1st Gen Speedo problem ...need immediate fix.. HELP !!

[KIC]

Hi guys,

 

I am in the process of (sadly) selling my beloved 89. As a quick background I am buying a friends Stratoliner and had planned on keeping my 89 and actually have time to work on it and really try to get to all those "little" things .. Since I just "inherited" my son-in-laws 86 Venture, I can't keep all 3 bikes and my daughter can't part with his 86 right now. So I am going to fix his up and ride the Strat for now.

 

Anyway, I was trying to do the right thing and get the bike ready for a new owner...and was starting to get that winter "speedo whine" again. I pulled out the lil greaser adapter that Golf & Venture had developed and greased the speedo as I have done before. Anyway, now my speedo is acting weird. At first it would not work, so I reinstalled the cable and checked it so that it was seated properly.

 

Now after several tries, when I take it for a spin it flips very quickly all the way around and stays pegged on the wrong side of that little pin. If I disconnect it from the bottom and spin it with my fingers, it will return to the correct side of the pin, but after reassembly and test ride it spin back around.

 

I have 3 people interested i seeing the bike and really need to get this corrected....HELP !!

 

Any ideas ?

[Marcarl]

Of hand I would remove the whole issue and check for a break or kink in the jacket. It could be that the cable is hanging up on a kink and then releasing. In the process I would remove the cable, clean it with brake cleaner, clean the jacket as well and then lube the cable as it gets reinserted. Once it's in the jacket and completely inserted, I would pull it back out and lube it again. Be careful in the lube you use, ordinary grease will actually restrict the cable rather than help it turn. I would use a very light lubricant, such as Fluid Film or white grease, no axle grease or wheel bearing grease.

[bongobobny]

You might also want to disassemble the speedometer and make sure it didn't get too much grease in it. Basically, the speedometer is in actuality a voltmeter and the cable drives a voltage generator. The faster the cable spins, the more voltage is produced.

 

There was/is an issue with the odometer part of the speedometer assembly where the gears driving the odometer get messed up and then it jams. Eventually the odometer drive breaks and the speedometer functions again...

[KIC]

Thanks. I just got back from getting brake cleaner and cable lube...hope I do not have to take the whole speedo apart...

[KIC]

Okay..so I cleaned the cable and I think I found the problem which was a kinked cable housing. So I pulled and other on off of a parts bike and cleaned that one. Now the needle is "stuck" under the pin. Won't move in any direction.

 

Next step ??? Do I have to pull the whole console out and take it apart ? I actually have a guy driving from Phoenix to look at it and was hoping to have this fixed .. No good deed goes unpunished.. I should have left it alone and sold it as is...

 

UPDATE: Just took it for a spin and the odometer is working but the speedo is not ....;.

 

Edited January 14, 2018 by KIC

[Marcarl]

Better minds than me would have to answer this truthfully. For my part, if it were here in my garage, I would look to see what it takes to open it up and get to the meat of things. It seems daunting, confusing, impossible, but keep in mind that sometime, some years ago, somebody, somewhere done all the work for you. They designed it, put it together and made it work,, all you have to do is fix it. If they could do all they did,, you can do the rest. Go for it!!! all you got to loose is a broken speedo, what you have to gain is one that works.

[MiCarl]

Unfortunately you're going to have to remove the speedometer from the cluster and see what's going on in there.

 

A speedometer is a fairly delicate instrument, that's why I've never been a fan of tackling a bearing howl with a grease gun. I suspect you've pushed the shaft out of the bearing and the rotor is hitting the cup.

[mraf]

I seldom look at my speedometer anymore with the GPS reading being so much more accurate. Throw your old GPS into the deal and buy a new one. You've been wanting to upgrade anyway. Problem solved and no tear down.

[BlueSky]

Here is a video link. Don't know if it will help.

 

[videoarizona]

Bill,

 

Don't know if you got her fixed....but I found this older post..

 

++++++++++++++++

MiCarl:

Normally when the speed indicator breaks it thrashes around instead of just laying there. Since the odometers are down stream from the speed indicator their working tells you all the drive gears are ok.

 

I'm willing to bet that the needle is stuck because it's been a bit gummed up and the cooler temps locked it or something decided to spend the winter in there. So, it's probably just cleaning and a bit of light lube on the gems in the movement.

 

You'll have to pull the cluster to get to it:

- Remove the CMS box from the back of the cluster - it's got a light pipe on it that requires you to rotate it out.

- Remove the brightness control knob (there is a philips screw down in the hole holding it to the shaft).

- There are about eight phillips screws in the back of the cluster that hold the bezel on. Remove them and pull off the bezel.

- Remove the temp gauge from the cluster. This is the worst part because it has 3 little nuts, washers and wires holding it in. The back of the case is marked with the wire colors so you don't have to worry about forgetting where they go.

- Now you can remove the two Philips screws that hold the speedometer in the cluster.

