Decided to drive down to Elkhart lake with a couple of friends for the PCA Chicago Region concours. Great day of driving and showing.....except for the rain in the way down....and my odo crapping out.
Good news, The judges saw fit to give the '73 the Best in show award.
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The bad news is that my odo crapped out on the way home. Started squealing terribly and the speedometer started bouncing. Was still turning over the miles on the odo at first but I had to keep driving and after obnoxious squealing for about 25 miles the squealing (mostly) stopped, the speedometer stopped (mostly) bouncing but still works but the odor stopped turning over. So.....whats your diagnosis? Likely as simple as a cable or do I have an inoperative Speedo/odo unit now. Will post a video if it will load in the next post as it won't fit here. Thanks for the help.
Full Version: The good and the bad news
Congrats! That's a great story.
Sorry about the speedo.
Same thing happened to my speedo on a highway not too long ago (it started screeching and the needle started bouncing). Luckily, I had a spare at home and swapped them out.
I'm planning on sending my speedo to Palo Alto Speedometer in CA to restore it. From my research the noise and malfunction is the gears coming unglued on the spindle inside and needing to be repaired.
There's a lot of info out there if you have the patience and desire and dare to do it yourself. Otherwise, consider sending it to a reputable shop to restore (they'll rebuild the gears, clean or replace the glass face, repaint the bezel, repaint the needle orange, etc.) it will look and work like new.
Sorry about the speedo.
Same thing happened to my speedo on a highway not too long ago (it started screeching and the needle started bouncing). Luckily, I had a spare at home and swapped them out.
I'm planning on sending my speedo to Palo Alto Speedometer in CA to restore it. From my research the noise and malfunction is the gears coming unglued on the spindle inside and needing to be repaired.
There's a lot of info out there if you have the patience and desire and dare to do it yourself. Otherwise, consider sending it to a reputable shop to restore (they'll rebuild the gears, clean or replace the glass face, repaint the bezel, repaint the needle orange, etc.) it will look and work like new.
QUOTE(DC_neun_vierzehn @ Sep 3 2023, 10:00 PM) 
Congrats! That's a great story.
Sorry about the speedo.
Same thing happened to my speedo on a highway not too long ago (it started screeching and the needle started bouncing). Luckily, I had a spare at home and swapped them out.
I'm planning on sending my speedo to Palo Alto Speedometer in CA to restore it. From my research the noise and malfunction is the gears coming unglued on the spindle inside and needing to be repaired.
There's a lot of info out there if you have the patience and desire and dare to do it yourself. Otherwise, consider sending it to a reputable shop to restore (they'll rebuild the gears, clean or replace the glass face, repaint the bezel, repaint the needle orange, etc.) it will look and work like new.
Thanks. And while your response is not the view I was hoping for, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the problem. Now if that is the consensus here, my next question is how hard and intrusive is it to remove the Speedometer. I'm pretty handy but my skills only go so far. And nothing has ever been touched on this car.
They typically go around 75-80k miles but the plastic gears get old and brittle. Even metal gears get loose on their posts. We fix them in house on our repairs but almost any competent gauge repair person can fix a 914 speedo.
QUOTE(mepstein @ Sep 3 2023, 10:08 PM)
They typically go around 75-80k miles but the plastic gears get old and brittle. Even metal gears get loose on their posts. We fix them in house on our repairs but almost any competent gauge repair person can fix a 914 speedo.
Thanks, Mark. 48k miles on it but.....it's 50 year old plastic so.....
Is removal very involved?
I did it myself last year. I really enjoyed it actually. Removal is super easy. Just pullout the gauge and disconnect the speedo cable and lights (keep track of what goes where).
There are some good howtos out there if you want to try it yourself. The only delicate part is uncrimping the cover so it doesn't look shabby when you are done. Don't rush, take your time, it isn't hard or even frustrating , you just have to be careful and slow about that part. After that all you need to do is pull the drive gear from the odometer and smack a little dent in the gear where the shaft mounts. That deforms the hole a little bit and binds the gear on the shaft and you are good to go. If I remember right the gear is potted metal. You could glue it but this method is better for the future.
There are some good howtos out there if you want to try it yourself. The only delicate part is uncrimping the cover so it doesn't look shabby when you are done. Don't rush, take your time, it isn't hard or even frustrating , you just have to be careful and slow about that part. After that all you need to do is pull the drive gear from the odometer and smack a little dent in the gear where the shaft mounts. That deforms the hole a little bit and binds the gear on the shaft and you are good to go. If I remember right the gear is potted metal. You could glue it but this method is better for the future.
And congratulations on the trophy. Very nice.
QUOTE(emerygt350 @ Sep 4 2023, 07:35 AM)
I did it myself last year. I really enjoyed it actually. Removal is super easy. Just pullout the gauge and disconnect the speedo cable and lights (keep track of what goes where).
