68 Odometer Question

[Kurt B.]

My odometer recently stopped working however the speedometer works. The car had been sitting for quite some time during the restoration process. Speedometer (and odometer) were not removed and always worked perfect prior to restoration.
Is there any shortcut or quick fix to getting the odometer working again without removing the dash? I have tried playing wiht the "reset" button and the dials move freely when I turn the reset button under the dash but it doesn't work when driving.
Any thoughts or suggestions greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Kurt # 26406

[Joe L.]

Re: 68 Odometer Question

Kurt------

I'm afraid there is no solution other than removing the speedometer and having it repaired. Very likely, the odometer drive gear has become stripped and, consequently, the odometer has become inoperative.

[Erik S.]

Re: 68 Odometer Question

Kut - I have the same issue with my 68; curious where to bring it to for repair....

Erik

[Kurt B.]

Re: 68 Odometer Question

Thank you Joe for the reply.
Murphy's law strikes again.
Guess it will have to wait until winter as I certainly don't want to tear the dash out now since I have waited 10 long years to drive it again.
Kurt

[Terry F.]

Re: 68 Odometer Question

Trust me, there is no reason not to repair it yourself. Just get the speedometer out of the car. If you can do that without killing yourself, you can fix the odometer. That's a fact.

When you do get it ready to take apart, just have a clean dry surface to work on. Put a towel down or something. In the mean time, find a donor speedometer. When you take it apart don't touch the numbers. They are very fragile. The mechanism is very simple and self explanitory when you get in there. The hardest part in my opinion is just keeping it clean and not touching the face of the dial. You will need some small tools like a small screw driver and maybe some small needle nose pliers.

I use a very fine bushy paint brush and sweep any dust away. The rubber gromets are usually deteriorated on the back side of the housing. You might have to improvise something or maybe somebody on the board knows where to get them. As I recall there are only two gears, one or the other is bad or hanging up. Check the catalogs because I think some of them sell those number cylinders. The one on my car was missing some numbers (Arizona heat killed them). I just swaped out some numbers from another odometer. Go for it! Terry

[Terry F.]

See my post. Terry *NM*

[Jim T.]

Re: 68 Odometer Question

Kurt I would not worry about fixing it either right away, enjoy the months you have left to drive and enjoy your 68. The odometer quit on my 70 in 1974, and the car was still under the 5 year 50,000 mile warranty. I did drive it for awhile since I did know how fast I was driving. I did replace the complete unit before I left Dallas in April of 1975 for San Diego. The 5 year 50,000 mile warranty was going to expire on August 18 anyway. One thing about my 70, the speedometer was very easy to disconnect, just in front of the drivers floor pan was a connection for the two piece speedometer cable, very easy to disconnect, less than an minute and not put miles on the car.

[Kurt B.]

Re: 68 Odometer Question

Jim,
My 68 is a one piece cable as I recall when I had it out many, many years ago.(15 or 20)
To remove my speedometer, I will have to remove the A/C ducts and then the entire driver side dash. What a pain.
I am going to try an alternative fix suggested by Jack Humphrey in hopes it will free the odometer reset cable enough to let the dials move again.
I'm sure they are just "stuck" from non use as they have always worked perfect until I let the car sit for the last ten years. I learned the hard way that they need to be driven, not put on a shelf and admired.
Kurt

[Chas Henderson #28127]

Re: 68 Odometer Question

Kurt,

I have a 71. When I bought the car the trip odometer did not work. I could reset it but it did not work while the speedometer and the regular odometer worked. One day I pulled down on the re-set knob and it started working. That was ten years and 34,000 miles ago. When ever I re-fill the car, I re-set the trip odometer and have to remember to pull down on it.

Chasman