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MG MGF Technical - wonky speedo

Wonky Speedo - the dial twitches through speeds.

Anyone know how i can get rid of this or what the problem is

i have a 98 1.8i mgf


can i fix it myself even ?

Cheers.
jimmy

Jimmy,

I've had this problem and it gradually got worse, til it failed completely and I lost my EPAS.

Sure its in the archive somewhere.

However here is a quick summary.

There is a cable that comes out fo the gear box.

(it is central in the engine bay, and is quite visable if you look directly down the wall between the boot and the engine bay.)

It then goes the full length underneath the car, before emerging up into the bonnet area, through the bulkhead and into the instrument display.

Any kinks, twists or bends in this cable can lead to your symptoms. Also needs to be well greased.

The cables are relatively easy to replace, and can be bought in 3 parts. (as your car is a similar age to mine.)

I bought the rear portion, as I believed the "square pin on the cable that attaches to a plastic cog in the gear box had become rounded.

MG Rover tried to fix the cable, but after several attempts and having my car for two days I decided I'd try and fix it myself.

Mine turned out to be the fact that the cable had become loose where it connects to the instrument display, which was a total nightmare to try and relocate.

Very easy job to do, even if access is a little limited in places.

If you want to remove the cable from the gear box, there is a small bolt located next to where the cable goes into the box. this secures the cable by means of a mounting plate, and then it just pops out.

Reinserting the cable is only fractionally more tricky, and there is a very small resistance as the cable goes into place.
Although as long as the plate is flush with the gearbox you should be ok.

DIY is definately worth a try, and can save you a bit of cash.

More than likely you'll just find a twist or kink in the cable.

Hope this helps.

Paul W

paul weatherill


Also worth a try is twisting a joint so that any oscillation is cancelled out - if that makes any sense.

Under the black plastic cover under the bonnet you'll find a join in the cable. Simply disconnect this, rotate it through 90deg, and then reconnect it.

May or may not work... but it worked for me and it's such an easy thing to try.

More details and explaination in the archives.

P.
Paul Nothard

Yeah I've got a similar prob with my '98 MGF the speedo needle wobbles a bit, it's not much and doesn't bother me, just a bit strange.

Emma
Emma Jackman

cheers for all ur help.........invaluable as usual.
jimmy

I also have a 98 VVC and my speedo needle also wobbles a bit, but I can live with it for now. It seems worse at lower speed though..
Carl L

Almost invariably, this is due to a kink in the cable. My speedo does this too at lower speed. Found the kink, but there doesn't seem to be a way to straighten it - argh! Frustrating!
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed on 30/06/2004

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