XJS ( X27 ) 1975 - 1996 3.6 4.0 5.3 6.0

Speedometer gauge intermittently dropping: Please help me fix my Speedo!

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  #41  
Old 11-02-2014, 07:15 AM
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but ,

if you roll the lowest number , it takes the next number to it up one number for each revolution , and you can't stop the number next to it from rolling over without breaking the links

not recommended


not sure about where everyone else resides, but here in the UK it is NOT illegal to fit a odometer with a different mileage to the car , as long as you don't pass on that car without declaring the other mileage to the new owner, this can however have a detrimental effect on the value , but a restoration is just that, repair replacement of anything that doesn't work ??

i have retained my old speedo and it will stay with the car if i ever sell her, and i took pictures of the old and new with a time dated camera as proof of change ,

BB
 

Last edited by Brake buster; 11-02-2014 at 07:20 AM.
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  #42  
Old 11-02-2014, 08:18 AM
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Speedy Cables Swansea set my series 3 speedo to zero, not cheap though
 

Last edited by rgp; 11-02-2014 at 08:21 AM.
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  #43  
Old 11-02-2014, 08:19 AM
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Originally Posted by Brake buster
but ,

if you roll the lowest number , it takes the next number to it up one number for each revolution , and you can't stop the number next to it from rolling over without breaking the links
I didn't say it would be a quick process, BB!

Greg
 
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  #44  
Old 11-02-2014, 08:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Greg in France
I didn't say it would be a quick process, BB!

Greg
i read to me like to roll each number to the desired amount without moving the next one to it, thats all i meant

lol

BB
 
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  #45  
Old 11-02-2014, 01:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Brake buster
i read to me like to roll each number to the desired amount without moving the next one to it, thats all i meant

lol

BB
now now
ive had a 67 Daimler sovereign, a 72 series 2 e type and an xjs which I still have ( the only way I will get some of my money back on the xjs is to part it) and they all had green, why change tradition???????????//
 

Last edited by rgp; 11-02-2014 at 01:46 PM.
  #46  
Old 11-02-2014, 01:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Steve M
What is wrong with blue LEDs?
I only ask because I have a set of blue ones to fit.
I have a blue car with blue carpets; green would look stupid.
There is nothing wrong with blue LEDs if thats what you want. OTHERS try to impose THEIR wishes on other peoples cars.
Its YOUR car. Do as YOU wish.
I might put in red LEDs in MY car. undecided.
 
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  #47  
Old 11-02-2014, 02:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Brake buster
i read to me like to roll each number to the desired amount without moving the next one to it, thats all i meant

lol

BB
now now
ive had a 67 Daimler sovereign, a 72 series 2 e type and an xjs which I still have ( the only way I will get some of my money back on the xjs is to part it) and they all had green, why change tradition???????????// I am not a purist and its your car and do what you like how about a leaper on my series 3 e type, nice
 

Last edited by rgp; 11-02-2014 at 04:43 PM.
  #48  
Old 11-03-2014, 04:33 AM
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Good advice BB about taking the photos and keeping the original speedometer. Cheers.

Guys again thanks for all the advice. Once I finally receive it and install it, ill post the results. (I'm currently at work overseas ATM)
 
  #49  
Old 11-05-2014, 11:25 PM
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I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. I just did an LED replacement for the 5 gauge lights tonight, and I'm having a problem where the speedometer will drop off and not register, while the temperature gauge jumps all the way to hot - it's not overheating, it's not running hot, the gauge just jumps and stays all the way at hot.

These two phenomena are linked, and they're intermittent. At any time, the speedometer will start to read, and the temp needle will fall off.

I tried to be careful while I was back there, I even cleaned the contacts to make sure it was a clean connection with no corrosion. Not tonight (probably this weekend, actually) I'll pull the dash again and bring it indoors for a more thorough examination. Also need to remove the old green filters for the bulbs. If the LEDs are green, then I don't even need them.

When I do this, I'll be paying special attention to the connector at the center of the cluster as that's the one that feeds the gauges. The one on the left is just illumination. My cluster had only the two connectors - no ground wire or anything else (or it does and I'm an idiot.)

Another thing that occurred to me is that the literature that came with the bulbs (which I threw out because I am an idiot) suggested switching to a lower amperage fuse for the lights. Has anyone done this? Is this a good idea?
 
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  #50  
Old 12-01-2014, 08:23 PM
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Hi guys, I'm back.

Well today I finally got around to swapping out my faulty speedo with a 2nd hand one I purchased for $95 AUD. It was out of a wreck and the seller didnt know whether it was good or bad.

Getting the old one out was easy now that i have done it many times. The first difference I noticed between the two was the the original speedo, when turned with my finger to any point (eg. 60Kms mark) would drop back down to zero. It was loose. To me that seemed normal for a gauge not getting any signal.

Now, the other one I just received , when moving the needle with my finger, would stick at what ever point i moved it to (eg. 80kms mark) and just stay there. Not until it reached full scale would it drop back to say about 220kms. This to me seemed like it was sticking.

Nevertheless i installed it, when for a test drive, and no surprise it didnt work at all. Bummer.

I took it back out and tried to free it up so it would drop, but no luck. it just sticks wherever i put it. So i re-installed the old one as it does work occasionaly. Now.....the needle should be free and easy right? Should drop when i let go with my finger?

Damn....what to do now?

I guess i have to hunt for a local guy who will repair gauges? BUmmer this could be costly...

Any advice?
 
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  #51  
Old 12-02-2014, 06:38 AM
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As a sidenote, has anybody had any luck repairing the gauge itself? I see a lot of fine copper wires and moving pieces....looks like a recipe for disaster....
 
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  #52  
Old 12-02-2014, 12:34 PM
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I have a gauge that I want to service but I cant figure out how to remove the needle.

I don't think that it is held on with friction alone. There must be some kind of clip or something but I cant see anything.

Anyone have an idea?
 
  #53  
Old 12-05-2014, 05:31 PM
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ok

i just dropped my cluster down to an instrument repair place and brought down my SH speedo as well.

The guy tested them on the bench and both of the speedo's were dead. He seemed to know his stuff and had instruments and clusters all over his workshop. He actually was working on an XJ6 RPM gauge when I came in.

He seemed pretty optimistic he could get it going for me. He suspects maybe the little inch long circuit board attached to the speedo might be the issue. He says he has a guy that makes up replacement PCB's so sounds promising.

He is gonna come back in a few days with a price and if its reasonably vs chasing down another 2nd hand speedo or cluster, im going to go with the repair job.

It will be interesting to find out what the issue was. Ill post results when i find out for future reference so maybe we can we repair our own in the future.



As a side note, yesterday I had my car up on a trolley jack and i had a look at the transducer and cable connecting to the transmission. Connection looked good however I had some oil and crap in the connector. I cleaned it with some contact cleaner and she looks good. Still didnt fix the issue of course but good to finally have a check.
 
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  #54  
Old 12-06-2014, 04:17 AM
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Originally Posted by paulyling
ok

i just dropped my cluster down to an instrument repair place and brought down my SH speedo as well.

The guy tested them on the bench and both of the speedo's were dead. He seemed to know his stuff and had instruments and clusters all over his workshop. He actually was working on an XJ6 RPM gauge when I came in.

He seemed pretty optimistic he could get it going for me. He suspects maybe the little inch long circuit board attached to the speedo might be the issue. He says he has a guy that makes up replacement PCB's so sounds promising.

He is gonna come back in a few days with a price and if its reasonably vs chasing down another 2nd hand speedo or cluster, im going to go with the repair job.

It will be interesting to find out what the issue was. Ill post results when i find out for future reference so maybe we can we repair our own in the future.



As a side note, yesterday I had my car up on a trolley jack and i had a look at the transducer and cable connecting to the transmission. Connection looked good however I had some oil and crap in the connector. I cleaned it with some contact cleaner and she looks good. Still didnt fix the issue of course but good to finally have a check.
Get him to Fix the other one as well, then you can flog it on ebay or keep it as a Spare.
 
