Speedometer Trouble - FJ40

[bdsmitty88]

Yes, if you only disconnected the cable from the T Case and did not mess with the speedo cluster, then you did not cause an electrical short.

The cable itself is mechanical & not affected by anything electrical. The electrical part is when you accidentally touch metal (the dash) to the backside of the amp meter. If you did not open up the dash, you are good.

Ok. Thanks for the clarification...probably just a coincidence then and I just goofed putting the cable back in.

 

[TimMc81]

I've been fighting my speedometer for a while now. It will not register anything while driving around. I finally got the speedometer to register when I put my drill on the cable at the t-case and give it a spin. So, I assume that my problem is the gear inside the t-case. I removed the retainer bold on the gear assembly but could not get the assembly it to budge. Is there a trick to extracting the assembly out of the t-case?

 

[charliemeyer007]

My dad was a watch maker among other skills. Way back in the 70's the speedo went bad in his Rambler. Plastic gear in the tranny had a stripped section on the worm mating unit. He hot rodded several short sections of 1/8" brazing rod into the plastic and then filed the part sticking up to the same profile as the rest of the teeth. Worked like a champ.

I have only ever used Vaseline for the cable lube in any of my rigs.

 

[azorman]

I have a 1981 BJ40. The speedometer is part number 83110-60014. Only the white wheel is turning. I have ordered a new one (from Japan), but would like to fix this one. Can anyone help?

 

[Pighead]

I have a 1981 BJ40. The speedometer is part number 83110-60014. Only the white wheel is turning. I have ordered a new one (from Japan), but would like to fix this one. Can anyone help?

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Common problem. The reason can be two-fold.
(1) The factory grease has solidified. Sometimes, a gentle cleaning and light re-greasing will fix it.
(B) Sometimes, the little tab on the white dial wears down. I moved my white dial to the other end of the rotating assembly and made it work.

 

[Relot76]

I have a 1981 BJ40. The speedometer is part number 83110-60014. Only the white wheel is turning. I have ordered a new one (from Japan), but would like to fix this one. Can anyone help?

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I recommend you contact Jack at JVZii. He is the expert on old FJ speedometers. He solved my problem a couple of years ago.

 

[azorman]

Common problem. The reason can be two-fold.
(1) The factory grease has solidified. Sometimes, a gentle cleaning and light re-greasing will fix it.
(B) Sometimes, the little tab on the white dial wears down. I moved my white dial to the other end of the rotating assembly and made it work.

Grease had solidified. It does less than 200 KMs per year so the other dials have not rotated for the longest time. I took it part, figured it out, or so I thought, and put it back together after applying some anti seize. Will need to do it again... when the white dial reach 5... the black dial rotates Thanks!

 

[bikersmurf]

Thanks @devo and Jack! You are correct Jack. Before I could get the speedometer cable disconnected, the needle spun off of the speedometer. It is now laying between the glass and the speedometer plate. I cannot tell if it is broken or spun off. There is a shaft on the needle. I will take a photo and maybe you can tell if the needle is broken. I cannot dig into the repair right now, but I will keep your contact if that is ok with you for later work. I have an extra speedometer when I thought my original '69 was broken a few years ago, but a new cable seemed to fix my problem until yesterday. The extra speedo I have is from a later FJ40 model (maybe 72-74) since it has the newer connector, while mine has the pin with the screw cap that goes into the back of the speedo. Maybe I can use some parts from it to fix mine.View attachment 3279595

FYI... Based on my limited experience, I believe the speedometer needle has merely come loos and it can be pushed back into the shaft. I have pulled my needle off and put it back successfully before. It is necessary to remove it to paint the Speedometer face.

 

[tahoe40/45]

Im having similar issues with one of my speedometers.

When it's cold out the needle bounces around and has a ruff sound associated with it. Once the outside temperature warms up, or something in the speedometer heats up the sound and crazy needle goes away. If i start driving when it's warmer outside everything acts normal.

Cable is new but aftermarket. Im assuming that i need to re-grease the gears in the speedometer.

What grease is recommended for rebuilding speedometers?

 

[pb4ugo]

1st, I'd pull the speedo cable from its' sheath and grease it and reinstall it. The cable is probably twisting then releasing making the speedo jump.

 

[tahoe40/45]

It's a new aftermarket cable, but I'll try re greasing it. The speedo is from 1960 and im sure it needs new grease on the gears. What grease is recommended for the speedo gears?

 

[Pighead]

It's a new aftermarket cable, but I'll try re greasing it. The speedo is from 1960 and im sure it needs new grease on the gears. What grease is recommended for the speedo gears?

If I had to use grease, I might look for a white Lithium type very light grease. I wonder if some graphite might work better

 

[charliemeyer007]

Vaseline will work. Hose out the tube, and wash the cable thoroughly.

 

[John McVicker]

I use a very light grease on the cable itself. On the white plastic gear…believe it or not I just use good ole Vaseline.

You want both of these lubricated but I don’t think what you use is super critical.

 

[CondeCruiser]

I use powdered graphite for the cable. Works really well.

 

[charliemeyer007]

I still have and use my Yamaha cable luber from the 70's. Use your spray can with a pee tube to power wash out your housing

https://www.amazon.com/Vehicle-Lubricator-Throttle-Motorcycles-Lubrication/dp/B08LPD125Q