So my odometer/tripometer stopped working last week. I called the nice guys at odometergears.com and they strongly recommended I take apart the speedo and count the teeth on the gears before I order.

I am at the point where I need to remove the speedo needle. The DIY is posted in 3 places. two of them says turn the needle counter clockwise and one says clockwise. Either way it feels like I am going to break the shaft if I apply more torque or pull up any harder.

Does anyone have any more specific tips they can share on how to safely removed the speedometer needle?

thanks

Mike B

 

Use two teaspoons (or tablespoons). Place the bowls on the spoons on the face of the speedometer with the tips of the bowls on opposite sides of the needle. Pry gently. This will lift the needle off without bending or breaking the shaft.

 

the main thing is pull up on the sides 90 degrees to the pointer. Its on there good but will come off.

 

Thanks Richard, I think it worked. I 'think' because I got the needle off but the shiny metal ball is still on the end of shaft. I do not know if that is supposed to come off with the needle or not.

It looks OK and I think when I reassemble I can push it down at the Zero MPH marker to get it set.

Sure enough the little brown gear is missing a tooth.

 

Here is a pic of what I'm talking about. I talked to the guys at odometer gears and they said I was OK but this was not the ideal outcome and I should've really put some more twist into the removal process.

Hopefully it will not be a problem reattaching the speedo needle and getting it to line up with Zero MPH.

 

Thinking of giving my needle a tweak to improve my speedo's error (pretty linear 5-6mph). Did it all go back together okay?

 

Funny, I found the same thing last summer when I checked my speedo against a GPS. Looks like the resting position of its needle is not correct.

... Gregg

 

It is funny you guys mention this. I neglected to take a photo of the speedo needle at rest before I took the whole odo/speedo assembly apart. I had to download a GPS app for my iphone and drive around town without the front plexiglass face and adjust the needle as I drove. I actually have it nicely dialed in so that whenever I go by a school or an automated traffic warning sign that shows your speed I am spot on.

At reassembly, I tried to push the plastic speedo needle back on the shaft and wound up bending the shaft slightly. I finally just put some kitchen silicone adhesive on the backside of the needle and pushed it down lightly and it seems to be fine.

Note: make sure you thoroughly clean the inside of the clear plastic face BEFORE you reassemble. I noticed a big fat fingerprint on the inside of the glass after I bent the metal edge back into place and has to take it all apart again.

 

Do you happen to have a shot of the needle in its corrected resting position now?

... Gregg

 

I can get it to you this weekend.

 

I should have done this years ago!

Pretty easy to do - I gave the needle a 'guess twist' on the work table, but then put the speedo back in the car without its glass to tweak it against a GPS while out and about.

I now have a 2mph error at 20mph, 1 at 30, then it is spot on at 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90. Very pleased.

A little tricky taking off and refitting the glass - one of those jobs that would be much easier if you'd done it before. There are little slots at the very top and bottom of the gauge, just under the crimped lip. If you can coax a small screwdriver blade into that to get you started, then you can just slip the blade around one half of the circumference, giving it a little wriggle as you go. Similar idea for getting it back together. Note: it is far easier to avoid touching the inside of the glass than it is to wipe any marks off afterwards - I recommend blowing it to remove any dust rather than wiping.

My speedo had a 5-6mph error, and the needle sat at rest on the first marking. Here's how it looks now.