I've got an '89 Formula and the odometer and tripometer are not working. Just had the engine rebuilt. The car is new to me and I don't know if it was working before the engine was rebuilt or not. Just talked to Hamp's Speedometer and was told they couldn't repair the odometer due to how the plastic gears were attached. Assuming that the problem is not in the speedo cluster itself, is there anywhere else to look for a potential problem? I have know idea how the odometer works. Maybe something isn't connected somewhere.

Just an FYI, the speedo itself works fine as do all the other gauges.

Thanks,

Chris

 

it's an electric speedo, so there may be a broken electrical connection for the odometer.

they're a pretty easy speedo to take apart, all things considered and a used one for parts isn't tough to come by either.

Jump right in.

 

You said the speedo is working fine, and that means the sensor in the transmission and the connection to the cluster are also fine.
So I assume the problem lies in the speedo cluster.

 

I had an issue where mine didn't work above 55 mph. I took it out and couldn't find anything majorly wrong so I just put it back in and it worked! I'm assuming it was just a loose connection. So worse case scenario, it's worth taking it out at least to identify a problem.

 

Good point Ransford. That's what I was planning to do. Are you aware of a good "How to" to remove the speedo? I've done some some searching and hadn't found anything really specific on how to do it.

Thanks,

 

I've never taken a firebird gauge cluster apart, so I can't say for sure. I'm betting that if you take the front plastic cover or gauge surround off, you should see the clear plastic cover. Remove that and it should be fairly simple to remove the gauge(s). this video is useless as far as steps go, but it might show you what you are looking for as far as screw/clip location, etc.