There are some good howtos out there if you want to try it yourself. The only delicate part is uncrimping the cover so it doesn't look shabby when you are done. Don't rush, take your time, it isn't hard or even frustrating , you just have to be careful and slow about that part. After that all you need to do is pull the drive gear from the odometer and smack a little dent in the gear where the shaft mounts. That deforms the hole a little bit and binds the gear on the shaft and you are good to go. If I remember right the gear is potted metal. You could glue it but this method is better for the future.
I think you want to dent it and add a drop of superglue. I agree, it’s pretty easy and well documented. There is probably a YouTube video.
Congratulations on the Best of Show, it looked very nice. Definitely one of the nicest cars there, but I must say I am a bit biased. It is a great example for sure.
Sorry to hear of your odometer issue.
Sorry to hear of your odometer issue.
QUOTE(emerygt350 @ Sep 4 2023, 06:35 AM)
I did it myself last year. I really enjoyed it actually. Removal is super easy. Just pullout the gauge and disconnect the speedo cable and lights (keep track of what goes where).
There are some good howtos out there if you want to try it yourself. The only delicate part is uncrimping the cover so it doesn't look shabby when you are done. Don't rush, take your time, it isn't hard or even frustrating , you just have to be careful and slow about that part. After that all you need to do is pull the drive gear from the odometer and smack a little dent in the gear where the shaft mounts. That deforms the hole a little bit and binds the gear on the shaft and you are good to go. If I remember right the gear is potted metal. You could glue it but this method is better for the future.
Thanks, I might give this a try. Does the gear actually break or strip and need to be replaced (and if so what parts do i need) or does it simply slip off and need to be reinstalled to bind it back on the shaft?
And should I replace the cable while I'm at it?
Thanks,
Steve
Steve - removing the speedo is easy.
You can remove the steering wheel if you feel it gives you extra room to work but it is certainly not necessary.
You may want to lay a towel across the top of the steering column just to keep things tidy.
Reach in with both hands and get your finger nails under the edge of the speedo and just pull. Maybe rock back and forth a bit and it'll start to pull out.
After it comes out, tuck the towel into the hole while the speedo hangs on the wires and the cable. If you need extra room to get in there, reach under the dash and give a little tug on the speedo cable down there.
Back behind the speedo, disconnect the 4 wires (two lighting, the parking light and the ground) as well as just pull out the odometer reset cable. Then get your fingers on the collar of the speedo cable itself and spin it off.
That's it. While it's out, I might drip a little penetrating oil down the cable.
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You can remove the steering wheel if you feel it gives you extra room to work but it is certainly not necessary.
You may want to lay a towel across the top of the steering column just to keep things tidy.
Reach in with both hands and get your finger nails under the edge of the speedo and just pull. Maybe rock back and forth a bit and it'll start to pull out.
After it comes out, tuck the towel into the hole while the speedo hangs on the wires and the cable. If you need extra room to get in there, reach under the dash and give a little tug on the speedo cable down there.
Back behind the speedo, disconnect the 4 wires (two lighting, the parking light and the ground) as well as just pull out the odometer reset cable. Then get your fingers on the collar of the speedo cable itself and spin it off.
That's it. While it's out, I might drip a little penetrating oil down the cable.
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The innards on a -6 speedo. Have had it apart several times, most recently about a year ago. There is a rubber ring that goes around the housing behind the black bezel. A slight amount of lubricant helps it slide into the dash panel.
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QUOTE(emerygt350 @ Sep 4 2023, 06:35 AM)
I did it myself last year. I really enjoyed it actually. Removal is super easy. Just pullout the gauge and disconnect the speedo cable and lights (keep track of what goes where).
There are some good howtos out there if you want to try it yourself. The only delicate part is uncrimping the cover so it doesn't look shabby when you are done. Don't rush, take your time, it isn't hard or even frustrating , you just have to be careful and slow about that part. After that all you need to do is pull the drive gear from the odometer and smack a little dent in the gear where the shaft mounts. That deforms the hole a little bit and binds the gear on the shaft and you are good to go. If I remember right the gear is potted metal. You could glue it but this method is better for the future.
Was able to pull the speedo out but I still can't reach around in back of it to disconnect cable and wires? Hate to pull too hard. Is there something that needs to be disconnected from the back first or do I just pull harder to be able to reach behind it to disconnect everything. Seems very tight.
QUOTE(914Next @ Sep 4 2023, 08:58 PM)
QUOTE(emerygt350 @ Sep 4 2023, 06:35 AM)
I did it myself last year. I really enjoyed it actually. Removal is super easy. Just pullout the gauge and disconnect the speedo cable and lights (keep track of what goes where).
There are some good howtos out there if you want to try it yourself. The only delicate part is uncrimping the cover so it doesn't look shabby when you are done. Don't rush, take your time, it isn't hard or even frustrating , you just have to be careful and slow about that part. After that all you need to do is pull the drive gear from the odometer and smack a little dent in the gear where the shaft mounts. That deforms the hole a little bit and binds the gear on the shaft and you are good to go. If I remember right the gear is potted metal. You could glue it but this method is better for the future.
