Speedo type please
Discussion
But to where is it connected ? I have Da Vinci cryptex style mechanical rolling numbers (like a one arm bandit display) for my odometer. If this means I have a mechanical wire driven speedo, where does it connect to the car to get its data ? I haven't got the car at home any more so I can't check ! Thanks.
Well if you have the mechanical speedo with rolling odometer it has a speedo cable attached to the transmission.
I have not really seen a UK RHD Esprit but on USA Fed cars the speedo cable runs on the left side on the central tunnel and enters the engine compartment at the wishbone of the frame. (On UK cars it could very well run on the right sire of the tunnel). It then attaches to the output drive at the rear of the transmission. The single cable runs both the speedo and odometer. All it is, is an outside sheath with an interior element that spins inside of it. It just plugs into the back of the speedo. Through a series of worm drive, gears and jewel movements inside of the speedo it rotates the odometer and moves the speedo needle. The only other thing attached to the speedo is a wire for the bulb to illuminate it when the lights are on.
I have not really seen a UK RHD Esprit but on USA Fed cars the speedo cable runs on the left side on the central tunnel and enters the engine compartment at the wishbone of the frame. (On UK cars it could very well run on the right sire of the tunnel). It then attaches to the output drive at the rear of the transmission. The single cable runs both the speedo and odometer. All it is, is an outside sheath with an interior element that spins inside of it. It just plugs into the back of the speedo. Through a series of worm drive, gears and jewel movements inside of the speedo it rotates the odometer and moves the speedo needle. The only other thing attached to the speedo is a wire for the bulb to illuminate it when the lights are on.
Edited by cnh1990 on Saturday 20th January 14:31
Oops I guess there where cross over years with a combo mechanical/electronic speedos then. I had mistakenly thought all mechanical type speedos where driven by a speedo drive. I know the later V8 have the LCD type odometer were electronic by the ECU. Sorry about the misinformation. As to when exactly the change occured in not known as the 93 still had mechanical ones. Did the change occur with 94 or mid year?
I will defer to Jim as he knows for sure as the has an S4s. Hey Jim can the later V8 speedo be installed in your car?
I will defer to Jim as he knows for sure as the has an S4s. Hey Jim can the later V8 speedo be installed in your car?
jk1 said:
Yes the change was with the S4 spec. I don't know about retrofitting the later V8 speedo but I doubt it would work as it's a totally different setup and engine management system...
I don't think this is true. When my buddy's '95 S4 had the speedo crap out we replaced it with an identical mechanical VDO unit from a '90 SE. I believe the S4s was the first to change.
Sanj,
You may be right. According to EFF the change was made with the Sport 300 in the UK and doesn't specifically say which US model had the conversion. I think it came about in the US with the revised wiring harness modification which came in the 94 mid model year which I take to mean that the early S4 cars had the mechanical and the late year revised harness cars had the electronic. But that is speculation on my part and I don't know for sure.
Did the S4 you worked on have the revised harness with the rear relays in the wheel arch instead of on the boot panel?
In any event, to answer the original question the V8's definitely all had electronic speedos.
Cheers,
Jim
You may be right. According to EFF the change was made with the Sport 300 in the UK and doesn't specifically say which US model had the conversion. I think it came about in the US with the revised wiring harness modification which came in the 94 mid model year which I take to mean that the early S4 cars had the mechanical and the late year revised harness cars had the electronic. But that is speculation on my part and I don't know for sure.
Did the S4 you worked on have the revised harness with the rear relays in the wheel arch instead of on the boot panel?
In any event, to answer the original question the V8's definitely all had electronic speedos.
Cheers,
Jim
What I am trying to do is get a rebuild on the gearbox to a higher spec. The people who will do it have asked what type of speedo I have but the car had already been towed away at that point so I couldn't check. The workshop manual =seems to suggest that it is mechanical but on the other hand, I seem to recall the idea of a hub sensor and electronic speedo. So which is it? The cart is a '97 twin plate clutch V8. Number 287 ( 277th car made )
jk1 said:
Sanj,
You may be right. According to EFF the change was made with the Sport 300 in the UK and doesn't specifically say which US model had the conversion. I think it came about in the US with the revised wiring harness modification which came in the 94 mid model year which I take to mean that the early S4 cars had the mechanical and the late year revised harness cars had the electronic. But that is speculation on my part and I don't know for sure.
Did the S4 you worked on have the revised harness with the rear relays in the wheel arch instead of on the boot panel?
In any event, to answer the original question the V8's definitely all had electronic speedos.
Cheers,
Jim
You may be right. According to EFF the change was made with the Sport 300 in the UK and doesn't specifically say which US model had the conversion. I think it came about in the US with the revised wiring harness modification which came in the 94 mid model year which I take to mean that the early S4 cars had the mechanical and the late year revised harness cars had the electronic. But that is speculation on my part and I don't know for sure.
Did the S4 you worked on have the revised harness with the rear relays in the wheel arch instead of on the boot panel?
In any event, to answer the original question the V8's definitely all had electronic speedos.
Cheers,
Jim
FYI, the '91 X180-R was the first with an electronic speedo... Some sport 300, or Euorpean, based chips in an X180R will result in an incorrect speedo reading due to the mph kph factor...
jk1 said:
Sanj,
You may be right. According to EFF the change was made with the Sport 300 in the UK and doesn't specifically say which US model had the conversion. I think it came about in the US with the revised wiring harness modification which came in the 94 mid model year which I take to mean that the early S4 cars had the mechanical and the late year revised harness cars had the electronic. But that is speculation on my part and I don't know for sure.
Did the S4 you worked on have the revised harness with the rear relays in the wheel arch instead of on the boot panel?
In any event, to answer the original question the V8's definitely all had electronic speedos.
Cheers,
Jim
You may be right. According to EFF the change was made with the Sport 300 in the UK and doesn't specifically say which US model had the conversion. I think it came about in the US with the revised wiring harness modification which came in the 94 mid model year which I take to mean that the early S4 cars had the mechanical and the late year revised harness cars had the electronic. But that is speculation on my part and I don't know for sure.
Did the S4 you worked on have the revised harness with the rear relays in the wheel arch instead of on the boot panel?
In any event, to answer the original question the V8's definitely all had electronic speedos.
Cheers,
Jim
Hi Jim,
My friend's car is actually a '95 (with Brembo brakes), which should be post-wiring harness changeover, so I would guess that no S4 got the new gauges. The parts manual seems to disagree, however, implying that '95 S4's had the same gauges as the S4s.
Well, I rang the factory...totally helpful and knowledgeable as ever. Early V8 cars have an electronic speedo using a sensor on one of the rear wheels and the posy '98 facelift cars are the same but using a feed from the ABS unit. I would think that the S4s might be either as it has a 4 cylinder engine but is cosmetically the same as an early V8. I can bearly contain my excitement about the knock on effect of this failure. See "In the Doghouse, part 2" ! ! ! !
Gassing Station | Esprit | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff