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I've had luck at a place called North Hollywood Speedometer, but that was years ago. Not sure their current status. I've also heard good things about Palo Alto Speedometer and Seattle Speedometer.
My memory is foggy on some of these specifics but I think you are correct: the bar is connected to the ribbon. Correct. No other connections, OEM except the flexible board to the multiplugs. The British English Earth = USA English Ground. Run a separate earth/ground from the bar to the body (a steering column mounting bracket bolt would do it). The cluster has common earths (two in my diagram one for each plug) and some common 12 volt feeds; lights for sure, but I think maybe some warning lights or instruments. The big thing is to make a clear diagram of which multiplug wire goes via the copper track to which exact terminal on the warning lights and the instruments.
So I got my cluster. The ribbon looked 10x better than the old. I set up a dedicated ground off of the bar/rail at the top back of the cluster, loosened a bolt in the dash and grounded there. Plugged it in and turned it over.
First thing I noticed was that tach and speedo jumped/bounced on cranking. A good thing. Tach is MUCH more responsive and accurate than it was while driving/rev-ing than it was for sure! Speedo still not working (at all) although something did give it a little flicker on cranking at least. Still want to roll the odometer back and fix the damn thing.
Second thing is (and it sucks) the ABS light lit UP full blast!!!
Third is the OPressure gauge IS working and seems really responsive compared to others I have heard talking about how they kinda dont move much.... BUT,,, and there is always a but,,, fuel gauge is not reading right at all. Reading MUCH lower than the amount of fuel I KNOW is in there. I was surprised by this. And pissed,,,,
For the most part (less speedo which is really what I was looking forward to solving) the cluster seems to be functioning ok but is in need of,,,, something,,,, obviously. I will have a second look with a full day off tomorrow, Monday. Havent seen the lighting at night, yet.
If anyone has ANY suggestions, comments or advice about anyone of these items/issues/problems - I am alllll ears. Especially the SpeedO and Fuel Gauge. I am no where NEAR familiar with her fuel usage and rate enough to be giving guesstimates. I know its near full tank now,,, but dont want to be guessing about where the fuel level is.
Thanks for all your help.
In the mean time ----- LH floor is welded IN! Ordered my carpets from Pauls (Flint - with RED trim which I had never considered - Jeremy seems like a good guy!). Alternator belt coming, Crank Position Sensor coming (she is running rough all of a sudden,,, which is new). Thanks to the help of a few notables HERE I bought the stuff I'll need to redo a portion of my fueling system ie - eliminating one FPReg, replacing the remaining FPR with a new Bosch unit, 15ft of SAE30r9 fuel hose to go straight from feed to rail and to rebuild some of the engine bay OE fuel lines, some new clips and MIGHT be getting a deal on 12 reman Bosch Fuel injectors for $225 as opposed to his ask of $350 - hope he accepts my offer, I need them. Fingers SUPER crossed.... I love this ****!
I jacked the car up just enough to get the wheels in the air, chucked the front wheels and put her in drive. I took the wire coming thru the floor of the boot and jammed the ends of a cheap multi meter into the holes. I checked for resistance. I'm not sure what I should be looking for. All I know is the numbers fluctuated and if a friend touched the gas, they fluctuated, more. It seems the sensor is reading and/or sending some info.
I found the little box tucked up under the LH edging in the trunk where the wire plugs in. Basically, I am no use with electrics and don't know where to begin or what I am looking for. Starting to get a little aggravated with the whole thing, lol. Yup.
I think what I need to do next is try to get a reading off of that center screw/pin at the back of the cluster and odometer...?
I will be sending pictures with the next message. Please feel free to suggest, advise and offer advise - as you wish, cna and know. I am out of my depth pretty much.
JJJ
Restate the problem please. Is it the speedo or the odometer that is not working? What exactly happens to the instrument dials, if anything, when the car is being "driven"?
If you have the speedo drive from the diff, it seems as if your meter has determined that there is a signal being generated, so that seems a plus, at least.
Ok. The speedometer and the odometer don't work. I purchased a new cluster, the old was funky, and basically the same in its not working. One difference is the speedo will bounce a little when i turn her over to start. Once started and driving, flat. Neither worked...
