fixed odo, speedo doesn't work now...

[schnell944]

I fixed the odometer per the odometer fix page here, and it worked great....after some cursing. Trouble is, the speedo doesn't work now. I think I may have inadverdantly touched the needle during the process. Now, it went to around 5mph while driving and is stuck there. When detatched from the car before installation, if I twirlled where the speedo cable would attach, the needle would go up to about 5 or 10mph and get stuck, having to be lightly nudged back down. It was working properly before I took everything out. Is the needle assembly irrevocably damaged? Could this be easily fixable? The odo fix procedure warns against touching the face....just wondering what I have done and what I should do to fix it. TIA

[SteveJ]

Speedometers are finiky animals.

If you break it apart, you will see that the speedo cable turns a small wheel. This wheel in turn moves the speedo pointer by way of induction. If the speedo pointer and the spinning wheel are not perfectly centered, they can rub on the side of the housing and get stuck. Also, if there is any corrosion on the spinning wheel, there can be jumpiness in the speedo movement. Sometimes...you can open it up and make sure everything is clean and straight and get it to work again.

I've been trying for a while to find a good match from several speedos to get a working speedo and odo that is also accurate. I got the odo right, but the speedo is off by 10-20mph and is non linear, hence the bicycle speedo/odo I have hooked up in my car. Eventually, I will spend the money and have the speedo/odo professionally rebuilt.

[jetboy]

i touched the heck out of the face and the needle on mine and it ended up working fine, but only on the second try, first time my alignment was off. take it back apart and try again - make sure your inner needle is perfect and straight- etc.

[ingraham]

very small and very fragile. You really need a microscope to see the speedo parts well enough to work on them.

Also, check for axial play in the speedo input shaft. There should be only enough to allow free rotation.

[KFunk]

off-topic, but figure the speedo rebuilders are readin this thread:

anybody want a broken speedometer from my '74? The needle broke off, because the speedo went nuts and hit the zero pin too hard. The odometer actually works. I'm packin my stuff to leave Friday, and it'll probably hit the trash can. I just grabbed a good speedo from a parts car, so I don't need it.