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Speedo problems

MY66AH

Senior Member
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I have a '66 Sprite and the speedo indicator is just spinning around but the odometer is working fine. Is it the cable or the cluster? Thanks again.
 
I have a '66 Sprite and the speedo indicator is just spinning around but the odometer is working fine. Is it the cable or the cluster? Thanks again.

What do you mean by "the speedo indicator is just spinning around"?
Do you mean as you drive the needle that points to the indicated speed is spinning around, faster and faster as you drive?
Odometer working means gears in trans and cable are okay enough...altho sticking cables (rusted, dirty, corroded, too much grease) can cause flicking of the needle.
But if the speedometer has failed, and you have a direct connection between the cable input through the magnets and drum to the needle, well, time to go looking for a new unit.

Opinion.
 
+1

If the needle goes all the way around the face, the gauge needs a professional rebuild. Something went wrong and now the hairspring that counterbalances the needle will be tied in a knot.... and broken.
 
+1

If the needle goes all the way around the face, the gauge needs a professional rebuild. Something went wrong and now the hairspring that counterbalances the needle will be tied in a knot.... and broken.
So how does one find such a master craftsman?
 
https://www.nisonger.com/

However...be prepared for some sticker shock if your needle has spun.
That generally means something like the pilot bearing has gone, the magnets have impacted the drum, spun it, breaking off the stop or zero tab, and destroying the hair springs. If it's like my speedometers.
And with Limey Limos, maybe not.
Is yours one with the calibration number on the face? That's for tyre size and gear ratio of rear axle and possibly overdrive (depends on marque).
I think I would ask around and see if someone had a similar calibration number head you could buy.
Just a thought.
 
Palo Alto Speedometers (https://www.paspeedo.com) is another option for a respected repair shop. Also unlikely to be cheap.

I've never had a LBC speedo that worked. The one in my MGB is dead, as is the one in the Morris. No idea if the Bugeye one works, but somehow I doubt it. :grin:
 
Speed hut fixes that issue.
 
Mine works, but it's 10% off. Odo and Speedo.
I have done enough reading to know if I was to send it in, specifying what the errors were to correct, it would probably come back worse.
If it was US...1,000 RPM is 60MPH on all...you just change the gear in the trans end of the cable....NOT all the silly gears in the speedo head....and different for odo and speedo...and stupid....but I digress.
 
If you can get along without it for a while, flea bay is probably the cheapest option. The only spare I think I have needs to go to the shop to correct major needle bounce. I'll dig deeper to see what I can find.

Kurt.
 
The speedo in Baby Blue seems to work and is reasonable accurate, although it is subject to some bouncing at highway speeds. I greased the cable which reduced the bouncing to a tolerable level of about 5 mph. At one point the speedometer was giving me fluctuations of almost 20 mph.
 
I'd send it to Nisonger as well. A little pricey, but it will come back fixed.

My temp. gauge quite working last month, so I'm going to take it out this fall and send it up.
 
Just sent the big Healey speedo off to Nisonger. As a point of information, they quoted $175 with a three-week turnaround.

That's not bad at all. I need to do the speedo in my Morris (and the MGB one, and the Bugeye one...). May have to motivate to get it sent out.
 
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