Putting in the rebuilt speedo...

[SCJJR65]

Since I have a couple of weeks off before the start of the summer semester, I plan to put in the newly refurbished speedo I recently got back from Palo Alto Speedometer, probably on Monday or Tuesday.  (And let me tell you, it looks brand-new, too!)  At the suggestion of PAS, I also got a new speedo cable assembly as well, so there would be a less likely chance of any binding from the old cable that's been on the bike for who-knows-how-long.

I know I'll have to remove the fuel tank to take out the old cable.  Aything else I should be aware of or do (or not do)?  There ain't much at all in the "official" BMW shop manual on the speedo and/or cable replacement procedure.

It'll be so good to once again know how far I've gone!    

[NC Steve]

Hey John, good to hear your speedo's back.
Nothing to contribute, just wanted to say I'll be watching this thread myself, trying to learn something new.
Hope Palo treated you well.  

[SCJJR65]

I guess I'll know once the speedo is back in Britta and I've been tooling around on her for a while.  I can tell you this - The whole thing looks like it's brand new!  Everything - the housing, connections, black ring that holds the glass, the glass, the face, digits in the window, rubber reset button - all clean and shiny!    (And believe me, the speedo I shipped them was really grungy looking and all scratched up!)

[Justin B.]

It looks great, but for what they charge I wouldn't expect anything less.  It would be nice if there was a place we could send speedos off to just to get them fixed instead of a total refurb/resto.  I'm curious to see if they corrected the "calibration" or if it still reads 10% fast.  As far as the cable, it's pretty much a no-brainer but don't forget the tie-wrap on the boot at the transmission end...

[Semper Gumby]

It looks great, but for what they charge I wouldn't expect anything less.  It would be nice if there was a place we could send speedos off to just to get them fixed instead of a total refurb/resto.  I'm curious to see if they corrected the "calibration" or if it still reads 10% fast.  As far as the cable, it's pretty much a no-brainer but don't forget the tie-wrap on the boot at the transmission end...

FWI - MY speedo is now within 1 mph per the GPS after its Palo Re-build.  Too bad I didn't check it before I sent it off so I have no idea wheither this was part of the re-build not.  Maybe my Mich Macadam is "just right" (120/90H18)

+1 on tye wrapping the boot or some heat shrink tubing or some Permatex gasket sealer (blue).  I used some heat shrink tubing from Radio Shack.  An ounce of prevention....

[SCJJR65]

Well, I'm bummed.....  I was all jacked to replace the speedo and cable today, and carefully removed the gas tank, then unhooked the old speedo cable from the bad speedo that was in Britta, then delicately removed the cable from the other cables and then proceeded to unhook it from the engine case.  What I saw when I removed the cable was a black plastic "fitting" (I guess that's what it is called) that fits into the case and has a space for a bolt that holds the negative ground wire to thread through to keep the cable seated properly in the case.  It does NOT come off the old cable, either.  My NEW cable does not have this black plastic fitting.  You can see what I'm talking about in the photo that shows the old cable end on the left and the new one on the right.

Did I get the wrong cable assembly for my bike?  Is this black plastic fitting a separate part from the cable assembly that I did not get because "I did not order it"?

Naturally, the dealer is closed on Monday, and now I'll have to wait until Tuesday to take both cables to the parts department and get some answers.  Crap..... I'm PD'd    I was all set to have Britta back together this afternoon and see how the new speedo performs.  Ain't gonna happen today, I'm afraid.  Yeah, I'm bummed....

[Bob_Roller]

That black plastic bushing is a separate part from the cable assembly. It should come off, try applying some heat from a hair dryer to soften it up a bit. From the picture it looks a bit chewed up, mine has looked the same for quite a long time now.

[Justin B.]

Bob, those are probably Bob's teeth-prints from trying to gnaw it off!  

[Bob_Roller]

Worst case scenario, it's only about $1 to replace it. Mine alternates being stuck in the trans, or to the speedometer drive cable.

[SCJJR65]

Well, I'm going to pay the dealer a visit this morning and find out.  With MY luck, they won't have it in stock and will have to order it.  I guess this must be what Darryl at Palo Alto Speedometer meant by me needing a new "cable assembly".  That little black fitting, when added to the speedo cable itself, makes it a "cable assembly".  I'm still kinda PO'd, though.....  (grumble, grumble.....)

[SCJJR65]

"My Kingdom for a Working Speedometer" (Final Chapter)

OK, the "bushing" that I needed camne in this morning, and I drove over to the dealer and picked it up and got back home as soon as I could so I could get the speedo installed.

It was tricky getting the cable hooked up at both ends, but I managed and then fit the gas tank back on the frame and hooked up the fuel line once again.  I cranked Britta up and after letting her idle for a minute, slowly pulled off out of the driveway and onto the street.

I watched as the speedo needle moved slowly up as I accelerated slowly thru the gears, and watched the trip meter moved forward each tenth of a mile that I went.  I turned on a side road and sped up a bit and put about 7 or 8 miles on the bike, and the speedo worked flawlessly!  Success!!

Boy, is it nice to have a fully functioning speedometer once again!  I'm a happy camper!    8-)

(Now, I wonder how hard it is to replace a neutral switch?)   [smiley=happy.gif]

[Justin B.]

Fairly simple, once you remove the transmission!  

[Bob_Roller]

John, if you don't mind me asking, what was the cost of the rebuild by Palo Alto? Replacing the neutral switch with the transmission installed, is about 2-3 hours of work. The biggest hassle is getting the round spacer out of the way, then getting it back in. A few tips that I use, is to bevel the edges of the spacer, and put the spacer in the freezer as soon as you can to shrink it slightly. I've heard that there is a newer style switch that isn't as long as the original, giving you a little more room to work with. You also have to bend the metal contacts on the switch to facilitate installation ( at least you had to on the original style switch), just don't bend them too much, or you'll be going back to the dealer for another switch ( been there, done that!) .

[Justin B.]

Exactly why I said it was simple ONCE the transmission was out!  If you are due for a spline lube you could kill two birds with one torque wrench by pulling tranny, changing AND TESTING switch, lubing splines, and reinstalling...