Hi all, new here.
Just got myself a 84 brick. I'll need to fix several issues so i'll start with the odometer.

Speedometer is working but i'm not sure it shows the right speed anyway. ( 14 inch wheels )
So, the symptoms:
- Lower speeds the needle is jiggling up and down.
- I have a small tachometer on the right side and i think it shows too low revs but i don't know the car that good so i'm still not sure.
- The odometer moved 1 mile after doing about 120 miles on a highway back home.
- Smaller odometer works only till 9 after i push the zero button and then stops.

My thoughts:
Assuming it's a cable from the gearbox system, in case the cable is bad the speedometer shouldn't work also. Saw a couple of videos about capacitor issues and small gears issues but not sure what is my case. I think if it's running till 9 and then stops it's a broken gear, right?

Your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

I dunno about 1984, but 1987's used an electric speedometer. Odometer failure is usually a plastic gear in the Odometer gearbox behind the speedo.

jiggly needle with an electric odometer usually means sketchy capacitors on the speedo circuit board.

its not the rim size that knocks the speedometer and odometer out of calibration, its the tire outer diameter. stock 14" wheels on later 240s were 185/70R14, these are virtually the same outer diameter as 195/65R15 or 205/60R15 or 205/55R16 which were used on some 740/940 turbos.

 

just about every car made since the 1920s has an odometer. pretty sure they have been legally mandated since the 40s or 50s.

now, maybe they didn't have a TRIP meter, I dunno. my 1966 VW didn't have a trip meter, but my 1984 VW Rabbit did.

 

oh fancy what model was the 66

 

1966 squareback. I *just* found some old photos including one of it, which are in my 'need to scan' inbox... so let me get busy..... ..... ....

ok. lousy dirty old 4x5 snapshot from a shoebox, I owned this car in the mid 70s