Why recalibrate a speedo...

If you change your tyres for something bigger (and who doesn't) or you alter your gearing (again, who doesn't) then your speedo will be well and truly out. This has obvious ramifications for speed cameras and the like but also for working out fuel economy.

It's actually dead easy to correct this, hopefully the pictures below speak for themselves.

Stripping the unit...


I'll leave you to figure out how to remove the instrument pod because if you can't figure that out, then maybe you shouldn't be doing the next bits

Once you have the pod out you'll have something like the picture

Now remove the two big screws to the left of the fuel and temperature guage in the centre of the pod, don't bother with thh two at the bottom as these only hold the light cluster in.





Now undo the two little screws either side of the speedo needle centre.




Before you remove the needle MAKE A NOTE OF WHERE IT RESTS as you'll need to put it back in the same position. Now using your fingers, grab the centre of the needle and squeeze and lever it up. I managed with my fingers but it is tighter than you might think. I guess you could use a screwdriver or two, but be careful of damaging the instrument face.

Remove the dial face and the clear plastic light spreader.



See that little lever, well using your finger or a small screwdriver, just press it down which compresses the spring in the centre and alters it's tension.



You can see the difference here between the lever in the up position and in the down position.

In the time honoured tradition of a Haynes manual, "assembly is the reverse."

When you come to put the speedo needle in, DON'T PRESS IT ALL THE WAY DOWN at this stage, JUST LIGHTLY PRESS IT ON A BIT. Now flip the needle round to 100MPH using your finger and let it go, it should settle back to the position you had before you pulled it off earlier. If it doesn't pull it off, turn it round slightly and repeat until correct, then push it on firmly.

I guess that now would be an ideal opportunity to change the dial faces out for something a little different. You could also pull the bulbs and change their colour or even replace them with LEDs but don't forget the series limiting resistor

Credits...


This article was written by Graham a.k.a Suzukishrek