I was driving home last night and went to pass a few slow moving RVs (tourist season has started ) looked down to check speed and the needle was gone. When I got back to the house and had a closer look, needle is at the bottom of the gauge.

I looked in the archives and didn't find much on the subject. Anyone know how difficult it is to repair this problem, hoping that I don't have to buy a new $300 speedo. Any advice is appreciated.

 

There are many vendors that offer guage repair. I'm sure it would cost alot less to repair rather then replace based off the info given.

 

If the speedo needle is like the tach needle it might just be a press-on fit. You have to take the guage out anyway so it wouldn't hurt to examine the needle and see if you can just press it back on the shaft.



Rick B.

 

Happened to me on my 68 and my buddy on his 69.........damn thing just vanished.

I bought an NOS one, just haven't had the time to get into............good excuse for the Troopers though,

Really sir, my speedometer must be broken!!!

 

after you pull the drivers dash and remove the speedometer you'll find that the indicator is simply "press fit" onto the needle. Align the pointer with zero and carefully press it very firmly into place.

 

If you try to clean the dial while in there be careful. I found out the hard way that the numbers are a water based paint. Just a drop and their ruined. Neddle can be pressed on but I thought it was hard to align. If I had to do it over I'd take it to a shop. Which is one of a few things I'd farm out.

 

GOOD TO KNOW!!!!!

My speedo did this last season

 

while I was driving , I heard this grinding noise comming from my dash (realy loud and fast sounding) i looked at my speedo , and the pointer had broken in half ,, i had to unplug the back of the speedo to make that sound go away !

 

Let me clarify what happened. The long part of the needle is what actually is now resting at the bottom of the gauge. The short end of the speedo is still connected and moves depending on the speed that is traveled. FYI, I did find from one of the usual vendors just the needle assembly for $15. I will update when I pull the speedo. It won't be until next week sometime after I get back from Florida. Thanks for all the advice and the heads up on the water dissolvable paint on the gauge.

 

If all else fails you could contact Palo Alto Speedometer. http://www.paspeedo.com/ These guys are some of the best guage restorers in the world, and are in my home town.

 

In Ohio, that's failure to maintain a vehicle.

 

You can remove the broken needle with a pair of pliers then as mentioned above set the new needle onto the pin, line it up with zero and press firmly but gently on the center hub directly over the pin.

You don't have to press much and you won't likely feel it set into place so don't keep pushing expecting it to click or anything.

cc

 

You can try the pliers but suspect you'll find a simple dinner fork slid beneath the center hub works well to pull up on the broken hub evenly from both sides without risking damage to the face plate. Alignment is very simple for the new indicator (as stated above). With the speedometer lying on it's back (face up) lightly set the new indicator on top of the needle pin and gently align the tip with zero. Once it's pointing to zero, firm but gentle pressure on the center hub is all that's required to affix it to the needle pin. You can easily test your speedometer using a drill. Spin up the speedometer using the drill and an appropriate sized straight hex key. Spin it until it reads 60 mph and then time the odometer to see that you are getting the expected "mile per minute".

 

you shouldn't need pliers or forks.

it is possible it could be so stuck that you need those, but try pulling with your fingers while twisting counter clock wise first. it should come right off that way.

 

Twisting, either direction, risks damaging the spring tension and calibration. Simply pulling up reduces this risk.

 

Twisting counter clockwise does not stretch the calibration spring and will not hurt the speedo. The cup hits a stop so the shaft can not twist. This is the way that the guys at Wilcox do it. If it were risky, do you really think they would do it or recommend it?

if the needle were extremely stuck to the shaft and you tried to twist it too hard, you could possible damage or break the shaft, but if it's that stuck something’s probably going to break anyway.

 

This may help

You can remove the needle via either method posted above. It's my personal experience in rebuilding a speedo that the "twist counter clockwise" method adds risk as you must put pressure on the tiny hub with you fingers while twisting and if you're not careful you can damage/bend the needle should your fingers slip (not that it's a issue with your current needle). Additionally there is the unnecessary risk of possible damage to the calibration spring. GM had/has a tool specifically for pulling up and removing the needles. Short of having that tool laying around a fork works remarkably well. Whatever you do don't pry against the faceplate as it is quite delicate nor should the painted numbers be touched. There is a forum member who used to perform this service for GM who posted photos of the tool but the post of the photos are no longer available. Wilcox also has a very nice writeup on speedo rebuild which describes their method of "twist and pull". Choose your poison.

 

I'll read this fully later tonight, but I think you may want to send it in to us. If the needle is off, you might want to read this page.

http://willcoxcorvette.com/repairand...lp.php?hID=145

I did not have time to read all the post, but if the needle is off the speedometer, the speed cup is probably broken.

I'll have time later tonight to read this and see. I"m sorry, I have a date with my wife tonight.

Willcox Inc.

 

I am working on a new question and answer for the web site on all questions on the speedometer needles. I will post this link here when I’m done.

To answer some of your questions about this quickly here I go!

1) To install a needle on a 1953-1977 W series speedometer you should gently push the needle on the speed cup shaft that extends from the face. When you place the needle on the shaft do it loosely at the 2 o’clock position. Once you have it on the shaft you should turn it counter clock wise while pushing inward on the center of the needle. Push and turn the needle until you pass the zero mark on the speedometer by about 1/8”. When you release the needle it should be on zero and locked in position.

If you do not land on Zero and want to try again, keep turning the needle counter clock wise while pulling outward. This will remove the needle from the gauge again. Start over and try it again. The tension spring on a W series speedometer will not stretch or be hurt by going counter clock wise since the speed cup has a stop arm built in to it that will catch and not allow the spring to be un-wound.

2) Needles typically don’t come off gauges unless there is a problem. If the entire needle falls of, there is a good chance the shaft that it is applied to is broken off inside the needle. If the speed cup shaft is not broken off in the needle, there still may be a problem. I suggest you read our help section on the speedometer/odometer for better details until we get the new help up on these separate issues. These symptoms are related and there is great info on the other page that will help you understand the parts that make the speedometer work. Simply installing the needle back on the speedometer and installing it in the car may only be a temporary fix which will end up costing you more money in the long run if the speed cup shaft breaks.

3) If the long end of the needle broke off the speedometer, this is usually caused by the needle being slammed from direct contact with the first worm and magnet. I again suggest you read the help section mentioned above as to the cause of this. Installing a new needle on the gauge in most cases will only result in another broke needle.

Summation:

I most cases needles that come of are an indication that the unit needs repair. Plain and simply put, something caused the needle to come off! I will try to explain all the causes in detail on our new help page when it’s up. The time and effort involved in removing the speedometer and for the record, tachometer (in 74 and prior cars) is not easy and installing one that is in need of repair will only cause you to remove the pad twice, and spend money down the road you do not need to spend.

You may direct emails on this as well as any input to our customer service email address at Willcoxcustomerservice@willcoxcorvette.c om

Willcox Inc.