Speedo/Odometer questions, Gears, lube, and more Options

[bbrock]

So I completed the odometer repair following the tech article on the bird. PIA but it seemed to go well enough. But I have a few questions before I button this thing up.

1. It was recommended that I replace the plastic drive gear while I'm in there as they are prone to failure. But I"m not sure what gear needs replacement and the most likely suspects are metal on mine. Does this not apply to me?
   
   
   
   
   
2. While in there, I freshened the grease on the worm, and other gears with multi-purpose grease. Later, I read that petroleum grease breaks down the plastic gears and is responsible for the failures. Should I clean out the grease and replace with a different lubricant? If so, what?
3. In testing, my odometer advances the mileage when the trip meter reaches 9/10 of a mile. Is there a way to align these so the odometer advances in sync with the trip meter as it rolls over a new mile? My trip meter and odometer never worked since I owned the car so I don't know what is normal and maybe I'm being too picky.
4. This is an idiot question but is there any magic that would whiten the tenth mile wheel short of removing and painting? Dreaming the impossible!

Thanks again for all the great advice from the brain trust.

[timothy_nd28]

Yep, remove the 2 screws and its free. It won't affect the calibration, unless you place it on top of a 18" subwoofer. I usually go to town with GumOut and attack both sides of the bearing, while spinning the magnet with my finger. Rinse and repeat for 20 minutes to ensure you got all the old grease out. Once you relube that bearing, it should be a night and day difference with the amount of force needed to spin that magnet.

Toward the pot metal gear, I can tell you from experience that the pinching method didn't last long for me.

By oblonging the hole on that gear, you are essentially making 2 pinch points on the gear to grab that axle shaft. This is inferior to the OEM way of press fitting, which gives you much more surface area, but this isn't a option anymore. This is why I use Locktite and I haven't had one fail yet.

If you do decide to go the glue route, keep the speedo apart for a few days. The locktite will glue the shaft to the frame, which you will need to break free and lube.

The job sucks, and I hate making these repairs but it's better to do it once.