LarryN

I did not know that this was a chronic problem with the 993 until my odometer quit at 70k miles. Given that there is a DIY on this issue, a small business existing to sell just the right gear to fix it and is not limited to just the 993, I would say yes, this is a common problem on Porshes that have this speedometer.

BS911

You only lost 1/2 quart? I think that means you are out of oil.

I believe you "could" use a drill to roll the miles, but I'm not sure how easy that would be. I'd be concerned about stripping or otherwise screwwing up the drive gears. It also doesn't appear to be very easy to disassemble the whole plastic unit to remove the gearshaft so you can roll the number wheels individually. One would have to go to a LOT of effort to make significant progress on changing the mileage. Of course, there may be a trick I don't know about since I didn't try and crack mine open very much. I just wanted it apart and back together again. I think it would be more likely to buy a used odometer and just replace it entirely if it went bad.

John H

Get this. I followed the DIY this evening and when I put the speedo back in, no lights! Well, I took it out and apart again to make sure I dod not accidently disconnect something. Put it back together and bam, no lights.

Long story short, I took a bulb out of the clock just to see if all three bulbs could have been burnt out and, guess what? It worked. What are the chances? Looks like I'll be ordering some new bulbs

Jarg1

Add my name to the list of the grateful. I just finished this and the odometer and trip meter are back in operation. The only (minor) snag involved the removal of the speedometer needle. I rotated the needle past the resistance point as instructed but hit the trip meter reset button without the needle lifting off. However a few rotations both directions (back to 0, then past 180) while lifting eventually achieved the desired results. Also, when removing the metal trim ring, rather than having to pry the lip up bit by bit, I was able to get the edge of a small screwdriver between the lip and the casing and run it completely around until the ring was loose enough to remove. I think this may have reduced the damage to the ring. And one last note. I noticed there are some gray rubber gaskets on the back of the circuit board that detached when I removed it, which might easily have been lost.

I also used this as an opportunity to replace some burned out instrument bulbs.

Scott

ThE sPaCeCoWbOy

Just want to understand this. The is an mini electric motor. That motor is what turns the needle and the gear that turns the tripometer and odometer? If so, why not connect, apply a voltage to the motor that will turn and adjust the mileage that way if you need to add miles?

thanks,
space

JM993

FYI for those you with working odos - your odo gears will never break if you refrain from using the trip meter reset button. Conversely, they will break even faster if you reset the tripmeter when the car is moving.

Cheers,
Joe

Benton

I don't know about never. I just did this repair (THANKS for the DIY, Brian), and my stock gear was super gooey and flexible. I can see how it would break just under normal operation.

Space cowboy-

It is simple to change the mileage without going to those lengths. The bar that holds the small gears to change the numbers is easy to slide out slightly, then the numbers can be freewheeled. You have to make sure it all still lines up, so give a good look as to how those tiny gears look before taking it apart. You also have to make sure you get the numbers lined up, or else it will be halfway between numbers.

I can see how easily the mileage on these cars can be rolled back. It's sad to think people do that, but it probably happens pretty often unfortunately.

JM993

Okay, how about almost never? As a data point, my 325is uses the same type odo gears (breakage is a common problem on those cars too). I've now got almost 214K miles on my original (working) odo gears. Resetting the trip meter puts a lot of stress on the plastic odo gears.

Joe

rlsammax

Question…….How long does it take to swap out the gears? I am talking if it were "Shop Time" at my local mechanic?


Ralph

x50type

Long thread, June 2005 to June 2014!

ble2011

This is exactly why I never touch the trip meter reset button. So far, so good.

95_993

It should take less than 2 hrs. It's about a 1.5 hr jot or just send to Hollywood Speedometer.

danialz

just DIYed my Odometer. Bought the parts from Odometergears.com. Managed to remove old broken gears and replace new ones without taking out the needle and motor assembly from a YouTube guide. Whole job took me slightly more than an hour. Prying out the case was a major pain!

rlsammax

Odometer stopped working. Thanks for all the info. Before I take apart….I need to order the usual gears that break. What gears should I order. I have a 97' C2S coupe. Is the odometer a 15-16 tooth or what size gear?

Ralph

CaptainGSR

+1 on not removing the needle and motor assembly. Here is the link to the .
I just did mine today. I would definitely recommend replacing both gears at the same time. At 110k miles, both were total junk. The small one had lost a tooth.