Rob Bromfield
GT40s Supporter
Just before Christmas my Stewart Warner speedometer started playing up. When starting off for the first time in the day the speedometer wouldn’t register the speed although the odometer would ratchet up the miles. After a couple of miles it would start to register and then it would be OK for the rest of the day.
Thinking that it was a speedometer problem I sent it away to a well known company in Nottingham for inspection. A couple of weeks later it arrived back with no documentation to say what had been done to it although it had gained a calibration sticker and my credit card had a healthy charge put upon it.
It was checked to be working before reinstalling it into the car but a road test showed that the problem was still there.
I contacted the company in Nottingham and then sent them the speedometer and the cable, all 4.2 metres of it!
About ten days later the cable and speedometer arrived back, again with no documentation as to what had been done, and this time I connected the cable to the speedometer and by twisting the transaxle end of the inner cable I could see that the speedometer was registering speed.
Hurrah! I thought my troubles are over.
Not so fast.
I reinstalled cable and speedometer in the car (a lot longer than removal) and took her for a test drive. Guess what? Yep, odometer clocked up the miles but no speed reading. I disconnected the cable from the transaxle and by twisting the inner cable I could see that the speedometer was registering speed. At this point I thought that the cable was little stiff so I whipped out the inner cable, cleaned it off, relubricated it and then reinstalled it. This time the inner cable movement was smooth and the speedometer was registering speed.
I reconnected the cable to the transaxle and went for a test drive. No difference. I did, however, take a note of the odometer reading before and after. It said 0.5 miles. I drove the same route in my usual car and the distance was 2.7 miles.
This morning I’ve stripped out the cable and the speedometer and tested them on the bench. They were fine. I then reconnected the transaxle end with the cable running in a smooth arc on the outside of the car, the back of the car on axle stands, the front wheels chocked and with visions of the scene in Ferris Bueller’s day off where the Corvette goes flying through the rear of the garage I started the engine and put her into gear. No speed reading although the odometer was clocking up the miles in what I thought was not a particularly smooth fashion.
I stopped the engine and removed the speedometer drive from the transaxle. It looked Ok and when the gears were spun the cable drive end spun round. I reinstalled it and started the engine, put the car into gear and watched the cable drive end of the speedometer drive. It spun round as smooth as anything.
The speedometer works when installed in the car with the cable installed in its usual place and the inner cable twisted by hand.
When connected to the transaxle there’s no speed reading but there is an inaccurate odometer reading.
The speedometer gear in the transaxle looks and works fine.
ARRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
HELP!!!
Thinking that it was a speedometer problem I sent it away to a well known company in Nottingham for inspection. A couple of weeks later it arrived back with no documentation to say what had been done to it although it had gained a calibration sticker and my credit card had a healthy charge put upon it.
It was checked to be working before reinstalling it into the car but a road test showed that the problem was still there.
I contacted the company in Nottingham and then sent them the speedometer and the cable, all 4.2 metres of it!
About ten days later the cable and speedometer arrived back, again with no documentation as to what had been done, and this time I connected the cable to the speedometer and by twisting the transaxle end of the inner cable I could see that the speedometer was registering speed.
Hurrah! I thought my troubles are over.
Not so fast.
I reinstalled cable and speedometer in the car (a lot longer than removal) and took her for a test drive. Guess what? Yep, odometer clocked up the miles but no speed reading. I disconnected the cable from the transaxle and by twisting the inner cable I could see that the speedometer was registering speed. At this point I thought that the cable was little stiff so I whipped out the inner cable, cleaned it off, relubricated it and then reinstalled it. This time the inner cable movement was smooth and the speedometer was registering speed.
I reconnected the cable to the transaxle and went for a test drive. No difference. I did, however, take a note of the odometer reading before and after. It said 0.5 miles. I drove the same route in my usual car and the distance was 2.7 miles.
This morning I’ve stripped out the cable and the speedometer and tested them on the bench. They were fine. I then reconnected the transaxle end with the cable running in a smooth arc on the outside of the car, the back of the car on axle stands, the front wheels chocked and with visions of the scene in Ferris Bueller’s day off where the Corvette goes flying through the rear of the garage I started the engine and put her into gear. No speed reading although the odometer was clocking up the miles in what I thought was not a particularly smooth fashion.
I stopped the engine and removed the speedometer drive from the transaxle. It looked Ok and when the gears were spun the cable drive end spun round. I reinstalled it and started the engine, put the car into gear and watched the cable drive end of the speedometer drive. It spun round as smooth as anything.
The speedometer works when installed in the car with the cable installed in its usual place and the inner cable twisted by hand.
When connected to the transaxle there’s no speed reading but there is an inaccurate odometer reading.
The speedometer gear in the transaxle looks and works fine.
ARRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
HELP!!!