The sensor is still in place on the diff. I've never seen it. Wire is there, in the boot. If I try to read it with a DMV, I think in ohms, I get a reading (can't remember off the top of my head, that seems to change/flux when the wheels turn.
There is power at the little box in the boot. Bit I really don't know what I'm looking at. I have a plug that goes from the sensor to the box/reader and one from the reader towards the front of the car.
Yesterday, when poking around switching out the new fuel level gauge for the old one (WHOLE other story) I noticed that the new Speedo gauge has an upper and lower contact point at the ribbon (imagining a pos and neg) and a center contact point held on with a flat head screw that connects to the ribbon and coincides with the plug the lead for the speedo sender as described in the PERFECT diagram i was provided with... A contact point the old cluster set up did not. Seems that oart O the ribbon was missing,,, gone.... I will try to get a reading off that center screw ASAP and report back what i get,,, if anything.
and that's all I got. Don't really know where to go from here but under the car to try and remove the sensor (which I heard is tough but I can do it) and have a look see.
oh and, to add, I put the old Speedo gauge into the "new" one and still nothing. The center screw that was not connected before,,, I connected to the corresponding ribbon lead that is located centerish on the back of the with the flat headed screw,,, as it was on the "new" cluster. Nothing.
Last edited by JayJagJay; May 11, 2018 at 04:39 PM.
OK
I cannot help with the electrics in the boot, I am afraid. Others can and will. But, the first thing you should do is to establish electrical continuity. Test continuity from the gauge to the cluster plug (all speedo connections) and from the plug to the boot. To my shame I do not know how exactly the speedo is meant to work from the electrical point of view, we need a wiring diagram. If someone can explain that, we can devise a test routine. Meanwhile I will search for a speedo circuit wiring diagram.
Greg
Last edited by Greg in France; May 12, 2018 at 12:58 AM.
OMG Greg... Some of those diagrams give me slight panic attacks, lol... I better sit and slowly digest.
I have a question for all. I was just looking thru another string and I noticed something in a picture posted by Warr.
My question is about the series of large plugged holes in the boot just under the tank. They seem to be oriented into the direction of, and giving access too, the cage under the car....? One of mine needed to be reinstalled and resealed when I started working on the car. Let me ask - if I were to pull them off, would one of them give me access to the speedO sensor (I hear it is a real prob to get to from underneath) on the differential?
Looking at pictures of the cage out of the car, the way its designed, it seems that the back of the cage has a large, wide, open space and with one or some of those thin metal plugs removed (they look like the tops of tin cans fit and sealed into the wall of the boot under the fuel tank) it might give access to some things?
I pryed into the two holes at the shelf under the fuel tank. This got me access to the Speedo sensor at the diff and I had it out in a jif... Left hand thru left hole right thru right hole - working blind... But it was easy. I have to say I was a little proud of that. Still, what then? It looked fine. There was a crack in the elbow where wire goes into sensor (see pic) but the wiring and it's cover looked completely intact. Also, strong magnatism in the unit itself... Honestly I didn't know what else to do. I started the car with everything plugged and touched the magnetic tip of the sensor, waved things in front of it watching the dash Speedo and nothing. I expected maybe a bounce or a jump but no. At end,,, I just put it back.
Also, see photos of the sending unit and wires. Nothing looked amiss there. If I were to connect a cheap multi meter to anything here, what would I be looking for???? Last time, I found voltage almost everywhere. Also, at speedometer in dash. On the old odometer/speedometer in the dash I had voltage at the top and bottom bolts that hold the speedometer to the cluster casing, and in the old,,, there was a center screw but no attaching ribbon band (see pic). On the new cluster, there is. If I were to take a read on the center screw OR, even from the lead on the plug itself in the dash (which I is the feed to the dash Speedo from the sending unit?) what kind of reading would I get there, if any?
Below, pls notice the missing screw and ribbon lead in the photo there WAS a ribbon lead and contact point on the new cluster...
I am at a loss here.
I wish i had a photo of new cluster. There was/is a ribbon lead that goes to that connection with the missing center contact point. I used the screw here in my new cluster... As it was cleaner.... CRACKED but not frayed. I dont want to pay for a new o e of these before i eliminate all other possibilities. The exposed wire seems to be a ground and is exposed thru the covered wire set to the other end at the plug All male and female plugs inz and outs. Notice number of wires (3 or 4) to know which plug goes to which.
