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I've got an 89 110 MPH speedo cluster. There is a "problem" with the spinning section of the speedometer gauge. To describe the problem for you,...... If the cluster was installed it would sound as if the cable had a crimp in it - but the problem is the rotating section of the speedo gauge. ( I think this piece is the magnet itself but didn't verify it to be ! ) It sounds like it needs greased....
After resetting the odometer to '0' & repairing the busted Trip meter, I removed the "magnet" section of the gauge and replaced it with another one. I do not know if the replacement "magnet" was from an 85 MPH Speedo cluster or another 110 cluster - it was in my speedo parts bag.
My question: Is the "magnet" section of the speedo gauge the same in all 82-89 speedo gauges ??
I have the cluster fully reassembled and I will test it once my current project is road worthy, but wanted to see if you knew what the results of swapping that "magnet" would be. ( It may be a while before the project is ready for the road ! ) I'm GUESSING that the speedo rating is based on the Spring mechanism that the speedo needle is mounted to. Is that correct ??
Since I have your ear - Another question:
How do you verify the speedo needle is placed on a 90-92 speedometer correctly after it has been removed ??
Last edited by John in RI; 01-10-2008 at 08:07 PM.
Reason: :driving:
Thanks JamesC. You've been a big help. Lastly, while I've got my cluster out, can I swap my 115 cable-driven speedo to the 145 without any other modifications? Basically when I swap, will the needle calibration be right, so if the speedo shows 55mph, I'm really rolling at 55mph?
while I've got my cluster out, can I swap my 115 cable-driven speedo to the 145 without any other modifications? Basically when I swap, will the needle calibration be right, so if the speedo shows 55mph, I'm really rolling at 55mph?
Yes, you can swap without modification (if I were you I'd only swap the speedo head itself, providing your original cluster functioned as designed, and perhaps save yourself problems with electrical gremlins). The speedo will read correctly if you haven't changed rear end gearing--ie. if it reads correctly now, it'll read correctly after the swap..
JamesC
__________________ "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Hamlet
yeah, i was planning on only changing the speedo itself, not the whole cluster. I read somebody's post saying they changed the whole cluster and ran into electrical problems. Anyways, thanks for the input. I finally solved my speedo problem, it actually was the speed-cable. It had sheered right in half at the transmission!!! How funny that was. yeah right. Well thanks again JamesC.
I have a question before I take the time to pull my dash apart...
My trip meter stays a 00000.0, I can see the .0 moving just about ready to click to .1 and it snaps back to .0. Will this correct the problem or is my gearing shot in the trip meter. I didn't want to tear it all apart if I'm just waisting my time, I'd rather replace it all then...
As I mention above, if your trip won't resent, partially resets, jumps, tics or pops, it's because the axel isn't seated, meaning one or both of the lower J clips is broken or substantially weakened. If there are other reasons for the above, I haven't found them.
JamesC
__________________ "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Hamlet
The fix is simple: Without taking the speedo head apart, turn it around to the backside and "wire up." I cut 5 inches of wire, made a noose at both ends (I bent the wire to form a "U", placed one jaw of a needle nose at the bottom of the "U" and used pliers to twist the wire around the needle jaw to form the nooses). I placed the nooses over the axels, then twisted the slack in the center of the 5 inches to tighten the whole business. Push in on the reset while you're doing this so that the axel will be seated--just makes things easier. The wire, of course, replaces the J clips and seats the axel so that it is stationary. By the way, I tried 22-guage wire first, but it was too heavy and difficult to work with. I also attempted cauter keys, but I couldn't get the axel to seat to my satisfaction. I ended up using a very flexible piece of solid core, $.09 a foot. The fix is not as neat looking as I would have prefered, but the odometer functions like new, and frankly I don't think I'll ever have further problems with it.
JamesC
I fixed one of mine in a similar fashion. I took a long finish nail and a couple of thin zip ties to do the job. I looped the zip ties around the trip meter axle and used the nail as an anchor for the zip ties. Seated the axle nicely and the trip meter increments and resets normally.
The best way to get slack in the speedo cable is to remove all the cluster bolts/screws, then remove the cable stay clip located under the hood. Its under the steering shaft. My car has headers and the best tool to use was a 1/4in. ratchet and 10mm. deep socket. slide the cable up the rail and place it behind the rag joint cover. This should give you enough slack to remove the cable from the gauge by your finger tips. Repair the gauge,reinstall the cable, then pop the other end out from behind th joint cover. That should make it easier to finish installation.
ok so i fixed it like you said and now my trip goes 11111 to 22222 and then stops and i reset it and it does the same again what else could be wrong?
