Dial Problems

[Black Magic]

Hi guys,

Im having a problem with my speedometer which I hope you can help me with.

I bought this car up North & when it was imported into the north all the dials were replaced.

The speedometer reads in MPH (outside) & KMPH(inside). But I dont think its calibrated properly.

When Im driving at 100KMPH it only feels like Im doing about 80KMPH.
All other counters look ok.

I dont think it would have been fitted with a conveter as it reads in both MPH & KMPH.

Any ideas???

Thanks!

[colm_mcm]

sounds like you just have a dial face over your existing dial.


Does the odometer go up correctly. i.e when you travel 10 miles does the clock go up 10 miles only or more (16 miles)

Presume the dials go up to approx 110mph?

If the above is the case, it sounds like the needle was taken off and put back on in the wrong position.

[Black Magic]

its defo aftermarket dials. it goes up to 180mph and 280 kph! think the odometer is working properly..only startin drivin it other day when paid vrt. ill measure it tomor. reckon previous owner replaced them and possibly put needle in wrong. readin bout checkin the connections at back or IFS..dunno if that applies to the same situation....what ya reckon?? tanx 4 d advice

[colm_mcm]

In that case you also have a delimiter/convertor chip fitted. some of these can give hassle.

could just be wrong placement of the needle. try and see if it's consistently reading approx 20kmph over, and see how the needle reads at very low speeds, does it seem unusual?

[Black Magic]

Just tHinkin..180mph and 280kph is a bit meNtal isnt it? haven't seen that b4

[colm_mcm]

standard dials read top speed of 180kmph. you then fit a convertor that changes signal going to the speedo from the wheels and thus the dial reading to 180mph, which is 289kmph.

[Black Magic]

i get ya now.. is the converter located behind the dials? and just check and clean the connections?? tanx 4 the help man

[Baldrick]

I'm a bit intrigued by this topic (probably cos I don't understand properly )

Here's something that I've been wondering about. My clocks go to 180KMPH.
I reckon my car will do MUCH more than this.

It's a '94 GR Tip. Last weekend at the meet, during some spirited driving, I was doing 155-160KMPH @ 4000RPM. I reckon there was a LOT more than 20KMPH left.

What can the GR actually do?

Do you reckon mine is de-restricted?

[colm_mcm]

All Japanese domestic cars are limited to 180kmph so manufacturers usually only go that far on their dials.


Blackmagic: it's more likely your needle is causing the problem.

fitting instructions for camskill's delimiter can be seen here:
http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php? ... 902&z=3413

[Sebastian]

my old GR cut's out at 186 km/h ( GPS speed) on the private track i sometimes use and that was reached in the 4th gear so there was another gear left .

So unless it's derestricted Paddy i'm afraid she'll cut on you around 115 miles/h mark

[Baldrick]

Thanks. What do you mean by 'cut out' ?

[colm_mcm]

Thanks. What do you mean by 'cut out' ?

when the limiter kicks in, you lose engine power and slow down.

[Baldrick]

Cheers for that.

Currently on the look out for an abandoned airport to see if it's derestricted

[colm_mcm]

Cheers for that.

Currently on the look out for an abandoned airport to see if it's derestricted

You should ask Seb if you can use his.

[Baldrick]

You should ask Seb if you can use his.

Seb has an abandoned airport?... cool (that guy has everything).

Anyway, besides that... how do I know if it's derestricted?

I've heard stories (urban legends?) about guys going around the clock a second time (some say they fu*ked up their clocks).

What do you reckon a derestricted GR can do? I recon LOADS!

Disclaimer: I'm not a speed freak. A restricted beast is wrong. Let it be! Then let your conciounce guide you.

[Black Magic]

Hi guys,

I checked the odometer this morning and it should have read 16KM for the distance I travelled but it read 11KM.

Do you know what this means along with the speedometer not reading properly?

Does this mean the overall milage reading on the car is wrong?

[CJ]

Are aftermarket wheels fitted to the car, if so, what the tyre size? Changing the rolling radius over stock can thrown out the speedo and odo.

Have you made speed / distance comparisons with a GPS?

CJ

[Black Magic]

Yeah 17"s..... Getting GPS tonight to measure... will keep you updated...
Thanks for the advice!

[colm_mcm]

that's grand, reading isn't out. the odometer is going up roughly by the correct amount presuming there's a conversion chip fitted.

I don't think you have an electrical problem there, sounds more like the needle is misaligned.

[Black Magic]

hmmm..gets more interesting...measured against sat nav.. drivin 40k reads as 50k, 80k reads as 100k and 120k reads as 150k..so its constantly 4/5ths..think needle is misaligned?? BUT odometer trip is reading in miles, so 1.6km is reading as 1km meaning my milage reading is messed up...am i right in thinkin its just the needle that needs lookin at? many tanx again

[TopCat]

Sounds as if it has been delimited from the odometer, the delimiting tricking the car into thinking a mile is kilometer, so that's not unusual me thinks?
But the needle is reading 4/5 the speed consistently, so it not like its out by a set amount, i.e. 20kph or something, so its almost as if the spacings on the dial aren't calibrated right. Just for the sake of ruling that out, can you post up a pic of the dials so we can compare them to standard and other aftermarket dials?

[Black Magic]

tanx topcat, never knew exactly how a delimiter worked, presume i now have false reading on milage??..first time loadin pics..so here goes..

[TopCat]

I had those dials on my old FTO.
They look to be fine, the 100kph (or 100mph in a delimited) is at 12o'clock, so there is no problem with the dial face.
So at least you've narrowed down the problem now, the needle is calibrated wrong or something, but I'm afraid I've no idea how to sort this, sorry.