Was able to pull the speedo out but I still can't reach around in back of it to disconnect cable and wires? Hate to pull too hard. Is there something that needs to be disconnected from the back first or do I just pull harder to be able to reach behind it to disconnect everything. Seems very tight.
Ok, Pulled on the cable underneath the dash and got enough room to pull the speedo unit out. Disconnected the cable but how do you disconnect the other wires. The red one is obvious but the ones circled....not so much. Don't want tp pull on something and break a wire. Thanks for the help.
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QUOTE(914Next @ Sep 4 2023, 09:13 PM)
QUOTE(914Next @ Sep 4 2023, 08:58 PM)
QUOTE(emerygt350 @ Sep 4 2023, 06:35 AM)
I did it myself last year. I really enjoyed it actually. Removal is super easy. Just pullout the gauge and disconnect the speedo cable and lights (keep track of what goes where).
There are some good howtos out there if you want to try it yourself. The only delicate part is uncrimping the cover so it doesn't look shabby when you are done. Don't rush, take your time, it isn't hard or even frustrating , you just have to be careful and slow about that part. After that all you need to do is pull the drive gear from the odometer and smack a little dent in the gear where the shaft mounts. That deforms the hole a little bit and binds the gear on the shaft and you are good to go. If I remember right the gear is potted metal. You could glue it but this method is better for the future.
Was able to pull the speedo out but I still can't reach around in back of it to disconnect cable and wires? Hate to pull too hard. Is there something that needs to be disconnected from the back first or do I just pull harder to be able to reach behind it to disconnect everything. Seems very tight.
Ok, Pulled on the cable underneath the dash and got enough room to pull the speedo unit out. Disconnected the cable but how do you disconnect the other wires. The red one is obvious but the ones circled....not so much. Don't want tp pull on something and break a wire. Thanks for the help.
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Ok....one step at a time. Was able to figure out the odo cable disconnect. Now just looking for direction on the lighting wires. Do they just pull out? the one (ground?) is a spade connection, so obvious, but the others just enter the back of the unit and can't see how they are connected.
Ok, was able to get the speedo out and also disconnect it, un-crimp the face cover and look at the gears. I’m not seeing anything that looks stripped or broken. Am I missing something?
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Find one of the speedo repair threads. It will show you which gear gets loose. Since it gets loose on the shaft, you won’t see anything wrong with a quick visual inspection. Easy fix if that’s the issue.
QUOTE(mepstein @ Sep 5 2023, 08:15 AM)
Find one of the speedo repair threads. It will show you which gear gets loose. Since it gets loose on the shaft, you won’t see anything wrong with a quick visual inspection. Easy fix if that’s the issue.
Thanks mark. Do you know how I rule out a bad cable? The speedometer was still working so I assumed the cable is good but……
To be able to DRIVE to the concours and still win says a lot about your ability to prep and show your car, Congrats much above the guy who hauls his clean car to the show
Decided to drive down to Elkhart lake with a couple of friends for the PCA Chicago Region concours. Great day of driving and showing.....except for the rain in the way down....and my odo crapping out.
Good news, The judges saw fit to give the '73 the Best in show award.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
The bad news is that my odo crapped out on the way home. Started squealing terribly and the speedometer started bouncing. Was still turning over the miles on the odo at first but I had to keep driving and after obnoxious squealing for about 25 miles the squealing (mostly) stopped, the speedometer stopped (mostly) bouncing but still works but the odor stopped turning over. So.....whats your diagnosis? Likely as simple as a cable or do I have an inoperative Speedo/odo unit now. Will post a video if it will load in the next post as it won't fit here. Thanks for the help.
QUOTE(914Next @ Sep 3 2023, 07:50 PM)
Decided to drive down to Elkhart lake with a couple of friends for the PCA Chicago Region concours. Great day of driving and showing.....except for the rain in the way down....and my odo crapping out.
Good news, The judges saw fit to give the '73 the Best in show award.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
The bad news is that my odo crapped out on the way home. Started squealing terribly and the speedometer started bouncing. Was still turning over the miles on the odo at first but I had to keep driving and after obnoxious squealing for about 25 miles the squealing (mostly) stopped, the speedometer stopped (mostly) bouncing but still works but the odor stopped turning over. So.....whats your diagnosis? Likely as simple as a cable or do I have an inoperative Speedo/odo unit now. Will post a video if it will load in the next post as it won't fit here. Thanks for the help.
No wonder you won. Your car is so clean-even inside the speedo!
QUOTE(914Next @ Sep 6 2023, 12:46 AM)
Ok, was able to get the speedo out and also disconnect it, un-crimp the face cover and look at the gears. I’m not seeing anything that looks stripped or broken. Am I missing something?
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Best solution is to take your reset trip cable and fit into the speedo drive then spin it backwards with a battery drill and see what isn't working,when i bought my metric speedo thats how I tested it .
Thinking you cable has chewed up inside the conduit that generally causes all the noise.
Good luck.
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