - frostbite
That speedo problem occurred on my Scorpio some time ago - then it simply packed up.

I have got it going again by periodically removing the housing and spraying lubricant in through a lamp socket.

It might be the other problem with the diff, but I would doubt it.
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Tue 9 Nov 2004 18:58
Ford Escort - Bouncing Speedo! - Civic8
Pressume it is cable operated. usualy drive cable or speedo drive in gearbox. I would go for cable first..If for some reason the cable has been disconnected from back of dash/gearbox. and struggled to reconnect.. the cable ends bend that will cause it..

Regards other prob. Does the gear lever slant at all?
--
Steve
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Sat 20 Nov 2004 12:15
Ford Escort - Bouncing Speedo! - robN
Agree. It's almost certainly the speedo cable. The late Scorpio's were electronic, so that would have been a different fault.
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Sun 21 Nov 2004 09:38
Ford Escort - Bouncing Speedo! - Jackblack
Speedo needles tend to do this when the speedo has been disconnected for a while, beware as the vehicle may not show the genuine mileage.
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Sun 21 Nov 2004 11:24
Ford Escort - Bouncing Speedo! - Roly93
I had a similar problem on a nearly new escort 1.6LX I bought back in 1990.

The sppedo stated to give erratic readings and then stopped working completely uless I went around a sharp ben in the road.

This was indeed due to the diff-bearing assembly which was apparently a known problem causing damage to the speedo drive gearing which on those was next to the diff bearings on one side.

The dealer repaired this under warranty but as far as I can remember it did involve a rebuild of the gearbox/diff assembly.
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