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Speedo gears

Clark

Silver Level Sponsor
I have a 66 Alpine. Speedo does not work. Cable is but does not turn. Took the gear out of the transmission and looks ok. What do I need to take apart to check the inside gear? Can't find reference to the inside gear and how attached. Know where I can find one?
 

Barry

Diamond Level Sponsor
Like most cars, the speedometer cable on a Series Alpine is driven by a pair of gears in the transmission tailshaft housing.

The "inside gear" (speedometer wheel) and the speedometer pinion for an O.D. transmission are shown in Figure 3 on page 3 and Figure 9 on page 9 of Section 8 (Gearbox / Overdrive) in WSM-145. Figure 3 on page 5 shows an exploded view of a non-O.D. transmission, but it does not have the detail of the O.D. transmission drawings. Maybe someone else has a better resource.

sunbeamalpine.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/8-Overdrive-and-Gear-Box-E.pdf
 
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Clark

Silver Level Sponsor
My gearbox is a standard 4 speed. I am a newbie here, just trying to find out how to get this fixed.
 

Barry

Diamond Level Sponsor
The speedometer wheel (the inside gear) is made of steel and is either part of or splined / pressed on the transmission output shaft, so that is an unlikely failure point. You stated that the speedometer pinion gear "looks ok", so ....

The other possibilities are that the speedometer cable has failed or that the speedometer is not working.

You stated "Cable is but does not turn." That suggests that the speedometer cable may have failed. Checking the speedometer cable is simple. Disconnect both ends of the cable; when the transmission end is turned, the speedometer end should also turn. Sunbeam Specialties (www.rootes.com) sells the appropriate non-O.D. S-V speedometer cable under their part number D155.

If the speedometer drive gears in the tailshaft housing are OK and the speedometer cable is OK, then the speedometer is probably kaput.

You can find a lot of information by using the forum search function on the right side of every forum page under the dark and light gray bars that go horizontally across the page. Try searching for "speedometer does not work", "speedometer problem", "speedometer repair", etc.
 

Clark

Silver Level Sponsor
Barry, Thanks for the reply. I have a new cable and the speedo has not been attached. Think I will try to run the car on a hoist and, see if the gear is turning with the cable off. It should pin it down if the fault is in the internal gear. I agree it seems unlikely that the internal gear has been stripped or loose as the external gear looks good, but we will see!
 

beamdream

Gold Level Sponsor
I have a 66 Alpine. Speedo does not work. Cable is but does not turn. Took the gear out of the transmission and looks ok. What do I need to take apart to check the inside gear? Can't find reference to the inside gear and how attached. Know where I can find one?

This might help, the nylon drive gear is held in place on the output shaft with circlips either side. If this gear is at fault, the rear extension housing needs to come off to access it, sadly that's a gearbox out job.
 

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