rexpontius

Today I thought it was a good day to try and replace the odo gear.

Removing the pod and instrument cluster was straightforward and took about 30 min.

I carefully followed the pictorial and removed the speedo unit.
Then I tried to pull off the needle and with some persuasion it came off..... In the wrong way....

Somehow the metal pin snapped off, basically ruining the speedo.
I tried to fix it by connecting the speedo needle to the pin with a very small plastic tube, which works a little, but now the speedo sticks a little at some speeds, very annoying.

So I am looking for a new speedo unit (86.5) or something compatible.

Can anyone tell me which units are compatible???

Thanks

Michel

blown 87

This wont help at this point, but i use a pair of door Panel Clip Pliers after I have put wide masking tape on the gauge face.

This is no fool prof way to get them off, but I have not broken one yet.

Mrmerlin

actually there is an easy way to remove the needle ,
put a rag on the face of the gauge,
then use a fork to gently pry on the underside of the needle....

if it wont POP off,

then get a soldering iron,
heat the silver hub portion on the underside of the needle this will loosen the part enough for the needle to pop off..

Warning DO not use tons of heat it only takes a few seconds to heat the part then the needle pops off..

Press the needle back on it should fit firmly

blown 87

A fork will not pull it straight up, it will impart a rolling motion to it that could bend or break the pin, and any type of prying tool will do that also.

The panel pliers will for the most part pull straight up.
But if it works for you, great.

Silver79

I would think that you could get the speedo repaired at a reputable gauge shop. Then again in the Netherlands I suppose gauge repair shops aren't a dime a dozen. Still might be worth a try. Joe

rexpontius

Thanks for all the tips I should have had before starting this job :-)

Any tips on how to fix the current situation? I think I can fix it by fitting a miniature bearing, but have to fiddle a bit to see if it could work....


Well at least the odometer works again :-)

rexpontius

Thank goodness!!!! I just fixed my speedo!

I managed to create a centering bushing from some ballpoint parts (can you believe it :-) ), to ensure the pin is centered and does not drag anywhere.

Then using a very short piece of straw from an empty can of WD40, and some glue I joined the broken off pin to the speedo needle.

It actually fits perfectly and there is no way to see the repair once the unit is back in the cluster.

Most importantly however is the speedo works perfect again, needle moves smooth and falls back to 0 when stopping the car.

I am extremely happy now I dont have to get another cluster :-)

depami

Interesting.

Got pictures?

rexpontius

Sorry no pics, was too busy of figuring out how to fix it :-))

Maleficio

MacGyver.

Andre Hedrick

Find a used TACH and steal its needle!

rexpontius

Nope, that is not possible, because of the place where the f#$ckin thing snapped.

Please see below a schematic drawing of the problem and my repair.

Next time I will take some pictures.

Anyhow, the speedo now works better than ever, and the odometer works too :-)

depami

I circled the part I am curious about.

rexpontius

What do you want to know about it?

There is a transparent plastic frame, and I used a piece of the tip of a ballpoint and made it fit, so the coil and pin are centered and do not drag.