speedo death

corazon

corazon

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,
i know this has been done to death, but my speedo eventually gave up the ghost today as i hit 70, click click sigh..
It's wavered since i can remember, and recently made clicking creaking noises on and off in the cold weather, now finally dead.

I've checked the bottom angle drive, it was a little loose, couldn't make the speedo move from that end.
Found a 1971 half penny under the carpet!
Checked the top one, a little loose too.

Mileometer etc also has stopped advancing, so i'm thinking perhaps the actual speedo has seized??
Or could all these symptoms just be the cable?

Jim
 
If neither angle drive has stripped their teeth it could be the cable
But it could be a seized speedo head as well causing one of the above to break
 
ah completely forgot!
speedo now makes a steady clicking which gets faster with speed, :roll:
i'm guessing the cable is ok, and top drive is at fault

also i've noticed the trip switch still advances the numbers, so fingers crossed the speedo head is ok
 
Hello Corazon,

When my speedo exhibited symptoms similar to what yours has done, the speedo itself was the problem. It was in 1987, the speedo was making a clicking sound, the needle was becoming increasingly unsteady, then the needle just dropped....it worked no more. I was only 2 minutes from home at the time, so I pulled out the instruments as I could hear the noise had been coming from in there. Undid the speedo cable, so now how to determine the cause.....I exposed the speedo cable and backed down the driveway, it was turning, so I figured that the cable and transmission angle drive were both ok. I removed the speedo, undid the angle drive from the rear. grabbed an old pencil and a chisel and put 4 flats on the pencil so it mimicked the speedo cable. The angle drive was broken, but the speedo had seized completely... :shock: The speedo was the cause.

I took the speedo to an instrument repair shop and purchased another angle drive from my local Rover spares centre. When I picked up the speedo a few days later, it turned as smoothly as silk. Fitted my angle drive and back it went. I am very pleased to say that to date it has worked perfectly, so I would expect that your speedo is the culprit too, and a broken angle drive is the likely consequence.

Ron.
 
If the mileage is still advancing as you drive then the angle drive might still be OK. Disconnect the speedo at the back of the speedo head quick! you might be in time to save the angle drive!

Chris
 
thanks everyone
to clarify, the mileage isn't advancing as i drive no.
Rover Classics has NOS speedos for £35, and there's also NOS top angle drives on ebay for the same money.
Is it really worth chancing using a 2nd hand drive since they'll all be roughly the same age and clearly prone to failure??
Jim
 
Right,
here be the trouble,
04062010364.jpg

It must have been hanging on by a single wire, hence the wavering needle i guess
When i detached it from the gearbox, the spline stayed there, complete with mangled pieces of wire.

i tried turning the speedo manually with an allen key, and it seems to work still.
Top drive was a little bumpy to turn, but i wd40'd it and now seems smooth enough.
 
Now, let me think, who is it on here always keeps going on about it being the bottom angle drive that always* fails........... :LOL:

(*Always exceptions to every rule. Normal terms and conditions apply.)

PS I have one of those s/h.
 
Well i've just fitted the new lower angle drive.
First i tested it with just the cable at the top end, spins fine;
Then with the top angle drive connected, spins with no load;
Then all connected up, nothing but a couple of clicks again.

I can spin the speedo from the back manually and the needle moves, but i wouldn't say its especially easy or smooth.
I can also spin the top drive completely disconnected, but its very wobbly and sometimes reaches a sticking point in one direction

I see Roly has some NOS top drives on ebay for a very reasonable price, so i'll probably try that next.
Getting the feeling its all broken now :?
 
Right thanks Ron,
I guess it's caused both the drives to break over time then.

Do any of you UK folks know anywhere that will repair for less than £35?? ( the price of NOS speedo i've found)
 
I think you'll find that £35 for a NOS is by far the cheapest option. But you might want to keep your recorded mileage intact, in which case you need to trade emotion against cash. Try this lad for a repair:

http://www.jdo1.com/

Chris
 
Thanks for the link Chris, i thought that might be the case.
However,
I searched a little further and found this, same company newer page?
http://www.jdo1.com/Speedometers.html

This could work out at around the same price, if not a little less!

Would i need to inform insurance provider etc if i fitted a new speedo?
 
Same company, older page :|
Oh well, NOS one it is i think.
So what happens with my recorded mileage when fitting a new speedo?
Can you legally advance the miles to where the last one broke?
Or just start from zero, and add them to the previous mileage?

apologies if this sounds obvious, but i have no experience whatsoever of speedometers! :LOL:
 
Just fit the new speedo and start again from zero. If you keep any kind of record of work done to the car to build up a history then just note that a new speedo was fitted at xxxxx miles. If you intend keeping the car there are no problems, and if you were to sell you could only be in trouble if you deliberately set out to deceive a buyer into thinking that the mileage on the clock were the total genuine mileage. TBH there's a good chance after 30 years plus it's happened before already.
 
The only thing I would add to the above is that if you have a limited mileage insurance policy it would be wise to inform your Ins. Co. of the change, in case of any hiccups later.
 
New speedo and both new drives fitted.
To be honest the needle still wavers a little, so may fit a new cable at some point, but at least i know what speed i'm doing.
Oh and the main dial is in Kmh , so i've got a little NADA in my car now :D
 
Oh and the main dial is in Kmh , so i've got a little NADA in my car now
Click to expand...

It won't be NADA, Americans still use MPH afaik. It will be European market most likely. NZ built cars went to Kph after '73 so either type of speedo is quite common here.
 
If it came from where I think it did, then it is a RHD KMH speedo. I was under the impression these were for Austarlia. I'm pretty sure I will be corrected very swiftly if not!

Chris
 
chrisyork wrote,..
If it came from where I think it did, then it is a RHD KMH speedo. I was under the impression these were for Austarlia
Click to expand...

Hello Chris,

The speedo in my 1974 P6B is marked in both miles and kilometers. Miles around the outside, km on the inside. Another 1974 Rover that I know well has the speedo showing kilometers only. This car also has the full series 2 front seats and no V8 badge on the boot.

Ron.
 
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