Conference terri::cars_uk

    Over the past few days my speedo has been playing up.  At first there
    was no problem until I came off the gas, my speedo would then just waver
    0-20 MPH until I accelerated again, it then returned to normal.  Now it
    seems it doesn't want to register any speed past 25, it just wavers
    from 0-25 no matter how fast I'm going.
    
    What is the first thing to look for/do?
    
    Thanks in advance, Craig.

    loose where it is screwed into the gearbox, into the speedo, any
    connections in between.
    
    Possibly the gear in the gearbox is worn or loose.
    
    The speedo itself is faulty. (My wife's old car had an analogue clock
    which kept loosing time randomly. When I took it apart the needle was a
    push-fit ring around the drive shaft. The plastic ring had split, and
    whenever it was towards the top and got a shake, the needle would drop
    back down to the lower half of the clock!)
    
    Richard

    Go on Craig, stick the Escort up on ramps tonight when you get home,
    open the Haynes Manual I lent you and then have a crawl around
    underneath.  It might only take you 5-mins.
    
    Stevie.

    I need to have a rev counter converted/recalibrated from a 4-cylinder
    unit to a 6-cylinder.  Anyone know of any companies that can do this ?
    
    Also, I will want the face of one dial re-painted, to change it from
    a water temp guage to an oil temp guage, apparently the unit does
    not need any calibration changes.  I can get a picture of the correct
    lettering to be applied, but don't know where I can get this sort of
    service done (and at what price).  Any suggestions or recommendations ?
    
    For the above jobs I will probably want to compare prices (well, for
    the second job it could matter), so who could be of use ?
    
    
�    Marcos recommended a place in London (Speedy cables(!) 01-226-9228)
    
    Speedy Cables, 071-226 9228    currently closed for Summer hols.
    
    This company is recommended by Transformer for handbrake cable mods
    that I will need.  I believe they are also able to make up any form
    of cable with connections that you specify.  I wonder if they can
    make a clutch cable for an R5GTT that doesn't give up so soon ?  ;-)
    
    J.R.

    
    Check the back of Classic & Sportscar. There are always a couple of 
    instrument repairers in there who may be able to quote for you.
    
    Most after market rev-counters will work for 4,6 and 8 cylinder
    engines, are you sure yours will need converting?
    
    Why not just get some new instruments? :^)
    
    Mark

    Speedy cables will do the tacho for you.
    
    If it's for a classic, then Renown Instruments are your best bet.
    0980-53800
    
    Laurie.

�    Most after market rev-counters will work for 4,6 and 8 cylinder
�    engines, are you sure yours will need converting?
    
    I know that most after-market rev counters have a switch to allow
    them to operate with different engine types, but I have the dial
    from a Fiat donor - which was a 4-cylinder engined vehicle.
    
�    Why not just get some new instruments? :^)
    
    Using the specified dials/guages allows this kit to be built as a
    very close copy of the real thing, as the Stratos was made using lots
    of parts from various Fiats of the time.  The same sources can be
    used for parts on the kit to have a fair measure of authenticity.
    
    Using a Dino engine is also a possibility, but I think the Alfa lump
    should be a much more usable option.  It even has more power than the
    original...
    
    J.R.

    I have a curious problem with the speedo on my BMW 318i.
    
    It works fine while cruising, but when accelerating the needle
    drops to 0, and beyond.  After easing off the gas, it seems OK
    again.
    
    Is this likely to be electrical or mechanical problem ?
    Any ideas?
    
    Jeremy.

    re .-1
    
    "It works fine while cruising, but..."
    
    Seems a pretty accurate description of the BMWs I have driven.
    
    Andrew

    re .13
    
    How do you think up these witty comment ?   Must take all day ?
    Pete

    I have a speedo problem which maybe someone could help clarify.
    
    At slow speeds it doesn't work at all (ie. it's stuck on 20mph).  Only 
    at around 65 does it kick in.  Then it seems OK although rather 
    sluggish to adjust when I speed up/slow down.  The actual instrument 
    appears OK and so too the cable/connections.  
    
    My question therefore is, what lies beyond the cable, after it passes 
    into the transmission?  I have been told that I need to replace the 
    gearbox ?????  Could this be true?
    
    Help appreciated,
    
    Kris

Could be the case I'm afraid.  My girlfriend's Fiesta had this sort of problem,
and the cause was a badly worn gearbox, which had to be completely overhauled
and a lot of it replaced, for about 300 pounds!!!  I have heard of this
occurring on an Orion with the same mileage (just under 70K).

Mark

I think it could be the speedo itself, it could be worn in such a way that it is
slow to start.

In fact after re-reading your note I would say it is definitely the speedo - if
the gearbox was broken in any way why would it work at all !!  but I would go for 
the speedo cable first. Then maybe get a speedo from a scrapyard.

Andy

The speedo in the Fiesta did work, but rather eratically, getting steadily
worse.  Hopefully, if your's works normally after coming unstuck, it may not be
the gearbox that's at fault.

    The problem described in .12 was traced to be a
    faulty wire - the speedo is electronic.
    
    A cheap repair job for a change!

    The speed reading on my Passat has been very erratic of late, so I've
    ordered a new speedo cable, thinking it's better to start with the
    cheapest elements first. But even this is 35 quid! This morning the
    speed reading stayed at zero yet I noticed that the odometer bits
    seemed to be working OK. Am I stating the obvious by suggesting this
    proves the cable is _not_ at fault or can a faulty cable still give
    this effect?
    
    Very nearly everything I own of a mechanical or electrical nature has
    failed in the last 3 months. At 17:30 last Saturday, the wheel cylinder
    on my 3 year old Golf sprung a leak.
    
    Mike

    I could believe that a cable could make the speedo reading erratic, but
    if the odometer is accurate, then I thinks that a cable fault is
    unlikely.
    
    Tony.

	I had an old passat. The Speedo heads are notoriously shortlived.
	I paid �13 for my cable, but a new head was going to be about �70, so 
	I didn't bother and lived off the rev counter instead.

R.

    Thanks for the recent replies. Re; prices, the current VW price for a
    speedo is 106 quid! (BTW, how _do_ you compose keys on a PC to get
    sterling signs, umlauts, etc.?) I'm hoping to get one from a scrappy.
    This one wasn't all _that_ shortlived 'cos it's done 99600 miles.
    
    Mike

    			  (BTW, how _do_ you compose keys on a PC to get
    sterling signs, umlauts, etc.?) I'm hoping to get one from a scrappy.
     
    
    	I don't think that you'll get them from a scrappy!
    
    	Usually, by holding down the COMPOSE Key and pressing the SPACE
    Bar, letting go of both, then using your imagination of any two Keys
    in sequence for what you want.  ie. for �, use SHIFT L and the Hyphen
    keys; for � as in Man�na, use a and ~; for � use o and ".
    
    	Some time ago in this Conference, someone published a long list of
    possibilities.
    				Malcolm.

    ...to discuss this, but...
    
    Thanks for the input. That is certainly how I used to do it on a
    workstation, but the PC has no 'compose' key.
    
    Mike
    

	My speedo was shot when I  bought the car at 98k.
	I got one from a later Passat in a junk yard, it was also shot at 60k.
	......not long lived.

R.