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  #55  
Old 12-10-2014, 02:29 AM
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well tomorrow I get the Blue Goose back up and running.

Rang the Instrument repair guy. He says both of my Speedo Gauges were dead. Gonna try and chase up a refund for my SH Speedo which cost $95. He says it was in pretty bad shape. The original one he tells me the little circuit board was Kaput. He has a bloke that has a replacement board and sent it up to him. He is installing it tonight (could of done that myself oh well) and then the speedo should be ready to pick up tomorrow. Cost...$245 AUD. A little pricey but then again i already spend $95 on the SH speedo so if i gamble with another one and install it I could have the same problem. This way Ill get a working speedo ready to go.

So.....gonna fly up to the repair mob tomorrow, pick er up, and continue my cruising for the rest of the month doing the legal speed limit fingers crossed.

It has been only a few days and already I have XJS withdrawl symptoms

stay tuned
 
  #56  
Old 12-11-2014, 04:01 PM
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ok so got it back yesterday. Installed it and started to drive away for a test drive. First thing I noticed the bloody needle didnt move until I was driving for about 5-10 secs then she started working fine. Drove around the block, every time i took off from 0km/hr notice she was sluggish to respond. Damn. Doesn't like the crawling speeds, not too major I guess. Better than what it was but I thought the problem would be fixed 100%.

After driving around town it appears actually she only seems to start registering after the first gear change from what I can hear/feel from the transmission...does that make sense?

Will be driving down to my capital city today and give her a good test drive on 110km/hr roads so we'll see if she behaves.

The guy bench tested in the speedo in the workshop after installing a new PCB and seemed to work fine, so I may have additional issues with the cabling or the sensor on the transmission itself.

As a side note, has any body swapped out that sensor on the transmission? Do you just loosen it with a spanner, disconnect the plug and swap it out or is the fluid involved?

May have to be next course of action to get it 100% right.
 

Last edited by paulyling; 12-11-2014 at 06:54 PM. Reason: Done a little testing before the big trip
  #57  
Old 12-11-2014, 06:47 PM
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Originally Posted by paulyling
ok so got it back yesterday. Installed it and started to drive away for a test drive. First thing I noticed the bloody needle didnt move until I was driving for about 5-10 secs then she started working fine. Drove around the block, every time i took off from 0km/hr notice she was sluggish to respond. Damn. Doesn't like the crawling speeds, not too major I guess. Better than what it was but I thought the problem would be fixed 100%. Will be driving down to my capital city today and give her a good test drive on 110km/hr roads so we'll see if she behaves. The guy bench tested in the speedo in the workshop after installing a new PCB and seemed to work fine, so I may have additional issues with the cabling or the sensor on the transmission itself. As a side note, has any body swapped out that sensor on the transmission? Do you just loosen it with a spanner, disconnect the plug and swap it out or is the fluid involved? May have to be next course of action to get it 100% right.
The transducer on my tranny took all of 20 seconds to change out, took longer to jack the car up. No fluid involved.
 
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  #58  
Old 12-11-2014, 09:13 PM
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On my facelift the needle is pressure fitted. Pull it off and push back on.
 
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  #59  
Old 12-12-2014, 03:21 AM
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Looks like the generator thing on the tranny is getting past it. Still available. Not too dear. Slight pain to get at, but doable. Mine has a knurled thing to undo it, so you might need a pair of grips. It is also possible the geared spindle bit inside is going home; if so, I do not know if it can be changed in situ or not.

Greg
 

Last edited by Greg in France; 12-12-2014 at 03:24 AM.
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  #60  
Old 12-14-2014, 08:43 AM
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Paul, sorry to hear about your speedo issues and expenses.

I've got a XJ12 that I imported into the USA from Canada and its marked in kmph whereas the US goes by mph. I notice that my guage has two warning lights that seems to be missing on the xjs speedo



Did any of the XJS speedos for the various markets come with dual mph + kmph markings along with the 2 warning lights? I'm trying to get a dial face that I can swap into my speedo.
 
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