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MG TD TF 1500 - Odometer & trip meter both broke

During the recent Glenwood rally I used my trip meter reset knob quite a bit. Before that I rarely touched it because of it's age. It worked fine though. However, somewhere on the way home both the trip meter AND the odometer died. I've fiddled with the reset knob hoping for miracles but that didn't help. The speedometer works fine.
Archives are full of posts on odometers but I can't find a solution. Any suggestions are welcomed!
Thanks,
Ed
efh Haskell

If you have a chronometric type speedo I'm no help. If you have a later magnetic type then I have some suggestions.
MG LaVerne

ed, when was the last time the instrument was overhauled/serviced? i used nisonger instruments several years ago and had a quick turn around and the instrument has worked great since. regards, tom

http://www.nisonger.com/
tm peterson

LaVerne, how do you tell which type? Are you going tomorrow?

Tom, I doubt it was ever serviced, not by me anyway. As I remember getting it out is like a root canal. Humm....
efh Haskell

Ed

I think you have stripped one or many of the teeth on the fibre drive gears. Depending how adventurous you are you can replace these with nylon gears that are available from a good hobby shop that supplies parts for electric model cars, ensure you get the correct number of teeth on the replacement gears otherwise your mileage display will be inaccurate.

If you search web resources you will find someone has managed to repair the original gears, I had no success using this process.

Only other alternative is to follow Toms suggestion.

Graeme
G Evans

Ed, I had my TF gears both go out due to dried old grease that locks up the shaft and strips the fiber teeth. I repaired the broken teeth with a mold I made and JB Weld that has worked well for 4 years. You are fully capable of this as I have come to know you. It is actually a fun, satisfying project if you like close work.

The idea of getting new gears from a hobby shop is appealing. The gears are rare and it seems the repair shops have a lock on what remains at high prices.

Here is shot of the TF speedo after I repaired the teeth, cleaned all the old dry grease, lubed up with LubriPlate and has been fine ever since. Notice the polished brass drive gear that show years of straining to push the dragging fiber gears around.

R Lambert

Thanks all. This looks like a good "winter" project for me! If I fail, off it goes to Nisingor.
Ed
efh Haskell

flat instruments are chronometric.
Tom Maine

ed, removing the instrument is a 15 second job..well..ok..no more than 2 minutes. just two thumb screws and disconnect the drive cable and it is out..2 minutes tops. regards, tom
tm peterson

Guys
From my experience and observation, these instruments were meant to be reset when the car is stationary.
I believe I stripped mine while car moving slowly. That makes sense to me, given the age. In our modern cars, we expect we can reset the trip meter or odometer at 70 mph. On the TF, I cannot.

Tom
'54 TF
T Norby

This thread was discussed between 27/06/2014 and 28/06/2014

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