TR2/3/3A TR3 Gages

[CJD]

I steel wooled the small gages rings, but the Tach and Speedo were too pitted. What you see was from Nisonger. They provided the two large rings and all the new rubber seals...pretty steep, as it still cost $100 bill! I should have asked, as I figured it couldn't be too expensive till ... I saw the packing slip...

They also were very secretive about cleaning the gage faces. Said they use a proprietary cleaner. For the record, I found rinsing in tap water with a very soft paint brush worked the best with no damage to the lettering. Oops, did I say that out loud?? That's supposed to be MY proprietary secret!?!

John

 

[mrv8q]

Good stuff, John, thanks! I knew those trim rings were too good to be true.....

 

[RC64]

I've decided to tackle the restoration of the gauges on my TR-3 and have found this thread to be extremely helpful. I've started with the speedo and after some coaxing (the seal had hardened) have been able to get the ring off and the guts out of the case. I'd like to take it down further to get it repaired and cleaned up good, but have not been able to figure out how to remove the pointer from the spindle. Any tips on this?

I have a photo of the type it is but it's very fuzzy. I'll see if I can get a better one if it would help.

Once I got a look inside I found out why the speedo stopped working many years ago. It seems that one of the gears is missing a tooth. Any suggestions on a source for these small parts?

The Anthony Rhodes article and the other links in this thread contain an amazing amount of information. I never thought I would be able to find such detail so easily. I'm new to this forum, but I can tell I'll be spending a lot of time here in the future

Rick...

 

[CJD]

Hey Rick,

The needle just pulls off. It is easiest to do if you place a finger on the aluminum disc on the back so you can twist the needle a bit as you pull, without the spindle turning with it.

For the gear you will have to find a donor. From articles I have read, there are three possible gears, the difference being the number of teeth on each, so a good photo will be important. Hopefully someone will read this and have one...

Something in the odometer likely froze to eat that tooth, so be sure to give it a good look to see what may be binding in the wheels. It may be as simple as the oil getting too thick and tacky.

John

 

[hondo402000]

do you have a spare gauge in case you FUBAR that one?

otherwise it would be wiser to send it off you will be happier with the results
now if you were just taking it apart to clean the insides, and paint the interior bright white like I did to my gauges then go for it. in the end I sent my spedo and tack out to Nossinger

Hondo

 

[Geo Hahn]

...Something in the odometer likely froze to eat that tooth, so be sure to give it a good look to see what may be binding in the wheels...

I agree -- on mine the shaft that drives the odo gear got a touch of corrosion and locked up. On disassembly I was able to clean it up and found that the shaft has a small depression that is 'captured' by the fitting it passes thru -- I filled that depression with some grease (Lubriplate) as I assumed that what it was there for.

I guess I was lucky as the stuck odo broke the speedo cable before any harm came to the gear.

 

[RC64]

Thanks to all of you for the feedback. The pointer popped right off with just a light pull. Once inside it was clear that the works had been gummed up to the point that movement of the gears was difficult to say the least. That's why the one gear is stripped I'm sure. I've de-greased all of the moving parts and they are moving freely now. All I need now is to find a replacement for the gear. I'll see if I can figure out how to include a photo.

Rick...

 

[SPACER]

To RC64

The 2 eccentric shafts for the odo sieze up from years of non use.
Mine were very difficult to get out. Once out they were fine but the worm gear had sheared off 2 teeth from each one. Check your trip odo as well. My TR3A uses 20 tooth gears.

Now the bad news; no one wants to sell you a gear; If they do they want about $35 each. That is $70 for 2.
Nisongers have them but will only supply you if you send the whole speedo in for repair.

Perhaps ''Boston Gear'' may have a substitute.

My speedo needs a hairspring as well so I will have to send off the whole speedo for repair.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to where to send the speedo?

Bob

 

[martx-5]

I've taken apart several of these speedos where the gears have stripped off a couple of teeth. In every case, it has been because the grease they used to lube it had solidified over years of disuse and bound up the shaft.

If any one wants to repair these fiber gears themselves, here's how I did it. The speedo/odo are still working after about three years. Also, I just used some oil to lube the shafts instead of grease.

 

[CJD]

I've taken apart several of these speedos where the gears have stripped off a couple of teeth. In every case, it has been because the grease they used to lube it had solidified over years of disuse and bound up the shaft.

I went with graphite this time, for just this reason. The grease turns into concrete over the years. I figured that graphite stays the same, forever, and doesn't attract dust as an added bonus.

I'll let you know in 20 years how it works out...!

John

 

[CJD]

Well, it did not take 20 years to answer the graphite question. The Tach started making a terrible buzzing noise. Finally took it apart and used real grease. That fixed it right up. The graphite lubricates, but the problem was there was enough play in the shaft holding the magnet (input shaft) that the shaft could wallow in the case. The graphite is not able to stop the wallowing like grease does.

So, for anyone re-doing the tach/speedo...use grease on the input. It will dry up after 10 years or so, but that's not avoidable.

John