Speedometer question (1 Viewer)

[ENDO]

So I have taken apart my cluster and cleaned it tested it with a tool and everything worked great. Installed it in my 71 fj40 with a new cable from SOR . It worked great for a week when it started fluctuating and then finally stopped but the odometer kept working.

So I researched and mud members were recommending in other posts to check the plastic or nylon gear in the transfer-case. I did and it did not seem shredded or sheared. 6x18.
I did not take pictures.

Also when I take off the cable at the transfer case and hook up a drill motor to it , it works fine. So my question is, is it possible for the cable to be to short even though the connections are able to reach are tight? Is it also possible that the cable is not in far enough ( story of my life) or does not engage in the cluster?
Thank you for any recommendations as I keep chasing my tail on this .

 

[John McVicker]

The speedo cable has nothing to do with the odometer...only the speedo part.

The cable is not likely too short...but they sure don’t give you any xtra length. What I have done is undo the t case end, attach your drill and see that it is working...AND THEN...be double sure you don’t pull it out when you attach it to the t case. There is a small slot in the t case end that the cable itself slips in to. If it was working before, you should be able to get it right again.

 

[Relot76]

The speedo cable has nothing to do with the odometer...only the speedo part.

The cable is not likely too short...but they sure don’t give you any xtra length. What I have done is undo the t case end, attach your drill and see that it is working...AND THEN...be double sure you don’t pull it out when you attach it to the t case. There is a small slot in the t case end that the cable itself slips in to. If it was working before, you should be able to get it right again.

Hi John. You seem to know more about FJ40 speedometers than most. I have a 1969 FJ40 (08/68 production). I had to replace cable a few months ago (convert from two piece to one piece). When I first hooked up new cable, speedometer and odometer both worked great, then after 25 or so miles, the speedometer continued working (actually the needle was more stable) but the odometer stopped working. I delayed digging back into it until the summer. Without doing anything, I was driving the other day and the odometer starting working again, but now it stopped again. You mentioned above that the speedo cable has nothing to do with the odometer. Can you elaborate more? Any ideas on what I should do to make the odometer work all the time? BTW, my FJ40 is one-owner and has been kept clean. The instrument cluster still looks new and does not have all the grease, dirt and discoloration I see in a lot of photos. The odometer dials turn freely and click over without a problem or snag. Thanks!

 

[Pighead]

Odometers not working is pretty common and fairly easy to fix, usually. Watch your tenths number while you drive, does it turn but not turn over the miles number? That's how it usually fails.
A kink in the speedo cable, or a too-tight bend can cause the bouncy speedo needle.

Here's how I fixed mine;

Plays with Speedos...

Not my new tribal name, just what I'm doing to my Pig right now. and, I found...I DO have an early screw-on cable type speedo for Jesse. Only trouble, the needle broke off. So, you can glue the needle back on, or maybe cut out a picture of a Mickey Mouse watch and paste it on the speedo. Also...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[John McVicker]

Actually I don’t really and I haven’t had to get inside mine since 2017, but let’s see if we and/or others can help with your issue.

The reason I took mine apart was the 1/10 part oh my odo was broken. Take a look at a couple of my pics and see if your gears that actually turn the odo look nice & clean and have fresh lube.

Lets see if others can point us in the correct direction and if not, I do have another cluster in the garage I can pull out to refresh my memory.

 

[JVZii]

This is an interesting problem in that your speedometer works when you spin it with a drill from the cable and the odometer works when you have it all installed. If the cable is turning the odometer then you have the speedometer shaft spinning as it should.

See if you have play in the speedometer needle backward and forward. Sometimes the bushing gets worn out and the speedometer magnet will set too far back to influence the needle.

The cable will push usually the magnets forward in the bushing unless maybe it is too short. Then it won't push the magnet and bushing forward enough.

Do you have any pics of the back of the speedometer?