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Speedo not working - Vitesse


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Speedo in my Vitesse has stopped working . It has been wavering for some time though . I’ve loosened the speedo , removed the wires . I cant undo the speedo so assuming I need to remove the gearbox cover, undo the connector ( I have overdrive) to give enough slack to get access to the back of the speedo 

Paul 

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38 minutes ago, johny said:

Should undo from speedo but may need acrobatics in the footwell and some long nose pliers? Saying that theres a good chance the cable or angle drive have failed...

Thanks , long nose pliers worked and Speedo out . The inner cable is not chewed so guess the issue is at the gearbox end . How I love removing the gearbox cover ! 
Paul 

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So if you push the inner fully into the cable it engages at the gearbox end and then wont turn? You could do this and drive the car to see if the inner spins - if so could be a faulty speedo...

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If the speedo needle was flickering for a while then stopped all together, it's quite likely the angle drive on the output from the overdrive has failed.

You can test the cable and speedo head using an electric drill running anti clockwise. Disconnect the cable from the angle drive and attach the still chuck to the end of the inner cable.

Nigel

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if the problem is due to lack of engagement it is easy to with some grips turn the outer case , the spiral wound outer sheath 

will if you wind the outer up or down it will make the inner protrude more or unwind make it less 

its a common way to fix cables .

pete

 

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2 hours ago, johny said:

So if you push the inner fully into the cable it engages at the gearbox end and then wont turn? You could do this and drive the car to see if the inner spins - if so could be a faulty speedo...

Checked the Speedo with a spare cable and drill and it’s ok 

Paul 

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i have a jar of non transitional grease we had to have for tachograph cables (had to have a giant barrel of this to conform to the installation licence being the first and only factory to get approval) 

all ours were electronic of the day

(i still wonder why i pinched a load )

but this grease will not work its way up to the speedo head , disadvantage is it stinks and once under you finger nails you have it for a month   ....really awful stuff 

Pete

 

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UPDATE

Speedo cable out and it’s seized so replacing with GSD115 which is about 4cms longer so should be no issues with refit . Does the new cable need oiling ? I do have graphite powder 

The right angle drive . Can’t find this in the manual . Does this need any maintenance whilst I got access . What’s the small screw for please . 
Paul 

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1 hour ago, Paul H said:

UPDATE

Speedo cable out and it’s seized so replacing with GSD115 which is about 4cms longer so should be no issues with refit . Does the new cable need oiling ? I do have graphite powder 

The right angle drive . Can’t find this in the manual . Does this need any maintenance whilst I got access . What’s the small screw for please . 
Paul 

The small screw lets the internals fall out... so don't remove it!

Here's a few original tips from Smiths:

SmithAngleDrive.jpg.159ba7f6ac3bc95f548ef47e5d81cb66.jpg

 

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1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said:

The small screw lets the internals fall out... so don't remove it!

 

Didn't know that!. Removed it on a couple of occasions, as the forum years ago though it was "maybe", to use as an oiling point?

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Yes are you sure Colin? Heres a photo of an angle drive and it looks like both gears are installed from the back and then capped over. They were never intended to come apart...

Then some similar Smiths units for motorcycles have grease nipples in the same place as the screw on ours so it seems logical that its for lubrication.

 

image.png.f818f007b11760ec672b89b71f58205d.png

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That took a bit of finding... almost two coffees! I found this post on a USA Triumph forum:

"Well folks. After speaking to Peninsula Imports on this Moss angle drive, they dont know what the set screw is for. Then, consulting the tech support at Moss, they dont know either. They did advise not to put any lube (oil drop) into it. Simple snug up the set screw and install. The spindle and drive seemed to operate well once the set screw was snugged up."

And this one-liner on a different forum:

"The small screw is a grub screw that keeps the internals in place."
 
That one is probably the one I remember from way back given that it also refers to 'internals'. I think it fits into a groove, so that once removed you can pull the workings out, which does require some force.
I'm NOT going to dismantle mine to check, (have loads of components in bits from previous attempts to see how they work!) but the setscrew / groove assembly may allow a small degree of movement of the gears and thereby avoid wear or damage in use as the entire unit flexes on the mountings.

 

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i have a stripped down unit and the screw just blanks the hole 

has nowt to do with locating anything 

to strip just ! remove the corked in welch plug and it all comes apart 

it would aid life if its lubricated , and must have the 7/16" washer fitted between angle drive and speedo pinion hsg.  or you pre load it and failure is imminent 

Pete

pinion 

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And yet the advice is NOT to oil the cables, but use grease... anyway that's our homework for the next while, find out what the screw in the angledrive actually does. I've asked Speedograph of Richfield if they know. 

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6 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

and must have the 7/16" washer fitted between angle drive and speedo pinion hsg.  or you pre load it and failure is imminent 

Pete

pinion 

Pls note PL's comment re washer very important, the advice tends to get overlooked!

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  • 2 months later...

Finally got round to changing Speedo cable as it had seized. How I love removing the  gearbox cover 😱. The Speedo registered ok .
Refitted and Speedo still does not work . Has to be angled drive failure ??? It’s a Dtype overdrive 
Paul 

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Was the old cable ok Paul? If it started to seize then the angle drive will have suffered☹️ However there might be a useful learning opportunity here - if your speedo starts to play up and you have overdrive, investigate asap...

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34 minutes ago, johny said:

Was the old cable ok Paul? If it started to seize then the angle drive will have suffered☹️ However there might be a useful learning opportunity here - if your speedo starts to play up and you have overdrive, investigate asap...

The Speedo was wavering for a long long time  and when removed the Speedo was locked solid , replaced with new . Can the angle drive be repaired or changed

Paul  

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Erm well Im afraid a locked solid speedo could also easily damage an angle drive - theyre the weak link (in non OD cars the cable just snaps) and not repairable. However as Pete says check the new cable is actually engaging correctly in the drive...

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