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Installed one last night and it worked perfectly. Please give me feedback, good or bad. The idea is to fix the odometer correctly the first time and have it last the rest of the life of the car. Special thanks to Alan Hamilton who helped greatly with this project. It looks like an easy, simple piece of plastic but certainly took a while to figure out some things to make it work. We have a couple of clusters here so I will be working on an FAQ to show the process. We tried to make it simple and straight forward.
Installed one last night and it worked perfectly. Please give me feedback, good or bad. The idea is to fix the odometer correctly the first time and have it last the rest of the life of the car. Special thanks to Alan Hamilton who helped greatly with this project. It looks like an easy, simple piece of plastic but certainly took a while to figure out some things to make it work. We have a couple of clusters here so I will be working on an FAQ to show the process. We tried to make it simple and straight forward.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Bought two just to have for when the inevitable happens. Great service - they called me right after my order to confirm I wanted two sets, and sent them out right away. Amazing service. From one business owner to another - Kudo's for amazing customer service and a thank you for making your products in the USA.
Installed one last night and it worked perfectly. Please give me feedback, good or bad. The idea is to fix the odometer correctly the first time and have it last the rest of the life of the car. Special thanks to Alan Hamilton who helped greatly with this project. It looks like an easy, simple piece of plastic but certainly took a while to figure out some things to make it work. We have a couple of clusters here so I will be working on an FAQ to show the process. We tried to make it simple and straight forward.
Anyway to get just the gear, or gear bolt and nut?
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by TTOP350
Anyway to get just the gear, or gear bolt and nut?
Really? It's $35 man. Support a fine American owned and operated small business. Go to the page and read up on how many tens of thousands the man has spent on plastic injection molding equipment. He's selling this at half the price he should be IMO and even including the tools. I bought two and I don't even need one. Step up.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by GeneralDisorder
Really? It's $35 man. Support a fine American owned and operated small business. Go to the page and read up on how many tens of thousands the man has spent on plastic injection molding equipment. He's selling this at half the price he should be IMO and even including the tools. I bought two and I don't even need one. Step up.
GD
Yes really.
Since I have 4 cars that need a gear plus a toolbox full of taps and bits, why would I need 4bits and 4taps. ?
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by TTOP350
Yes really.
Since I have 4 cars that need a gear plus a toolbox full of taps and bits, why would I need 4bits and 4taps. ?
Good point folks. We are adding the option to purchase the whole kit or just the gear w/bolt and nut. We don't want to waste the tap and drill set either.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by odometergears
Good point folks. We are adding the option to purchase the whole kit or just the gear w/bolt and nut. We don't want to waste the tap and drill set either.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by TTOP350
Yes really.
Since I have 4 cars that need a gear plus a toolbox full of taps and bits, why would I need 4bits and 4taps. ?
Ok yeah that makes sense. They refunded me $5 for the drill and tap not included with the extra set I ordered. Good guys for sure. Mine aren't even broken I just want to have them on hand and maybe some rainy sunday soon I'll just do it because I can.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
As long as your speedometer/odometer unit looks like what we show above, you should be fine. 1985 seems to be the first year for the new unit. If it doesn't work, I will absolutely refund you.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Well, I had an expected delivery date of today for my gears, but it departed Opa Locka, FL yesterday. It went from Virginia to Florida. Pretty sure that's going to be bouncing around for awhile. USPS is anything but efficient. Let's send it all the way to Florida first even though the package is going to a state that is right next to Virginia.lol
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Miraculously, they came today! Only 1 day late, so can't complain! Went from VA to FL to IN and finally to KY.haha These are very professional looking and I can't wait to get started. Planning on starting the first one tomorrow morning. Thank you and I'll let you know how it goes!
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
I read through the PDF instructions and there's one section that I'm not sure about:
"The screw for
the right side will not be
reused. (Figure 16) You will
use the supplied small 2-56
screw, standoff, and washer
in place of the factory screw
closest to new gear."
It states this screw, standoff and washer is supplied, but I don't have these items in either package.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
You are correct. Josh figured this out when he did the fix. It needs to be added to the kit. I can mail them to you or just go to any hardware store. It's always a moving target to get everything perfect for the first hundred kits. I can send 100 out to 100 different people and get 100 different ways to install them. We eventually settle on the best method. Just let me know if you want me to mail them to you.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by odometergears
We had Josh from Atlanta Speedometer create a great FAQ for the whole fix. I'll post it shortly.
