The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay task force instrument cluster clean-up

I have the cluster apart for rebuilding and was wondering what cleaner is recommended for the fine odometer, speedometer and gauge parts?

Thanks!

be real careful on the odo wheels, the painted numbers flake off easily - on metal parts I've used Brake Kleen

Bill

The color will come off any painted surface regardless what you use.

Scribe a mark on the side of each wheel next to 0 before cleaning for a reference mark to install the new numbers.

Thank you all - another question:

All gauges and the speedo are original and were working when the truck last ran 4 years ago. However, I'd hate to have to pull back apart at a later date. Upside to replacing gauges would be to minimize this risk, downside is cost and the fact that the repos aren't quite the same. I am leaning towards keeping the old gauges and have scanned the site for ways to test them...found help on all but oil pressure gauge - any way to test it?

if they were working before you removed them, then don't damage anything and they'll keep working, installing new gauges is more likely to result in problems, you don't know the defect rate on those and it's not uncommon to find new parts defective .... the oil pressure gauge is the easiest, just hook it up and start the engine - being a mechanical gauge, it's the least likely to go bad .... other than leaking because you messed up the fitting

Bill

Bill -

Thanks for all the help - the tech tip pictures are invaluable. Unfortunately, the copper spindle that the needle attaches to failed when I (gently, but not gently enough apparently)attempted to remove the needle to refinish the gauge face (broke at the point it passes thru the bar). It appears this is the end of this speedos life.

sadly, not uncommon - if you can find another speedo for parts the shaft and part it attaches to inside the bell can be replaced

Bill