Speedo woes

[Brightonuk]

My Speedo went south on my last track day so I pulled the dial and it seems to be registering if I spin the cable
So I pulled the 90 gearbox Angle drive that seems OK as well but how do I check to see if it is at fault
The twill coming from the gearbox will not turn so I am assuming that is OK
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

[rjnewman]

If you chock the front wheels and raise the back wheels off the ground, you can turn the wheels round and see if the quill moves. Don’t forget to put car in neutral and take off the handbrake.

I found that the quill snaps and may not be long enough to reach in the angle drive. If so pull it out and replace it. Worth changing the circlip that holds the top hat if that has come off as they wear and keep coming off.

Good luck!

[rjnewman]

Also if you pull out the quill. Put it in the angle drive and spin it you should see the speedo needle jump. That way you know the angle drive is ok. Bit fiddly, easier if two of you work on this!!

[Brightonuk]

It that dam brass bushing was loose so I just pulled the brass busing out with the circlip then spent an hour trying to reinstall it cannot get the stupid $30 channel locks to hold the clip



Man I am soooooo frustrated.............. I need Ed China

[rjnewman]

There is no easy way to get the circlip back on. Decent pliers help and plenty of access. You will get there!

Check the top hat base is still round ascthsr cab wear and move about.

[Brightonuk]

There has got to be a better way
Just spent another two hours finally getting this thing in with the help of the wife (Thanks Babe) and the speedo still does not work.
Someone give me options PLEASE!

[rjnewman]

Go back to the beginning and check it all out.

Check the cable to speedo connection is Ok by turning the quill in the cable and seeing speedo needle jump

Then do the same with the 90 degree elbow

Jack the car up, put in the quill and as above see if the quill turns

Before lowering the car Connect it all together and see if the speedo moves when you turn the back wheels

I put bit of plastic cable cover in the 90 degree angle drive where the quill goes to get the quill to sit a few mm further out. That helped a lot

The alternative is to buy an electronic speedo. Looks on lotus seven forum about that

[Brightonuk]

I am 99% sure it is that drive but I will start again and check each component
What is the brass threaded bushing (held in with the circlip) called? I cant find it or the circlip[ on Caterhams parts page


If someone could send a couple of links to these two parts It would be appreciated.

[Darumvej]

Do you mean these below.

https://caterhamparts.co.uk/senders/87-angle-drive...

https://caterhamparts.co.uk/fittings/2434-circlip-...

[Brightonuk]

Yep I was looking in the same place as the gear drive
Thanks

[Brightonuk]

rjnewman you were correct went back to the beginning and I fear it may be a bigger issue than changing the gear drive.

The Quill angle drive coming from the gear box is not moving if I spin the wheels it is not spinning and it wont move by hand either.

Any suggestions what to do next?

[rjnewman]

Next up is to replace the speedo drive gear. There is a plate on the other side of the gearbox that comes off and the drivecslides out. Getting the plate back on without good access is hard as it pushes in and you need to get some force applied.

Make sure you order the right drive with the correct number of teeth. It’s a standard ford part, so may be possible to pick up for a reasonable price. Also don’t move th3 car with the plate off as oil gets thrown out, guess how I know that.

Keep going, it will be worth it in the end.

[Brightonuk]

I decided that $$$ are better than the frustration of trying to fix this issue
It seems a crap setup at best that circlip is a waste of time and having to wire the drive in place seems like a botch job.

With a recommendation on the FB Caterham page I am going with a Speedhut GPS speedo just seems less grief in the long run and probably cheaper as well.

And it allows me to concentrate on the ultimate goal of a street legal Cat

THANK YOU everyone for the input and advice truly appreciated

I am sure I will be asking a lot more questions as a new owner of a 15 year old Caterham in fact any owners in Florida who can recommend a builder who can:
Install a handbrake,
Fix the gearbox oil leak
Rewire so I have high and low beams
Change the brake pads
Flush the brake system
Label all those extra wires I have under the dash
And so on