I just read through this entire thread after a buddy told me there was a fix for the odometer. I'm thankful there are still companies around that take the time for our cars. Thank you!
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by odometergears
You are correct. Josh figured this out when he did the fix. It needs to be added to the kit. I can mail them to you or just go to any hardware store. It's always a moving target to get everything perfect for the first hundred kits. I can send 100 out to 100 different people and get 100 different ways to install them. We eventually settle on the best method. Just let me know if you want me to mail them to you.
Jeff
Yes, that would be great if you could send me these for each gear. I'll need two sets of the screws/standoffs/washers since I'm fixing two of my cars. I'll PM you. Thanks!!
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by odometergears
You are correct. Josh figured this out when he did the fix. It needs to be added to the kit. I can mail them to you or just go to any hardware store. It's always a moving target to get everything perfect for the first hundred kits. I can send 100 out to 100 different people and get 100 different ways to install them. We eventually settle on the best method. Just let me know if you want me to mail them to you.
Jeff
Will the extra parts be included in kits sent out going forward from now ? Thanks.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
We have ordered the parts and waiting for them to come in. Yes, anything going forward will have the complete hardware in the package. If you ordered today, we probably will not ship until Monday since we are waiting for the standoffs.
For those that have ordered, we are sending the parts out to you as soon as we get them.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by odometergears
We have ordered the parts and waiting for them to come in. Yes, anything going forward will have the complete hardware in the package. If you ordered today, we probably will not ship until Monday since we are waiting for the standoffs.
For those that have ordered, we are sending the parts out to you as soon as we get them.
Thanks again all.
Jeff
Perfect. I'm not in a huge rush to get it fixed so the delay is not a problem. I'll get mine ordered ASAP.
Thanks to everyone involved in getting these kits to market as well as the documentation for the install !
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
I received the screws/washers/standoffs for both sets yesterday! Thank you!! I have everything apart on my first one and will begin the real work tomorrow night. As you can see in the second picture, my gear is broken (which I expected).
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Just a quick update. I successfully installed the first new gear and put the cluster back together tonight. I won't be able to test the car until Saturday or Sunday, but the process was fairly easy and everything went back together smoothly. The only minor difficulty I had, was getting the old pin to release after grinding down the tip flush with the housing. Tapping it with a punch did not work for me at first. I took a small pair of needle nose pliers and gently rocked the pin back and forth until it felt loose, then I was able to tap it out. It left a nice perfect hole. I don't have a drill press, so I had to use my hand held drill very carefully and slowly while the housing was in the vice and reamed it successfully.
One quick tip, if you set the trip odometer to zero before you take anything apart, it helps lock the tenth of a mile roller from going in reverse which will help keep you where you need to be throughout the process. Once the motor is free and the old gear is broken away, it will advance easily, but if you roll it back to where it was, it gives you resistance, helping to mesh the new gear and motor and maintain the original mileage down to the 10th. I found that helpful anyway!
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Test drive complete. Results you ask? PERFECT!! Works like a charm! Lovin' it! I actually put some miles on the Formula today for the first time in a few months! I will miss being able to go for those cruises and not put any miles on it though.haha Thanks again for a great product and easy installation! Going to do my other car in a few weeks.
Installed one last night and it worked perfectly. Please give me feedback, good or bad. The idea is to fix the odometer correctly the first time and have it last the rest of the life of the car. Special thanks to Alan Hamilton who helped greatly with this project. It looks like an easy, simple piece of plastic but certainly took a while to figure out some things to make it work. We have a couple of clusters here so I will be working on an FAQ to show the process. We tried to make it simple and straight forward.
Question about the tap and nut, in the pic above, it does not look like the small nut was used, just the post screwed into the tapped hole? My kit, pre-Feb 28th, has the tap, and the nut, should I both tap it and use the nut for extra security?
Also, my gear did not look damaged, but would not move without a lot of force, which did snap the teeth off, is there a way to bench test the motor easily without pulsing it like just apply 12v or something to some of the pins to see if it will move at all?
Thanks
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by 2QUIK6
Question about the tap and nut, in the pic above, it does not look like the small nut was used, just the post screwed into the tapped hole? My kit, pre-Feb 28th, has the tap, and the nut, should I both tap it and use the nut for extra security?
