speedo dead in 89SE

[fliv43130]

Well my speedo finally died after 32K. Just wanted to ask if it was better off to have it rebuilt of try and fix as is. What usually fails on the speedo. And can anyone recommend a good rebuild place in the states.

Thanks Tim

[dbebb55]

Tim: I don't believe you can get new gauges that will match the old ones. I looked on the VDO website and the company doesn't sell that style anymore. Maybe JAE can help. I just replaced my oil pressure gauge with a mechanical one from autometer. I went to the trouble to swap the bezel and repaint the pointer from red to white. Pain in the ass but ,in my opion, wellworth it. I wanted the guages to all match. The lighting doesn't quite match , I may change the faces in the future to solve the problem. I used an Autometer Z-series gauge from Summit. Hope this long winded post helps.
Dave
90SE

[Dr.Hess]

Tim,
Mine failed not too long ago. There are some rebuild shops that will fix it for you for about $150-ish. I decided on ditching it and went with this:



from Dakota Digital and am very happy with it. I can actually see how fast I am going, which gets real important at the difference between 75 and 80 where the tickets start here. Also has 0-60 times, top speed, service and trip odometers.

Dr.Hess
89 Non-SE

[superdave]

Are you sure it's the speedo itself and not the cable? The reason for asking is that mine went about two weeks ago, bit at the end of the gearbox end. Only takes 5 minutes to check this out. Simply unclip the circlip and pull the cable out to see if the square end is intacked.
Also there is a UK site www.unity1.co.uk/lotus where he has fixed his broken speedo. Take a look


Cheers,



Dave Walters

[lotusguy]

Hi,

One issue with the speedos is the cable, they are not truly matched as a set. Actually, the way it attaches to the back of the unit. It can fail to engage the unit internally even though it is attached. The fix is to cut about a 3/8th " piece of coat hanger wire and insert it just ahead of the speedo cable end, then attach the cable. This allows the internal gearing to engage and normal operation is restored. Happy Motoring! ...Jim'85TE

[unity1]

I've fixed my Speedo. Taken pics etc but not created a page yet.

In my case the magnet had worked its way lose and was hitting on the needle drum (Easy to see with pics). Only took around 20 minutes to take the speedo apart and fix it. If you want mor info the mail me but I'm off the LeMan on Wednesday so dont expect a quick answer.

[janszott]

I had exectly the same problem. The guy that fixed it said it was a common problem with VDO speedos. Easy to fix. I would do it myself if it happens again. Toughest part is removing the chrome ring so you can get at the gubbins.

Jan
91SE
Canada