Has anyone removed their speedometer, My odometer does not work

 

Yes, but you'll need to remove your instrument cluster first... an involved job, but one that most can accomplish with patience. If you do a search, you'll probably find some links to the specific instructions, along with some tips that will make it easier.

Go slow and follow the directions, most C3 Corvette repair manuals have pretty good instructions and you're gonna want one of these on hand if you intend to work on it very much. The cluster does get fragile as it gets older and it is easy to break the plastic attachment points if you get in a hurry. I have done this job at least a half dozen times and each time I dread it.

Once you remove the cluster, you can retire to your work bench to remove the speedometer and check it out. Chances are you will need to send it out for repair, so you might consider buying a new one to install as you remove yours. Then send it off to get it repaired and keep it as a spare ...or sell it. There are a few minor differences in the reproduction ones so the originals are still quite valuable if they work.

Good luck… GUSTO

 

Thanks Gusto for the advice, ordered a repair manual today through Corvette central, one thing does the cluster come out from the front or under the dash?

 

I hope you ordered the GM Chevrolet factory manual-they are clearly the best.

 

The following are the procedures copied from my CHILTON 1963 to 1983 (?) Repair and Tune-Up Guide...

1. To remove the driver's-side instrument cluster, first disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. Lower the steering column.
3. Remove the retaining screws and washers at the door opening, dash top, and leftside of the center panel.
4. Unclip and remove the left, front console trim-panel.
5. Pull the cluster slightly forward for access to the speedometer and tachometer cables, headlight switch connectors and lamp wires.
6. Remove the cluster. Speedometer and tachometer may now be serviced.
7. Install using a reversal of the removal procedures.

Lowering the steering column involves removing the trim panel from below the column to access two bolts that hold the column to the dash brace. You’ll also want to go to the floor where the column goes through the firewall and loosen the bolts that hold the escutcheon. This will allow the column to drop about 2 inches giving you additional room to remove the cluster.

Removing the cables from the speedometer and tachometer are a trick in themselves. There is a clip that you need to depress to unlock the cables. There isn’t a lot of room to do this and the cables don’t have much slack, so if you know what you’re going to do beforehand, you will find it easier to release them in this confined space.

Pay close attention (mark them if you can) to the two vacuum lines that attach to the headlight switch. If you get them reversed when you reinstall them, you’ll be removing the cluster again! Carefully unplug the electrical connecter from the headlight switch as well.

You will also want to remove the trip meter cable from the bracket below the column so that it can slide over the brace behind the cluster as you remove the cluster from the car. I either leave the other end installed in the speedometer head, or wait until it is out of the car to remove it. When you reinstall it, attach it to the speedometer head first and then snake the cable back over the brace as you reinstall the cluster. Then feed it back to the bracket below the column after you seat the cluster and then reattach it to the bracket. This bites a lot of folks if they're not carefull and don't feed it over the brace... it will usually kink and make resetting the trip-meter difficult at best ...and can damage the speedometer head in the worst case.

You will also have to remove all of the dash light sockets as well as the warning lights to remove the cluster. They clip into place in the back of the cluster. Try to pay attention to where the warning lights go in particular; they’re color coded, so you will want to reinstall all of them correctly. The dash light sockets are all one color, gray and I install them after installing the warning lights. This is a good time to check that all of the bulbs work and replace those that are burned out.

As I mentioned above, once you have the cluster removed, go slow and be very careful how you disassemble it as the retainers tend to be brittle and fragile… they will break easily.

Be patient and pay attention as you disassemble it and you should be able to put it back together easily.

Some folks also like to remove the seat (only 4 bolts) to get better access to the under dash area.

Good luck… GUSTO

 

Gusto.
Excellent! Wish I had these instructions a few weeks back when I did mine! Didn't know about loosening the escutcheon. Had my bro helping and all went well anyway. Put new headlight switch in while it was out, rheostat for dimmers was bad.

 

Gusto,YOUR THE MAN!! Thanks so much

 

Jermo:
Before you attempt speedo removal for non-functioning odometer ... try this ... if you haven't already.

Pull down on the trip od **** ... slightly rotate the the trip od **** back & forth as you pull down on it. Sometimes barely noticeable, the trip od is slightly engaged (up) ... and that can interfere with normal od ops. If that doesn't work ... try removing the tod **** & cable assembly from lower dash ... then do as above ... some times the tod **** & cable assembly gets stiff from age/dust/lube lack.

Otherwise, that's good speedo R&R info from GUSTO. G'luck.

 

Jackson,
Thanks for the advice, I'll give it a try, hopefully it works, sounds much easier than removing the speedo

 

I forgot to mention ... if you do this while car is parked ... and then drive and find OD still not working ... try this ... repeat same but do it while car is moving ... while speedo cable trying to spin the clock ... sometimes if stuck it helps to tickle OD at two points simultaneously ... the spinning speedo cable & you manipulating the trip OD. G'Luck