Odometer Disassembly (4kq)

[Dave]

Carefully pry the needle off the end of the 
shaft with a wide bladed screwdriver.  The last time 
I repaired one (last week), the needle broke away from 
the little brass disk that slides onto the shaft, but 
it was easily glued back on.  Remove the two screws 
and lift the face off of the speedo unit.  You will
probably see that the gear that drives the worm gear 
(or vice versa) has slipped outwards, disengaging itself 
from the worm gear.  You can push it back into place 
but it will soon slip out again. I have successfully 
repaired two units by taking a small piece of plastic 
left over from a windshield wiper installation kit 
(but you can use wood, metal scrap, or whatever you 
have handy) and carefully cutting and filing it 
down so that it can be epoxied to the outside of 
the housing with part of the piece resting against 
the gear, keeping it in place.  I put a small 
self tapping screw through the piece so it can be 
adjusted perfectly but you don't have to go to 
this much trouble if you don't want to.

Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly.  Look for 
the little alignment mark below the stop pin, push the 
needle assembly back onto the shaft, and carefully 
lift it back over the pin.

This should definitely go into the FAQ (if it isn't 
there somewhere already). 
Dave