The post will screw into the tapped hole. I did not tighten the post with any tool, I threaded it all the way down until it stopped, finger tightened it and then threaded the nut on the other side with a small amount of blue lock-tite. I used a small, hand held nut driver with socket and lightly snugged the nut.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by kentuckyKITT
The post will screw into the tapped hole. I did not tighten the post with any tool, I threaded it all the way down until it stopped, finger tightened it and then threaded the nut on the other side with a small amount of blue lock-tite. I used a small, hand held nut driver with socket and lightly snugged the nut.
Thank you! About to get it back together, just did a test fit for that screw in front of the nut to make sure it cleared before I lock-tite it on since I see Allen had to use a allen head screw on there for clearance...mine fits with the original screw.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
I just wanted to also follow up on this. I have so many projects going on it has taken me a while to get back to this one
The new 15 tooth driven gear from Odometer Gears works great.
What I did was in summary
- remove the original gear/post and then drill that hole out with 7/64 drill (I found a clear pass through hole for the bolt works better to make sure it is square, the nut will hold it better on its own and avoid misalignment)
- install Odometer Gears new 15 tooth driven gear with their shoulder bolt and 4-40 nut with blue Loctite (put only a small amount of Loctite on the nut, you don't want it wicking up the shaft back into the gear!)
- since the phillips head motor bolts strip easily I replace those with stainless M3 6mm length hex head and a M3 flat washer
- put the upper and lower portion back together using stainless M4x.7 12mm length allen head with M4 flat washer
- reinstall faceplate and align needle to the mark made before disassembly
- test with Dakota Digital Box set to ~60 mph output (67 Hz)
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
I ordered the kit from odometer gears, shipped fast went & together well. Had to redo the install of the stepper gear due to burrs from drilling and overtightening. However it hasn't fixed my odometer, i assume the small drive motor is now junk. Does anyone have a p/n for it? Or have a good spare i can buy?
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Just found this amazing thread. My odometer had been broken for several years so decided to see if this thread was the answer to my problem. Got the gauge cluster out, took apart the speedometer only to discover the gear was not broken, but it was frozen to the shaft. Went ahead and took it out in pieces with the idea of replacing the gear anyway. But now I am questioning whether there is another problem. Seems if the drive motor was working then it should have stripped the gears. Anyone else have this problem also?
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
I'm just about to order these gears can you confirm the plastic is Nylon or other plastic that is softer/equal to the hardness of the gears it meshes with? I did a LS swap and lo and behold after a few laps around the area I noticed the odometer stopped working.
Also anyone have a list of the capacitors the cluster uses, figured I will replace all the electrolytic caps while I have it apart.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by odometergears
There are a few speedometer shops listed on this thread for sending it to. They are all my customers. It seems they have turned all away in the past because the gears and installation methods haven't been available. I contacted all to give them the new information. They all should be stocking the parts now if you want to send them in. If you want to do the fix yourself, I can help with that.
Any1 know what Scott Speedometer charges for this repair? My odo just quit yesterday and I'm not sure I want to deal w/ all those little plastic parts.
Also, does any1 know how this repair compares to replacing the headlight gears in a Trans Am? I did that job a couple years ago, and I'm wondering if this is more or less difficult. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/elec...ght-motor.html
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Does anybody have an extra odometer motor (motor only) they want to sell or trade for other parts of the cluster? I have 2 extra clusters....motors are gone in both... including my car...
or
Does anybody know other GM cars used that same motor?
P.
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Not exactly on topic, but since it is related, my trip odometer reset button doesn't work. You can tell it try to reset it and may even get one of the numbers every now and then, but it doesn't work overall. Any ideas?
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
Originally Posted by soulbounder
Not exactly on topic, but since it is related, my trip odometer reset button doesn't work. You can tell it try to reset it and may even get one of the numbers every now and then, but it doesn't work overall. Any ideas?
First of all, it's a strange design. The post is not centered with the armature, so when you press on this post to reset, it's pushing the armature at an angle. I'm not sure why it was designed this way. Possibly to prevent too much force being applied? Not sure.. It has two springs under the armature. You can try doing what I did and stretch the springs a bit to make them more "springy." That seemed to help mine tremendously. Although it still likes to take a few tries to get to all 0s every once in awhile.
Last edited by kentuckyKITT; 10-17-2019 at 05:12 PM.
Reason: spelling
Re: Firebird Odometer - Broken, but is there a fix?
So my odometer randomly started working again over the weekend. I drove the car about 15 miles while it wasn't working, and then it suddenly started again. I drove it another 30 or so miles after that and it continues to work. Based on that, it must not be the gear. Could it be the odometer motor?
01-15-2019, 09:06 PM
