markrushton

Yep, it stopped working. I haven't had time to tell if the cable broke or if the speedo itself is dead.

This is the second speedo on the car. The first went at 98K (I have the papers from the previous owner) and the second has 17K miles on it.

My wife thinks I'm crazy to drive it around with a broken speedometer. I said I've driven this car enough to know what speed I'm travelling by knowing what gear I'm in and the RPM.

I haven't been nailed for a speeding ticket since 1984. In 1994 I was busted in my BMW 320i for going 65 in a 55, but that car actually had a defective speedo and once I got it fixed ($150) the ticket was dismissed.

In a way I think I shouldn't even bother with it. I know what speed I'm going. I don't normally drive above the limits too much. And if I get another ticket in my '84 4000S I can always get it fixed and plead the charge down to defective equipment or get it thrown out by a kind judge.

Why do you guys think?

82_Coupe

I will eventually need some help on this topic also. I thought it was wierd the the speedometer still works but that the odometer doesn't. Any suggestions?

Kidquattro

...its always a problem with broken clocks.

unipurify

It's probably not the dash...but the cable...take the dash out and look at where it goes into the tranny. Make sure they're connected first. Next step is to take the cable out and spin 1 end (usually the dash end) It's a square thingie. Spin it and look for movement on the other end. Hope this helps

unipurify

Yes...Take the instrument cluster out...There's apost on here somewhere on how to do it. Once it's on a nice well lit bench, with super glue handy...just in case...gently pull/pry the needle off...It can break, hence the superglue. Next take the 2 screws off the backing plate with the speed #'s on it. On the left there is a yellowish gear that meshes with a white worm gear. This is the source of the problem. I suspect that on your dash, the yellow gear is pushed out toward the left, thus not engaging with the white one. To fix, a number of approaches work. The easy but not permenant one is to push the yellow gear to the right and reassemble...this works for a while. Another longer temp fix is to follow the rod that the yellow gear sits on to the right side of the speedo. It sits in a little hole...I push the gear as above, and put a dab of superglue or locktite there...it seems to hold it for a while, but that too fails eventually. The permenant fix is to push the gear in and put something inbetween the gear and the moulding of the speedo to prevent it from working it's way out. Note that it shouldn't interfere with the gear(s) and should be mounted solid. I have not done this yet, but it is soon coming. ***Note:Once the needle is removed, the speedo will lose it's accuracy, it's sorta back tensioned a bit. 2 ways to fix 1)take it somewhere to be fixed. b)Drive past one of those automated speedometer signs that the cops put up to let you know your speed, and compare...For instance when my dash reads 70, I'm actually going 60** However that may differ on your car. I won't be responsible for any speeding tix..lol. Assembly is reverse of removal...be careful with that needle though

tetrault

The first guy had a good description of the problem and the blocking effort. That failed for me and I did the following: The gears are slipping on the shaft of the trip odometer and that drives the rest of the odometer. You have to remove the speedo from the instrument cluster and drill and pin the hub and shaft at the tenths end of the trip odometer shaft. Sorry I don't have pictures but it can be done. You have to pull off the speedo needle very clean and straight then take off some screws that hold the speedo faceplate onto the assembly. The do the drill and pin operation, reassemble the faceplate and remember to put the speedo needle back on with some less-than-zero position, like -10 mph. Then you carefully lift it over the zero pin and you are good to go. It's a crazy thing to read about but do-able. Use a very small drill, like 1/16 in a pin vise and be patient, then put a short piece of the drill bit in the hole and epoxy it cleanly. I've been living with that fix for twelve years.

The accuracy problem can be addressed by lifting the speedo needle gently over the stop pin and observing where it rests. Should be somewhere around -10mph as I mentioned.

Read this several times before attempting it on a closed course... Your Mileage May Vary