This is exactly what happens to mine after I "fixed" it?It's out of an 86 IROC.TIA
Actually it goes all one's.then all two's.three's and stops at all 4's
__________________ 86 IROC R.I.P. 02/04/07 Over 20 yrs of enjoyment... reborn as an 89 IROC with upgrades like HSR,XR282 cam,AFR 190 heads,Random Tech cat-back etc
It sounds like the gears are a little bound up. Try toggling the trip reset stud a bit. Sometimes that can help shake things loose. Just don't get all wild with the thing, you don't want to break something. If that doesn't work you may need to pull the cluster back out and make sure that when you put the thing together the first time that everything was properly lined up. Remember that when you secured the rod, that you are going for snug, not white knuckle tight. If you end up needing to pull it out, after you have it in your hands, spin the cable connector by your finger tips, you won't put that many tenths of a mile on, and you will be able to see where its misaligned, or maybe not tightened down anymore. Sometimes the first try is just that. The first try.
No, you won't have to recalibrate anything, unless you have some sort of aftermarket digital dash. Just remember the whole gauge cluster comes out together, then you can remove the speedo from the cluster, but your indicating needles will be exposed, and the slightest bump or wrong way pressure will break them off.
Is it possibly to remove the needle from the speedo? I want to paint the underside of the face white and install new gauge faces on the front side. Can I just pull it out or what is the proper removal and re-installation procedure?
Is it possibly to remove the needle from the speedo?
Yes, but I've heard too many horror stories--breaking 20-year-old plastic, bending the pin that the needle mounts to, recalibrating the needle so that the speedo reads correctly--to recommend it.
JamesC
__________________ "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Hamlet
Is this fix for Camaros only? My 87 GTA dash (analog not digital) looks NOTHING like that. My odometer is out. I just pulled the gauge set out & it is WAY different.
Apparently, while the gauges are analog, they are electronically driven, and the odometer itself must be electronically driven. Yet, my odometer won't work.
Here is the overall back...
Close up of where the speedometer gauge is...
The whole clear face & black surround had to be removed...
The gauges come out the FRONT...
Close up of the speedometer gauge....
Ay clues as to the why the odometer is not working?
I just stumbled upon this thread and sure enough my trip odometer also does not work. I took the cluster out and followed all the steps and sure enough good as new. THANKS
I started a post to help someone out but didn't realize it was on the first page and someone had already answered the question on the top of the second page.
there is a thread somewhere on how to change out the cluster,but anyways you need to drop the lower dash panel and loosen the 2 bolts that hold the steering column up tight. loosen them enough that the steering column drops atleast an inch or a little more. then put your drivers seat in the fully reclined postion and lay on it with your head under the dash. the fuse box may be in the way so if you need to undo the 2 screws to make it easier than do so. next using a flash light while still on your back above you you will a connecter going into the back of your dash above that will be your speedometer cable and you will see a metal clip holing it in. Push the clip towards the cluster and it will let go of the cable and now you have it out. Good luck !! After you do it the first time it is a piece of cake for future removals.
Ummmm....On what car? Mine was 110% me sittinng in the seat & everything came out the front. Didn't reach under the dash once!
Ummmm....On what car? Mine was 110% me sittinng in the seat & everything came out the front. Didn't reach under the dash once!
wow you read that before I was able to edit it lol. I had a hard time reaching the speedometer cable there was no slack on it. so I had to go under in order to reach it
stephen it seems as though you have an electronic speedometer. That is why yourcluster came out so easily. I was refering to the camaro cluster from a post at the end of the last page. Back to your cluster the pictures you showed are only showing the mileage and not the odometer. did you take a picture of the speedometer from the opposite side so we can see the odometer?
Apparently it turns out it is electric, with a little motor that turns the odometer gears & trip meter gears.
Just to the right of the odometer #, follow the Zero(far right), and just above that is a silver shaft. Behind THAT, it a pair of zero-ish gears. It turns out one of those has a tooth broke off, which means nothing (odometer/trip meter) spins now.
I need to find a new gauge or a busted up gauge to rob that gear from. I think it is one piece, but 2 different sized gears built as one piece.
Thanks! Since the speedometer needle works, I haven't wanted to spend the $$ & buy a whole gauge to fix the rolling #s. Not that important. And junkyards won't let me tear apart a whole gauge for a 5 cent plastic gear.
