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Speedo stopped working


julians

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I have just noticed that my speedo has stopped working ( no speed and no miles counting), I've checked that the cable is still attached at both ends, it seems securely screwed in at both ends, although at the gearbox end there is a bit of play in the linkage.

 

 

Does anyone have any other ideas what the problem could be?

 

 

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Ok, I think it happened when the car was being driven onto some ramps for an oil change yesterday. I have noticed that the point where the cable plugs into the gearbox is quite near to the ground and could have caught.

 

I havent been able to have a proper look under , I've only managed to have a feel around.

 

The cable appears to screw into some sort of 90 degree adaptor which then plugs into the gearbox, does anyone know whether this plug is just a push fit (in which case it could have been knocked out) or whether it screws in.

 

If its just a push fit, should I be able to just click it into place with my hands or is a different approach required.

 

 

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I dont like the sound of that.

 

So, does that mean I have to take the gearbox apart to get the speedo working again.

 

Ie , do you think the circlip has fallen out of place, or should it just be possible to plug it back in again without having to take the gearbox out.

 

Thanks

 

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It is not unusal for the right angle drive to fail. You can replace the drive without removing the gearbox. Its fiddly. A friend of mine came up with the solution of lock wireing the circlip together, fitting it, then cutting the wire. This was reasonably sucessful, making sure you get all the wire out!

 

Robert

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Could someone explain how the right angle drive is attached to the gearbox.

 

What is the circlip used for. Can the drive be attached to the gearbox without removing the gearbox and pulling it apart.

 

A description of how it is attached at its most basic level right from the beginning would be most appreciated.

 

I cant beleive that to do something apparently as simple as attaching the speedo cable I have to take the gearbox out.

 

I assumed it was just a case of screw it into a hole on the side of the box and that was that.

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My speedo went at 25,000 miles, and I replaced the right angle drive thingy that connects to the gearbox; it's about 50UKP would you believe?

 

Anyway, on my Ford gearbox (1.6K) there is absolutely no need to do anything to the gearbox.

 

Replacing the drive turned out to be one of those '5 minutes jobs' that took ages. I replaced the drive (more on how in a mo) only for it to still not work; it transpired that the old cable end was knackered as well, and it promptly rounded the bit of the right angle drive it fits into. So, check the cable as well. I can't remember the cost but it might be worth replacing the whole lot as it's a fiddly job and a pain to do it twice.

 

Jack the car up - there's a thread elsewhere about this. If you crawl under the car you will see where the speedo cable screws into the drive which, in turn, screws into the gearbox. It's a bit of a Heath Robinson affair as the bit of drive that the cable screws onto rotates - so you try to do up one rotating part onto another.

 

The drive has a short bit of cable in it (an inch or so long) and it's all just a matter of fiddling around getting the various bits to slot into place. It makes things much much easier if a friend helps you by telling you if the cable is spinning at the speedo end while you twiddle it and assemble the drive end under the car.

 

Once done, you can test it by running the car on axle stands - but be careful!

 

It may sound complicated but it is quite straightforward, just tricky to explain here. When you see the bits involved it all makes sense, and isn't much more than "just a case of screw(ing) it into a hole on the side of the box."

 

I confess that after it had taken me what seemed like all day to fix it the first time, only for it to go wrong immediately, I took it to Hyperion who charged me a fiver or some such, and I would advocate your doing the same!

 

Incidentally, I have a Sigma bike speedo but can't read it at night so fitted a new Caterham speedo - which is even more inaccurate than the original, showing about 100 mph when the Sigma shows 85!

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Update :-

 

Just been under the car, it seems the right angle drive is broken, managed to fix it but dont know for how long.

 

Anyway not that difficult a job as I had thought.

 

It does have a circlip, but if all you're replacing is the drive you dont need to get involved in any of that.

 

Julian

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