The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Busted Speedometer Needle?

What would cause a speedometer needle to break?

It's broken just above where it hooks on the part that rotates.

Any information would be appreciated.

Things just get old and break, just like me. I don't know if any shops sell a needle for your '46, but there are plenty of repair shops if you don't want to mess with it yourself. Cecil.......

Replacement Needles are available.

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I've read about, and even seen, folks using a painted toothpick to replace their busted needle.

Little nail polish or white out, a little dab of superglue, and you're back on the road.

Thanks guys.

I did know about the replacement needles at American Classic (though I didn't know the toothpick/superglue trick).

The reason I asked was I was afraid that there was something mechanically wrong with the speedometer that would have caused the needle to snap off like that. I'd rather fix it just the one time... Those things are a pain in the butt to get out of the dash.

Of course, I don't know what it's made of. It may have just disintigrated over the years of sitting there.

Could I put a drill on the speedo cable to see if the gauge goes?

I epoxied a red-painted, toothpick-like piece of wood for my speedo needle.

Then my kid got me a gift certificate from RB's which had gone out of the restoration business in favor of hot rod stuff. I had to buy something. One of the things was a new speedo needle. One of these years I'll put it in.

brendanm720,

Obviously, age would be the prime suspect..I wonder if the old dry speedo cable has a hitch in it's git-along and wound up a couple of turns, then let go with "much vigor" popping the tired old needle in two! Can a speedometer do this? :confused:

Stuart.

Thanks for the info, guys. You've been very helpful!

I'm gonna check the mechanical end of this some time this weekend and I'll let you know if it checks out.

Those old needles are thin and light.. i'm not sure what they were made out of.. bakelite perhaps?

The most common cause of the breaking would be a combination of two things:

#1: Material fatiuge (the needle drying out and getting brittle)

#2: WSS (Wobbly speedo syndrome) thats where the speedometer needle "bounces" instead of operating smoothly.. usually caused by a dying speedometer, a failing speedo cable, or a jacked up speedo gear in the tranny.

So imagine an old, brittle twig in your hand.. if you gingerly move it around, it'll stay in one piece.. if you shake the [censored] out of it, it'll probably break.

Before you replace the needle, i'l check to make sure you have a smoothly operating speedometer first.. because if you have to buy a rebuilt speedometer or a NOS one, it'll come with a new needle, anyway.

Maybe you've been driving fast enough to bury the needle to the point of breaking it when it hits the peg!!!!!

the tube from a w-d can works good

What I'm curious about is-how do ya get the bezel off and how do ya crimp it back on without scarring it all up? I replaced the needle on my old Harley's speedo 3 times,but never figured out a way to do it and have the chrome bezel look good when I was done.
Speed

Wow... I don't look in on the thread for a couplea days and it explodes!

Fumblin: I'm pretty sure I've got a wobbly speedometer or a goofy cable. I pulled the end of the tranny and ran it with a drill. I watched the stubby and it was pointed straight up with the drill going flat out (the battery was almost dead) and then when I shut it off, sometimes it bounced back to 0 and sometimes it stayed put. I'm thinking that there's something in there that needs some work, and it might just be worth it to grab that one off of ebay from the speedo shop down in Detroit and be done with it.

Oldblu49: [snicker] I, for some reason, don't think that that's the problem. It hasn't been driven far/fast enough for it to even hit halfway up for about as long as I've been around.

32fire2: That's a good tip...

Speed: The Speedometer is part of a rectangular gauge cluster on the '46, and I'm pretty sure that I saw screws holding it onto the back of the cluster assembly when I stuck my head under the dash the other day. I shouldn't have to screw around with the Bezel. I'd love to help you with your Harley, but I've never worked on one. Sorry.