Thanks for all your help guys
Flicking Speedo
Moderator: martauto
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Wookie
- E30 Zone Newbie

- Posts: 64
- Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 11:00 pm
- Location: Durban, South Africa
I have a rather strange problem...it happens completely at random and sometimes happens when the weather is rather hot (I'm in South Africa!!). The speedo needle just dips - sometimes right down to zero then flicks up again. It's not really a problem but rather annoying from time to time. Also, I have 195/50 15's on my car - how can one get the speedo and trip meter to show the correct mileage?
Thanks for all your help guys
Thanks for all your help guys
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Simon
- E30 Zone Team Member

- Posts: 14939
- Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 11:00 pm
- Location: South Wales
Take a look at the sensor on the back of the diff, it could be loose, or the contacts could be dirty, it is also common for the wiring to fray and break around the area too, so get under there and have a look.

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dodgem
- E30 Zone Newbie

- Posts: 212
- Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 11:00 pm
- Location: Trowbridge, Wiltshire
I had that exact problem, and sometimes it would stop working altogether for a while, then start again. In wet/damp weather it was much more reliable so i assumed it was a bad contact somewhere that was getting better when the contacts were damp. When i looked at the diff area i must have broken a badly corroded wire just off the connector - obviously it stopped working altogether then.
A bit of tricky soldering (as the corrosion prevented the solder from sticking well) got it working again. I had to cut the plug off and clean it up away from the car to get the solder joints decent, then stripped back a bit under the car and soldered it back on and covered in heatshrink.
Now it works again, but still dips occasionally so i reckon it's a bad contact between the plug and the socket (easily remedied i reckon with some contact cleaner), or worse, it might be another corroded bit of wire somewhere else
At the back of the diff is defineately the place to start your investigations though
A bit of tricky soldering (as the corrosion prevented the solder from sticking well) got it working again. I had to cut the plug off and clean it up away from the car to get the solder joints decent, then stripped back a bit under the car and soldered it back on and covered in heatshrink.
Now it works again, but still dips occasionally so i reckon it's a bad contact between the plug and the socket (easily remedied i reckon with some contact cleaner), or worse, it might be another corroded bit of wire somewhere else
At the back of the diff is defineately the place to start your investigations though
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Wookie
- E30 Zone Newbie

- Posts: 64
- Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 11:00 pm
- Location: Durban, South Africa
Thanks mate, will jack her up and take a look this weekend
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Wookie
- E30 Zone Newbie

- Posts: 64
- Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 11:00 pm
- Location: Durban, South Africa
Any ideas about this?Also, I have 195/50 15's on my car - how can one get the speedo and trip meter to show the correct mileage?
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member

- Posts: 49360
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Theres an adjustment pot on the speedo mech, that could make it more accurate, but no way I know of of sorting the odiometer without using some kind of electronics to process the signal between diff and speedo.Wookie wrote:Any ideas about this?Also, I have 195/50 15's on my car - how can one get the speedo and trip meter to show the correct mileage?
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member

- Posts: 49360
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Break in the wire may not be visible. The copper wire goes brittle, and the wire breaks inside its PVC sheath. Pull the individual wires gently, and if one stretches, it is broken.Wookie wrote:Thanks mate, will jack her up and take a look this weekend
