Odometer Broken

[vwdmc16]

Working on getting another car on the road, the speedo itself works well however the Odometer and trip meter do not roll. it seems ever 20th of a mile there is a loud clicking and you can see the odo gears jump, speedo needle does too. Sounds like there is a stripped gear or a stuck gear so some gear teeth are jumping.

Anyone ever hear of this before? Ill be able to remove the binnicale and speedo next week, Im betting the car needs a new speedo unless sombody has some used gears for sale?

Thanks.

[SS Spoiler]

Sounds like you need to bypass the lamda counter?

[thirdmanj]

Sounds like you need to bypass the lamda counter?

Hell NO! That's the secret to maintaining a low mileage DeLorean right there!

[David T]

Hell NO! That's the secret to maintaining a low mileage DeLorean right there!

Sounds like the ratcheting reset mechanism for the trip odometer is stuck. See if you can get the reset button to come out some more. If not you may have to disassemble the speedometer head to fix it. If the Lambda counter was the problem the speedometer would not work either and you wold not hear any noise. Another possibility is one of the plastic posts inside the head is broken off and it and the metal clip on it is jamming the works.
David Teitelbaum

[vwdmc16]

Sounds like you need to bypass the lamda counter?

No this still happens when turning the cable after the lambda.

[vwdmc16]

Sounds like the ratcheting reset mechanism for the trip odometer is stuck. See if you can get the reset button to come out some more. If not you may have to disassemble the speedometer head to fix it. If the Lambda counter was the problem the speedometer would not work either and you wold not hear any noise. Another possibility is one of the plastic posts inside the head is broken off and it and the metal clip on it is jamming the works.
David Teitelbaum




Crap I totally forgot to mention, the trip needle is also broken off, I bet its jammed in partially.

[jawn101]

Crap I totally forgot to mention, the trip needle is also broken off, I bet its jammed in partially.

I hope this guy appreciates you man... :)

[David T]

Crap I totally forgot to mention, the trip needle is also broken off, I bet its jammed in partially.

DMCH has a kit to repair a broken reset button but you will probably have to take the head out and apart.
David Teitelbaum

[kings1527]

DMCH has a kit to repair a broken reset button but you will probably have to take the head out and apart.
David Teitelbaum


They do and I've done it before. It's pretty involved. You have to remove the binnacle and take out the speedometer and once you do that, there's some fine surgery involved with getting the old trip reset arm out and putting the new one in.

The replacement is a decent fit out of the box but I had to shave down a couple sides in order to get the new reset arm to slide easily. It takes a little finagling but in the end, you have a trip reset arm that works well.

[wrkey]

DMCH has a kit to repair a broken reset button but you will probably have to take the head out and apart.
David Teitelbaum

I recently replaced my broken reset pin with one from the DMCH. It's not difficult, but a bit tedious to get the binnicle off. I flipped a 5 gallon bucket over and set it next to the door plate so I could extend the surface to lay on. Some recommend removing the drivers seat for better access.

Here is a great how-to post: http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?2258-Trip-reset-shaft-broken&highlight=speedometer+removal

[vwdmc16]

Ok finally got into that speedo and was able to find the issue, Turns out the Trip odo shaft is completely seized. (the shaft on the bottom)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130928_142345_zps50c1bef7.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130928_142345_zps50c1bef7.jpg.html)

I noticed a few rusty bolt while removing the binnacle and evidence of moisture in the cluster itself. It was then the car's owner told that the car had spent some weeks sitting outside in a field, with the doors open. Oh, well yeah that will have some consequences. I was able to free it up a bit but not enough for it to properly work and the owner isnt interested in fixing it more. Future project the the next owner I guess.

Thanks for the help guys.

[jawn101]

Ok finally got into that speedo and was able to find the issue, Turns out the Trip odo shaft is completely seized. (the shaft on the bottom)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130928_142345_zps50c1bef7.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130928_142345_zps50c1bef7.jpg.html)

I noticed a few rusty bolt while removing the binnacle and evidence of moisture in the cluster itself. It was then the car's owner told that the car had spent some weeks sitting outside in a field, with the doors open. Oh, well yeah that will have some consequences. I was able to free it up a bit but not enough for it to properly work and the owner isnt interested in fixing it more. Future project the the next owner I guess.

Thanks for the help guys.

Ah, bummer. I hope he appreciates all this work! :)

[David T]

Ah, bummer. I hope he appreciates all this work! :)

I would spray it liberally with WD-40 and wait. The parts are plastic and steel and should "unstick". If you do put it back together and the parts don't turn do not hook up the speedometer cable. You can leave the "dust cover" out or you will be replacing the angle drive. Try not to disturb the odometer reading and put it back the way it was.