Opening Instrument Cluster

[Dani Boi]

I want to open the instrument cluster on my 33 to see if I can see what the problem is with my odometer not working (I've read it's most likely one of the cogs has broken that drives the numbers).

I'm a bit unsure if I should be opening it though? Has anyone done it and is it easy to do and put back together? What are some things to watch out for?

It stopped working the other week and I really want to get it fixed.

[lachlanw]

its a piece of piss to open and put back together

like really big jumbo even gumbys with fat fingers can undo plactic clips

just take care removing and replacing needles . better yet dont do it

[saliya]

I want to open the instrument cluster on my 33 to see if I can see what the problem is with my odometer not working (I've read it's most likely one of the cogs has broken that drives the numbers).

I'm a bit unsure if I should be opening it though? Has anyone done it and is it easy to do and put back together? What are some things to watch out for?

It stopped working the other week and I really want to get it fixed.

Hey,

I'm assuming you have a mechanical drive speedo/odo and that the speedo is working but your odo is not. If both not working look at the drive cable from the gearbox.

Once you've removed the speedo/odo instrument from the cluster (pretty easy, look at one of the light replacement tutorials to remove the cluster then remove the instrument from the cluster), you can drive the back of the instrument manually to see what's wrong. Mechanically, they are very simple (about 3 worm-drive gears) but most likely not repairable as the housing/gears are designed to prevent disassembly/reassembly by the average punter.

You will probably need to source a working replacement meter and then set the kms to be the same as the one you've removed.

Cheers,

Saliya

[busboy]

I want to open the instrument cluster on my 33 to see if I can see what the problem is with my odometer not working (I've read it's most likely one of the cogs has broken that drives the numbers).

I'm a bit unsure if I should be opening it though? Has anyone done it and is it easy to do and put back together? What are some things to watch out for?

It stopped working the other week and I really want to get it fixed.

If it is an electronic VDO model as it is in my R31 '88 skyline donor car then it is almost certainly one of the idler gears splitting in half. They do it when they reach 20 years on just about every European car I can think of. My mechanic has a pile of VDO clusters that is, quiet seriously, 6 feet high, all with the same busted gearwheel. I've rebuilt our Volvo cluster three times now using clusters from UPullit, and it makes no difference how many kms the odometer had done in the original donor car, they all die at 20 years of age, it's a time based thing. I will be casting my own gears from aluminium some time this year when I have finished the other projects, as I really miss the odometer for my service intervals.

Pulling the cluster apart is pretty easy, as is getting to the odometer, just finding a replacement gear wheel is the hard bit. If you have to pull the speedo needle off (you do with the Volvo 740), take a REALLY good look at where it is resting before you pull it off, or better still, take a photo. Getting them back in the right spot is a pain.

Actually, I have been meaning to have a look at some of the kits in Jaycar, it's a very long shot but they stock these gearwheel kits with lots of different sizes. It would have to have exactly the right number of teeth (about 20 on the volvo from memory), but if it does, every 20 year old BMW, Merc, Peugeot and Volvo driver would be thrilled.

[busboy]

I want to open the instrument cluster on my 33 to see if I can see what the problem is with my odometer not working (I've read it's most likely one of the cogs has broken that drives the numbers).

I'm a bit unsure if I should be opening it though? Has anyone done it and is it easy to do and put back together? What are some things to watch out for?

It stopped working the other week and I really want to get it fixed.

One more thing... if there is no sign of split gearwheel, and it is the electronic sort, then pull out the little stepper motor (tiny white wheel shaped like a miniature spinning top with two REALLY tiny magnets on the back) and give it a really good clean. There's less torque in those things than a Fiat motor, and even the smallest spec of dust can jamb them.

Still, I'd be betting on the split gearwheel. (I may sound a little bitter.)

M

[Dani Boi]

Hey,

I'm assuming you have a mechanical drive speedo/odo and that the speedo is working but your odo is not. If both not working look at the drive cable from the gearbox.

Once you've removed the speedo/odo instrument from the cluster (pretty easy, look at one of the light replacement tutorials to remove the cluster then remove the instrument from the cluster), you can drive the back of the instrument manually to see what's wrong. Mechanically, they are very simple (about 3 worm-drive gears) but most likely not repairable as the housing/gears are designed to prevent disassembly/reassembly by the average punter.

You will probably need to source a working replacement meter and then set the kms to be the same as the one you've removed.

Cheers,

Saliya

Hey mate

Yeah it's mechanical and it's the odometer and trip meter that have stopped. I did take it apart last night but tbh I wasn't too keen on removing the needles/speedo face to get to the odometer so I ended up putting it back together

I would just buy a second hand instrument cluster but I have one of the Nismo dashes with the LCD screen and I really dont want to get rid of it.

