‘71 Fj40 speedometer/odometer inoperative (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Aug 20, 2021
Threads
12
Messages
85
Location
Pacific Northwest
My ‘71 speedo just bounces around and doesn’t work. It looks to have a new cable. Odometer doesn’t function either. I really want to know how fast I’m going,
any ideas on how to square it away?
 
@jvzi. Repairs them. Does nice work
 
Couple of things that could help before you spring for a new cable. These things solved my bouncing cable.

A) 1st make certain you cable is firmly attached at both ends. This can be tricky at the dash end. You don’t have much room to get your hand in there to seat it firmly…but it can be done. It helps to undo it at the t case end, then firm it up at the dash end. Then be very careful you don’t undo your work when you reattach the t case end.

B) As far as bouncing…pull the cable out of its sheath, clean it up and then lube it up…I used Fluid Film. Solved my bouncing needle.

If you don’t actually need a new cable, these steps can get it right.

ONE OTHER THING, do a test with your cable and a portable drill:
1) undo the cable at the t case, attach it to the drill. Have someone turn the drill on while you watch the needle.
 
I’ve often found for a bouncing speedo, that cleaning and greasing does wonders. I use regular wheel bearing grease and just lightly lube the cable then put it back in the sheath.

Hehe
 
Odometer issues are normal

 
Everyone has given good advice above. What I would suggest is the following.

Pull the cluster (MAKE SURE TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY FIRST) The drill test is the best test. You use a square drive bit or even a sharpened pencil and spin the speedometer. I use the lower speed first. If it's bouncing around then likely it's worn out.

These older screw in clusters just have a bushing and after a while the get loose and wobble just enough that the magnet doesn't influence the needle evenly so it jumps around.

As for the odometer. The link above is a good resource for fixing. Whatever lubricant Toyota use in the 60s and 70s turns to glue at some point. It's not too difficult just tedious. One word of advice only use hand soap and water to wash the odometer wheels just about every kind of solvent and cleaner takes the lettering right off. Ask me how I know 😁
 
Couple of things that could help before you spring for a new cable. These things solved my bouncing cable.

A) 1st make certain you cable is firmly attached at both ends. This can be tricky at the dash end. You don’t have much room to get your hand in there to seat it firmly…but it can be done. It helps to undo it at the t case end, then firm it up at the dash end. Then be very careful you don’t undo your work when you reattach the t case end.

B) As far as bouncing…pull the cable out of its sheath, clean it up and then lube it up…I used Fluid Film. Solved my bouncing needle.

If you don’t actually need a new cable, these steps can get it right.

ONE OTHER THING, do a test with your cable and a portable drill:
1) undo the cable at the t case, attach it to the drill. Have someone turn the drill on while you watch the needle.
The first thing I discovered is where the cable screws into the plastic housing in the back of the speedo, the threads in the housing are stripped.
I can’t tightly secure the cable to the speedo housing. I don’t know if that’s the ONLY issue, but I haven’t figured out how to get past this yet.
 
Can you provide a couple of good pictures of the area? We might be able to offer some help once we see your issue.

EDIT: Also do the test with the drill so we can know everything we are dealing with.
 
Can you provide a couple of good pictures of the area? We might be able to offer some help once we see your issue.

EDIT: Also do the test with the drill so we can know everything we are dealing with.
Alright, drill test works great! Here is a picture of the thing with the stripped threads. I’ve seen metal ones, but I haven’t seen plastic, and this is.

5EED22CA-82D6-4AD4-AE8A-6B1BF4ADAD6F.jpeg
 
Well, the good thing is that your cluster at least is in working shape. Now the bad thing is that you say the threads are stripped.

Mine is a ‘75, which is evidently different than your ‘71. At my t case end my the speedo cable has female threads going over male threads…yours is opposite so I’m doing some guessing here…how bad are the threads stripped? Is there any way at all that you can see to clean them up enough to get a good attachment? Is there an easy way to remove your plastic part?
 
Get yourself a thread restorer file. It is a very handy tool to have. Many uses.

Chase all the threads on the replacement cable thoroughly. Sometimes the QC on the cables is less than acceptable. Ask me how I know. :rolleyes:

Once you have the inside of the plastic receptacle cleaned with qtips to where you can clearly see them, the burrs of plastic can be easily cleaned out of the grooves with a dental pick.

That said, you should STILL plan on doing everything mentioned above. Repaired threads on an otherwise unserviced 50 year old speedo will only lead to a permanently damaged speedo.
 
I’m glad Mark chimed in…take his thoughts seriously…doing work with the thread restorer and do clean up & lube the cable once you get that far.

Are you familiar with the thread restorer he mentioned? Sounds like you might be on your way to salvaging this.


EDIT: be CERTAIN to do as @JVZii suggested…disconnect your battery while working on your cluster.
 
Everyone has given good advice above. What I would suggest is the following.

Pull the cluster (MAKE SURE TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY FIRST) The drill test is the best test. You use a square drive bit or even a sharpened pencil and spin the speedometer. I use the lower speed first. If it's bouncing around then likely it's worn out.

These older screw in clusters just have a bushing and after a while the get loose and wobble just enough that the magnet doesn't influence the needle evenly so it jumps around.

As for the odometer. The link above is a good resource for fixing. Whatever lubricant Toyota use in the 60s and 70s turns to glue at some point. It's not too difficult just tedious. One word of advice only use hand soap and water to wash the odometer wheels just about every kind of solvent and cleaner takes the lettering right off. Ask me how I know 😁
Boy you weren’t kidding about glue!
suggestion on what lube to use after I get it cleaned up?
 
I’m glad Mark chimed in…take his thoughts seriously…doing work with the thread restorer and do clean up & lube the cable once you get that far.

Are you familiar with the thread restorer he mentioned? Sounds like you might be on your way to salvaging this.


EDIT: be CERTAIN to do as @JVZii suggested…disconnect your battery while working on your cluster.
I’ve never heard of that, but I guess to learn about thread tool.
 
You can google it & likely get it from Amazon. Prob less than $25. Valuable tool and you need it to get this repaired.

It is simple and easy to use. Good luck.👍
 
You can google it & likely get it from Amazon. Prob less than $25. Valuable tool and you need it to get this repaired.

It is simple and easy to use. Good luck.👍
I think I might have this thing licked! After getting it all cleaned up, it doesn’t look like the threads are stripped, but there wasn’t enough speedo cable to fully seat, so I gave it some slack, and it mates well!
I dig getting into a group with cool people, and I’m glad I’m a land cruiser guy, because y’all are very cool.
 
You can google it & likely get it from Amazon. Prob less than $25. Valuable tool and you need it to get this repaired.

It is simple and easy to use. Good luck.👍
Alright,
speedo works, BUT at dead stop it’s at almost 10mph! So yay, I have a speedo but it’s not zeroed, and have no idea how that gets zeroed.
odometer still doesn’t work but I know why.
the speedo little main shaft has a gear that should mesh with the next gear but, it has play back and forth so it’s not meshing and turning the little gear.
I have no idea how to square that away.
and all my gages but alt. are dead.🤬
 
Someone may correct me on this…but I ‘think’ you can GENTLY move/bend the speedo needle back to zero. I have done this myself on some of the gauge needles. So I would think you could.
 
Someone may correct me on this…but I ‘think’ you can GENTLY move/bend the speedo needle back to zero. I have done this myself on some of the gauge needles. So I would think you could.
This sets at zero just fine, but as soon as you connect the cable it moves to 10.
I haven’t shot at it yet, but a shooting is on the table.😁
 

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