 

Now you can see the workings of the speedometer. At the back is a worm gear that drives the odometers. On the front of that gear is a bar that spins inside an aluminum cup. The aluminum cup is attached to the same shaft as the speedometer needle. There is also a spring to return the needle to 0.

 

Looking at the speedometer from the back, the metal cup should turn freely counter clockwise, with light resistance from the spring. It should snap back when released so the needle rests on the stop. I bet it either has some resistance or a nest built on it.

 

If you decide to remove the needle you need to make some witness marks so you don't loose your calibration. With the needle resting on the 0 stop mark a line on the cup and speedometerframe adjacent to it. Now you know where the cup is positioned at 0 MPH.

 

By holding the cup so it doesn't turn you can gently twist the needle and pull it off the shaft. When you put it back together twist the needle until the witness marks line up with the needle resting on the stop.

 

This might all sound scary or confusing, but it's all pretty obvious when you see it.

[videoarizona]

Bill,

 

Don't know if you got her fixed....but I found this older post..

 

++++++++++++++++

MiCarl:

Normally when the speed indicator breaks it thrashes around instead of just laying there. Since the odometers are down stream from the speed indicator their working tells you all the drive gears are ok.

 

I'm willing to bet that the needle is stuck because it's been a bit gummed up and the cooler temps locked it or something decided to spend the winter in there. So, it's probably just cleaning and a bit of light lube on the gems in the movement.

 

You'll have to pull the cluster to get to it:

- Remove the CMS box from the back of the cluster - it's got a light pipe on it that requires you to rotate it out.

- Remove the brightness control knob (there is a philips screw down in the hole holding it to the shaft).

- There are about eight phillips screws in the back of the cluster that hold the bezel on. Remove them and pull off the bezel.

- Remove the temp gauge from the cluster. This is the worst part because it has 3 little nuts, washers and wires holding it in. The back of the case is marked with the wire colors so you don't have to worry about forgetting where they go.

- Now you can remove the two Philips screws that hold the speedometer in the cluster.

 

Now you can see the workings of the speedometer. At the back is a worm gear that drives the odometers. On the front of that gear is a bar that spins inside an aluminum cup. The aluminum cup is attached to the same shaft as the speedometer needle. There is also a spring to return the needle to 0.

 

Looking at the speedometer from the back, the metal cup should turn freely counter clockwise, with light resistance from the spring. It should snap back when released so the needle rests on the stop. I bet it either has some resistance or a nest built on it.

 

If you decide to remove the needle you need to make some witness marks so you don't loose your calibration. With the needle resting on the 0 stop mark a line on the cup and speedometerframe adjacent to it. Now you know where the cup is positioned at 0 MPH.

 

By holding the cup so it doesn't turn you can gently twist the needle and pull it off the shaft. When you put it back together twist the needle until the witness marks line up with the needle resting on the stop.

 

This might all sound scary or confusing, but it's all pretty obvious when you see it.

[KIC]

Thanks guys.. I have a guy coming in from Phoenix tomorrow.. I will show him this info. I have to work early in the morning so I didn't want to tear it apart and then have to hand him a torn apart piece. We'll see how it goes. Guess I will probably knock off a hundred bucks to deal with it. I am running into crunch time on getting the money together for the Stratoliner.

[Venturous Randy]

As many times I have had the instrument cluster out of a 1st gen, I never thought about trying to do it with the chrome strip and the windshield still on. After watching that video, I am glad I never did try it that way.

Randy

[videoarizona]

As many times I have had the instrument cluster out of a 1st gen, I never thought about trying to do it with the chrome strip and the windshield still on. After watching that video, I am glad I never did try it that way.

Randy

 

 

Yea me too. I thought the cluster came out real easy from the front...

[Venturous Randy]

Two other things that I found helpful is with the cable housing thru the hole in the frame, put a zip tie around the cable so it will not drop back out thru the hole. This way, the cable assembly does not fall to the ground if it is loose from the speedometer housing.

The other is once the instrument cluster is in place and the big plug is connected to the back of the CMS, I will use a zip tie to wrap around the wire bundle to a frame rod above it. It does not have to be pulled tight, but just enough to take the weight or pull down off the connection point where it connects to the CMS. I feel with reducing vibration and pull at the connector, it helps reduce the stress related to the solder joints in the CMS.

Randy

[cowpuc]

KICster, I have a history of being hard on those speedo's, have worn out a number of them thru the years making it handy to keep a spare in stock, I do have an extra good speedometer I would be happy to send to ya if your back gets against the wall on this deal. Just shoot me a P.M. with your name and addy if ya need it...

[videoarizona]

KIC,

 

Bill, I found my older post showing how I took the cluster apart. Simple really.

 

You can print this and give to guy who's buying your 1st Gen or send him the link...

 

Near the bottom is an explanation and more pictures...

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?129385-1st-Gen-LED-Headlight&highlight=Reserve+lighting+unit

 

Sorry it took so long....