Speedometer Repair

rgtaylor2 · Post by **rgtaylor2** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:32 am

When I bought my 66 CL77 the speedometer was whining and making a scraping noise while the needle was doing back flips like a schoolgirl. I found one on fleabay listed as a “working” used one with 6925 miles to replace the original, now we take a deep breath and are all smiles until last week when the replacement starts doing exactly like the original.

Sunday I “pm” LM for his sage advice and yesterday FedEx’ed both to Preston at Foreign Speedo, Inc. in San Diego for repair and service. I should hear back from Preston in a few days with his diagnosis and cost estimate for repair.

I have seen several post on this subject and since we all have 40 something year old speedometers I will be back with detailed results as the process continues. G

joeweir1 · Post by **joeweir1** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 10:26 pm

I used them a few years ago to repair my CA77 Speedo and it is still working fine.Joe

rgtaylor2 · Post by **rgtaylor2** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:29 am

Spargett wrote:Did you ever find a solution to your speedometer problem? Mine just started to the very same thing. Jumping all over 8,000-9,000rpm as the idle was wobbling.

-Scott-

Spar, I have not heard back from the folks at Foreign Speedo as of this morning. I think they are waiting until they have them apart to offer their suggestions on repair. I know they were delivered Thursday but I do not know how busy they are and when mine will "come to the top." I will post as soon as I hear from them and let everyone know their diagnosis and price of repair. I am confident they are in the right hands for the task. G

joeweir1 · Post by **joeweir1** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:28 pm

It took at least a month to get mine back after they got it. Joe

Gun · Post by **Gun** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:42 pm

how would the speedos behave if they were connected to the wrong speedo gear down on the wheel? (the early spun one way, the later the opposite)

rgtaylor2 · Post by **rgtaylor2** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:05 pm

Gun both of the CL77 speedos I have are reverse drive. I used a drill to test them and they will do nothing in forward but in reverse they were fine until somewhere between 10 and 20 the needle goes nuts. One company (Overseas Speedometer) stated "I cannot help you, but the whining noise is usually a result of a lack of lubrication." They would not work on Nippon Seiki's. More to come.....

e3steve · Post by **e3steve** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:45 pm

The usual problem with speedo (& tacho) heads is ageing bearings. Mine (CB opposed) suffered the same whine and windscreen-wiper-needle-syndrome, oddly enough each within a couple of days of the other. It's aparently due to the needlepoint bearings and input shaft bushings drying out, falling out of tolerance and creating a hi-frequency 'shudder'; this causes the spinning magnet's linearity to become unstable. It seems to be, according to a VJMCUK contact, quite common in older Jap instruments. Once repaired the problem rarely re-occurs. It requires no more than (expert) opening up, servicing, adjustment and calibration. Don't write it off until it's been condemned by one of the service companies mentioned here.