Odometer stopped

[JulioK]

I have a 72 stepside lwb c10 that I have had a few months now. The odometer worked when I got the truck but has recently stopped. Is there a resource you can recommend that will help me learn how to trouble shoot and hopefully repair it?

JulioK

[C. M. Wolf]

Speedometers are fairly easy, simply refer to most repair manuals for the fix.

There's basically only three places they can fail at... the gauge,(where the cable fastens onto it), the cable length itself,(it's possible to shear somewhere in it's housing length), or at the point it goes into the trans,(it can be possible to have failed inside the trans itself, but it's rare).

Too many mechs & backyard mechs hold the speedo cable & flex housing with little regard & they sometimes get bent or kinked causing resistance & wear.. they fail or break. These are almost never properly lubed through the years either.. it's has moving parts, they need lube, especially through "decades" of movement.

Unscrew one of the ends of the cable,(trans side or speedo side & see if it turns without the vehicle moving or the speedo reading the turns you put on the cable). Basically checking the cable ends to make sure they are both sides intact on the cable itself. The speedometer could have broken it's connection internally also. You'll need to find out which part of that system failed & likely replace it.



Michael

[JulioK]

I should have also mentioned that the speedometer is working fine. Just the odometer has stopped

[C. M. Wolf]

Well then, simply replace the gauge altogether, simple fix. Parts do wear out..
Most people don't rework broken gauges anymore... hard to even find parts for.

I've a great rhetorical question... "Does it matter what the odometer actually reads on a vehicle that's decades old & might possibly have more than 200k miles on it?"

Still, make sure the speedo-cable is properly lubed since you're working on it anyway.



Michael