I was trying to swap the odometer and i got that done but as i was putting in the reset for the trip the needle rod broke!!! what do i do... I need this car for school. Is there a way to put the 85mph gauge into the 115mph gauge? The little coil spring. HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!
i have an 83 i roc with a dual needle 85 mph/kph speed o
automatic transmission
dual cable setup with cruise control (even though its not hooked up since i put a 350 corvette engine in it)
it would never go below 25 mph even at a full stop and bounced around whatever speed i was going at and read higher in cold weather
and also squeaked a lot so i finally replaced both cables and stopped the squeaking
but
then i did a stupid thing cause it still wouldn't read correctly and played with the needle and now it doesn't read at all ....
im wondering whats the best thing for me to do (if i eventualy want cruise control back aswell)
is it possible to repair my current speedo untill i can afford a new one?
and how would i go about that?
what exactly is the cause for the jumping around is it the guage itself or the cruise control relay?
can i bypass the cruise relay with a single cable?
i do want to eventually get a new speedo and would like some advice on which one and where to buy.. cause i havent had much luck
ok well what i did was i took the speedo out of an 82 z28 and put it in my guage cluster and it works somewhat right now, still needs adjusting cause of my bigger tires and i think i have a diffeent rear end then what it originaly came with, but atleast it goes to zero!
this speedo's odometer doesnt work right cause when i reset it it like to go to 1111 or 2222 but if i push it enough it goes to 0000
i would still like any direction on refurbishing this other speedo, to put back in the 82
if there is a tutorial or manual that could help me with assembly and a place to buy parts or a new face plate? can i make it a 145 myself?
and also would still like advice on perchasing a new one.
what exactly is the cause for the jumping around is it the guage itself or the cruise control relay?
can i bypass the cruise relay with a single cable?
where can i find the 140 you talk about?
There were three types of cables: one was a two-piece which was used with a transducer (in the early years, no doubt like yours), then later other options: a two-piece that apparently screwed together or joined in some manner and then a single cable. I don't know whether the cruise transducer or one or both of the cables were at fault for your problems. Apparently, the speedo head wasn't at fault from what you say about replacing the cable in your second post. The 140's can be regularly found on the site's classifieds. You can't make a 140 by replacing the face plate. The trip odometer fix is detailed above.
JamesC
__________________ "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Hamlet
There were three types of cables: one was a two-piece which was used with a transducer (in the early years, no doubt like yours), then later other options: a two-piece that apparently screwed together or joined in some manner and then a single cable. I don't know whether the cruise transducer or one or both of the cables were at fault for your problems. Apparently, the speedo head wasn't at fault from what you say about replacing the cable in your second post. The 140's can be regularly found on the site's classifieds. You can't make a 140 by replacing the face plate. The trip odometer fix is detailed above.
JamesC
James,
My car is an 84 T/A and I have been looking all over for this "transducer" thingy but can't find it. I traced the speedo cable line all the way from the tranny until it went into the firewall. Could the transducer be "inside" the car rather than in the enginebay somewhere?
My car is an 84 T/A and I have been looking all over for this "transducer" thingy but can't find it. I traced the speedo cable line all the way from the tranny until it went into the firewall. Could the transducer be "inside" the car rather than in the enginebay somewhere?
I'd think an 84 would have the transducer, which is located below and to the side of the washer fluid tank; however, I "believe" 84 was the transition year, so perhaps you don't have one. Here's a pic:
I'd think an 84 would have the transducer, which is located below and to the side of the washer fluid tank; however, I "believe" 84 was the transition year, so perhaps you don't have one. Here's a pic:
I don't recall ever seeing what's in your picture. I don't have anything directly below my washer tank except the brake lines and steering gearbox. In front of the washer tank I have my charcoal canister and cruise control solonid. Below..check that, underneath and mounted upside down from the charcoal canister is a gaint ball of some sort that I am assuming is a vacuum canister. Makes is a real pain to get to the marker light on the drivers side.
My car is an 84 T/A and I have been looking all over for this "transducer" thingy but can't find it.
1984 is the first year for the computer controlled electronic cruise control. It doesn't use the electro/mechanical transducer like the '83 and older system. The ECM system uses the vehicle speed sensor on the back of the gauge cluster for speed input rather than the speedometer cables like the old system.
There is a small cruise control ECM in the dash behind the map pocket on the passenger side. You have to remove the plastic panel directly below the map pocket to access it. You will also find the factory subwoofer amp, power antenna relay and rear defrost timer relay if the car has any of those options.
At the driver's side battery tray is the vacuum throttle servo which is what moves the throttle linkage.
i dont understand its been almost two hours now and it wont come off i dont understand the clip part i know its there but i dont understand how to remove it please help lol im about to break it
My trip odometer wouldn't work for crap so I went with the finishing nail and the zip ties and its back to working like new again. Had a little trouble getting the speedo cable back on but I got it within a few minutes lol. Thanks for the post and help guys!
Did this fix over the weekend. When I took it out one of the infamous j-clips fell in my lap, never saw the other one. I used a couple strands of wire used for hanging pictures, etc. The odometer axle must be seated all the way in the bottom of the groove. Works like a champ now!!
I have a 85 Z-28. All needles on cluster are pointing in the 9:00 o'clock position when engine is cut off. When engine is started the tach needle moves up from that position. When car starts moving the speedometer is around 5 mph fast. What could make it do this? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
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