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MG MG Y Type - Speedometer

Once again I have a problem with the speedometer in YB 1041 . Whenever the car has not been run for awhile the speedometer initially would not work and then it suddently jumps back to registering speed ,the mileage counter always continues to work as is the case now and the overall mileage counter just works at a increased rate.
I am aware that the problem is due to oil creeping up speedometer cable from the gearbox and to fix this I intend to take out speedometer and clean by spraying brake cleaner fluid into it or should it go to a specialist .I intend to replace cable.
My request is how to prevent oil from creeping up cable ?
E Winters

Hi Ed

Easiest way to do this is to make a small thinish felt washer to go inside the gearbox end of the cable. It needs to be thin so that it does not stop the cable from attaching to the gearbox drive outlet. Likewise there will need to be clearance so that the cable does not snag on the felt when the cable rotates, yet close enough to intercept the oil and effectively wipe the cable.

As to dismantling the speedometer head, if you do it, do it inside a cardboard box with a sealed bottom so that if stuff springs off or drops off it gets caught inside the box not fired across the room into oblivion!

You should also check the level of the oil in your gearbox (when cold) to ensure that it is not over full. If it is, remove some as the excess cranking pressure when the car is being driven may be forcing oil out through the weakest point. It may be a good idea to start with this first.

Good luck,

Paul
Paul Barrow

Hi Ed,

I had problems with the speedo and the clock on my yb and set to work fixing both and in case it was helpful I wrote an article in the Octagon Bulletin. So if you are still in trouble and if you dont have the article I could put a copy on this site somewhere? or email you a copy. In the meantime are you sure it is oil trouble could be a sticky needle assembly? The mileage and trip are both driven on worm gears from the input shaft so should respond in a similar way.

Let me know if you want further input

Best regards
Brian YB,TC
b r hough

John Ostick,www.jdo1.com ,has now repaired the speedometer and clock from YB 1041 .As well as the felt washer at gearbox end of speedometer he recommends drilling a small hole in the outer cable near the gearbox to allow oil that does make its way up the cable to drip out .I am told that early cars did not have a coating on the cable and oil was able to drop out .
John offers an efficient service and a quick turnround .
All I have to do now is to get the speedometer back in the car and take those preventive measures .

Ed Winters
E Winters

I refitted speedometer with clock to the YB and connected to gearbox with new cable .
To prevent oil moving up speedo cable I made sure oil to be at normal level on dip stick .Very important that because if the volume of oil as per capacity of gearbox is added then there would be too much oil ,really only the bottom of box needs oil .
Also fitted felt washer to gearbox end of cable and cut opening to let oil drip out if any did travel up .
Having removing the old cable I found that Miles Harris , the previous owner ,had already taken those preventive measures but when I got the car the first thing I did was to service the car and fill up with recommended oil capacities all round .So that the story so far and over a few years oil contaminated speedo .

On taking car for test run speedometer needle did not regrister and on contacting John Ostick was informed that the inner cable was probably too long and speedometer had been damaged. Apparently some new speedometer cables are being supplied with inner cable too long .

So speedometer taken out again and returned to John Ostick who informed me that the needle had been sticking to stop pin .He scraped off paint and problem solved .

Now refitted speedometer and taken YB for test run and yes speedometer works as does clock .
E Winters

Speedograph Ritchfield (see our Links page) are the go to people for cables folks. People like Moss will sell you a TD cable ... wrong length ... as they do not know MG Ys.

Paul
Paul Barrow

This thread was discussed between 15/11/2011 and 13/02/2012

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