I think I'm just going to try and find a specialist who deals with repairs for this sort of thing.

Pulling the cluster apart is pretty easy, as is getting to the odometer, just finding a replacement gear wheel is the hard bit. If you have to pull the speedo needle off (you do with the Volvo 740), take a REALLY good look at where it is resting before you pull it off, or better still, take a photo. Getting them back in the right spot is a pain.

Actually, I have been meaning to have a look at some of the kits in Jaycar, it's a very long shot but they stock these gearwheel kits with lots of different sizes. It would have to have exactly the right number of teeth (about 20 on the volvo from memory), but if it does, every 20 year old BMW, Merc, Peugeot and Volvo driver would be thrilled.

Do you reckon Jaycar would be able to look at my cluster or do they only deal in parts?

[busboy]

Hey mate

Yeah it's mechanical and it's the odometer and trip meter that have stopped. I did take it apart last night but tbh I wasn't too keen on removing the needles/speedo face to get to the odometer so I ended up putting it back together

I would just buy a second hand instrument cluster but I have one of the Nismo dashes with the LCD screen and I really dont want to get rid of it.

I think I'm just going to try and find a specialist who deals with repairs for this sort of thing.

Do you reckon Jaycar would be able to look at my cluster or do they only deal in parts?

Jaycar are actually just an electronic bits shop the way Dick Smith used to be before it became all consumer stuff. So, no, not much use there I'm afraid.

Brace yourself for the repair quotes, the few I have had over the years have been more than the car was worth!

VDO do an electronic generic speedo for $300, but it needs a hall efect sender (electronic) which would probably have to be retro fitted. Gets messy, I reckon you'd be looking at $500 in parts alone by the time all that was done...

Good luck.

M

[saliya]

Hey mate

Yeah it's mechanical and it's the odometer and trip meter that have stopped. I did take it apart last night but tbh I wasn't too keen on removing the needles/speedo face to get to the odometer so I ended up putting it back together

Hey,

If odo/speedo have both stopped then like I said check the drive cable first - with cluster removed, make sure the cluster end of the cable (the end in the dash) spins when you drive (no spinning = no working).

If the cluster end doesn't spin, check the end on the gearbox. If it does spin, the problem's probably in the cluster. Try spinning the drive on the cluster by hand to see where it's falling down.

Yes, removing the needles is apparently tricky; lots of people break them or the pins (I must have been lucky with mine, the trick seems to be to lever them from each side and make sure they stay parallel).

But you shouldn't really need to do that in order to be able to see where the problem is - once you know where the problem is, decide whether you need to remove the needles to fix it and if so whether you want to.

And of course, if it's worth a lot to you not to break it or you're not confident to do any step; get a specialist to have a look. But be prepared to pay them for their time.

Do you reckon Jaycar would be able to look at my cluster or do they only deal in parts?

If you're considering paying money to someone, I would go to a specialist (Jaycar is not really that).

Try a Google for 'odometer recalibration' or 'speedometer recalibration' or 'auto instrumentation', make some phone calls, and see how you go.

Cheers,

SW

[Dani Boi]

Hey,

If odo/speedo have both stopped then like I said check the drive cable first - with cluster removed, make sure the cluster end of the cable (the end in the dash) spins when you drive (no spinning = no working).

If the cluster end doesn't spin, check the end on the gearbox. If it does spin, the problem's probably in the cluster. Try spinning the drive on the cluster by hand to see where it's falling down.

Yes, removing the needles is apparently tricky; lots of people break them or the pins (I must have been lucky with mine, the trick seems to be to lever them from each side and make sure they stay parallel).

But you shouldn't really need to do that in order to be able to see where the problem is - once you know where the problem is, decide whether you need to remove the needles to fix it and if so whether you want to.

And of course, if it's worth a lot to you not to break it or you're not confident to do any step; get a specialist to have a look. But be prepared to pay them for their time.

If you're considering paying money to someone, I would go to a specialist (Jaycar is not really that).

Try a Google for 'odometer recalibration' or 'speedometer recalibration' or 'auto instrumentation', make some phone calls, and see how you go.

Cheers,

SW

Sorry mate I said it was mechanical when R33's are electronic so it doesnt have the cable, woops. I'm taking it down to a specialist tomorrow for him to look at the cluster anyway so I hope he can fix it for me. He quoted me roughly $150 inc. parts which I dont mind paying.

Thanks for the help though! We'll see how it goes