HELP! Anybody who knows how gauges work!

[Smeins, Larry]

Is there any chance you had steel or iron filings in the area?  Steel wool
in the area?  Meter movements, like your gauges and speedo, have a permanent
magnet that will suck those small magnetic particles into the innards and
interfere with smooth movement of the needle.  If that happens there is no
recovery short of replacement of the meter.  The speedometer needle should
be held in place by friction and removable by lifting.  But, I had one stick
so tightly I ruined the movement by prying on the needle too forcefully
before freeing it.  I have been successful at rotating the needle on its
shaft to adjust its zero position by forcing against the end stop.  Some
temp gauges have a magnetic stop that holds the meter at its last position
when power is removed.  I don't think my 5k has such a gauge but possibly
your gauge is of this type.

Larry in Loveland, CO

From: Konstantin Bogach <kbogach at home.com>
Subject: Re: HELP! Anybody who knows how gauges work!

I used very little of contact enhancer taking off excess of it. I used it
only on pin connections. I did not put IC back into car because I found
those strange things before I completed assemblying IC.  I think that
something happend to mechanical part in coolant temp gauge(needle does not
move if I push it) and speedo's needle looks like is overturn.  There is
very little chance that my kids touched it when I left my desk unattended
for couple of minutes. I thought it is little. But now I am more and more
unsure.
How is needle fixed to the pin?  Should it come off when I pull it?

Thank you.

Konstantin Bogach.