Author Topic: Speedometer - why is my odometer "6" skinny? (Read 26580 times)

scoot · « **on:** August 09, 2008, 16:03:30 »

The odometer and trip odometer stopped working on my car today. Speedometer still works fine. Mystery. Another mystery is why the number "6" is so skinny in the 10,000 mile digit of the odometer. Other "6's" aren't skinny on the odometer. See attached photo. Anyone know why?

thanks
Scott

tuultyme · « **Reply #1 on:** August 09, 2008, 21:09:20 »

Try resetting the trip odormeter to zero and see if they both start working again. That is what happened on mine. I do not know if something is wrong but it is has been working correctly for the last two years.

JamesL · « **Reply #2 on:** August 09, 2008, 22:27:27 »

I read somewhere - on here - that it was to do with the mechanism that means it will ALL go to 0 when you pass the 100,000 mark

I think it was in one of the "for sale what do you think" threads

graphic66 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 09, 2008, 23:00:06 »

Probably a cracked gear on the odometer drive. Time for major surgery.

scoot · « **Reply #4 on:** August 09, 2008, 23:12:44 »

quote:
Originally posted by tuultyme

Try resetting the trip odormeter to zero and see if they both start working again. That is what happened on mine. I do not know if something is wrong but it is has been working correctly for the last two years.

I tried that, I'll try it again. Still wondering why I have a skinny "6".... Scott

Richard Madison · « **Reply #5 on:** August 10, 2008, 05:03:11 »

Not sure why but the "6"'s on the first wheel are all skinny. It may be that the tripping tab of that outside wheel was placed alongside the "6" and there was not enough room for a wide "6".

Here's a skinny "6" on the odometer of a Kilometer speedometer.

Richard M

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IMG_3080temp.jpg
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Douglas · « **Reply #6 on:** August 10, 2008, 09:41:11 »

I can't find the website at the moment, but there's a retired engineer out there who sells the plastic gear that typically breaks. It's not a difficult repair if you're so inclined. (If anyone knows the site, please post a link. If not, I'll try to find it later today.) You could also send it to North Hollywood Speedometer, of course.

scoot · « **Reply #7 on:** August 10, 2008, 10:25:05 »

quote:
Originally posted by Douglas

I can't find the website at the moment, but there's a retired engineer out there who sells the plastic gear that typically breaks. It's not a difficult repair if you're so inclined. (If anyone knows the site, please post a link. If not, I'll try to find it later today.) You could also send it to North Hollywood Speedometer, of course.

I was assuming that I would be sending it to the place in North Hollywood -- they have fixed many things for us before on other cars. But if there is someone who sells the culprit broken gear and I can do it myself, that would be great. So if someone knows of this person, please let me know! thanks, Scott

Rolf · « **Reply #8 on:** August 10, 2008, 11:00:41 »

The German's with their sense of wit decided to do the skinny 6 so people would ask why.

scoot · « **Reply #9 on:** August 10, 2008, 11:26:55 »

quote:
Originally posted by 280SL71

Not sure why but the "6"'s on the first wheel are all skinny. It may be that the tripping tab of that outside wheel was placed alongside the "6" and there was not enough room for a wide "6".

Here's a skinny "6" on the odometer of a Kilometer speedometer.

Richard M

Download Attachment: IMG_3080temp.jpg
45.36 KB

Interesting idea. But that would mean that people would also have skinny "2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9's". Anyone else have a skinny left digit on the odometer, or is it JUST SIXES? thanks Scott

J. Huber · « **Reply #10 on:** August 10, 2008, 12:29:17 »

Scott, we all have the skinny sixes. It has come up before -- I cannot remember why they are like that -- something to do with turning the spindle. And I am almost sure mine has the skinny six in a place other than the 10ks... that digit has not come around since 1988 or so -- and I have noticed it since.

scoot · « **Reply #11 on:** August 11, 2008, 08:23:15 »

quote:
Originally posted by J. Huber

Scott, we all have the skinny sixes. It has come up before -- I cannot remember why they are like that -- something to do with turning the spindle. And I am almost sure mine has the skinny six in a place other than the 10ks... that digit has not come around since 1988 or so -- and I have noticed it since.

I took a little flashlight and looked as best as I could above and below my skinny 6. It looks like I have a fat 7 under it. I wonder why skinny 6 and not skinny other numbers. I guess I can ignore the mystery...

66andBlue · « **Reply #12 on:** August 11, 2008, 19:34:15 »

quote:
Originally posted by scoot
... I wonder why skinny 6 and not skinny other numbers...

My guess is to distinguish it from an upside down "fat 9" during assembly

Here is a skinny 6 as the first digit and a fat 9 as the last.
We should start a contest: who will come up with the next skinny 6 as the second digit? Have your camera ready and you do not need to drive more than 90 miles and a 6 will have turned up.

J. Huber · « **Reply #13 on:** August 11, 2008, 22:06:15 »

quote:
Originally posted by 66andBlue

We should start a contest: who will come up with the next skinny 6 as the second digit? Have your camera ready and you do not need to drive more than 90 miles and a 6 will have turned up.

Am I the only one that just ran out to the garage to check mine?

Well, I should hit the 6 in the second digit place tommorow: I am only 39 KMs away!

Good thing too because the 3rd digit is 579 KMs away, the 4th digit 7979 KMs away, and the 5th digit 41979 KMs away! For bonus points, who can decipher my current mileage?? :?:

At my current annual KM rate the last one will occur in January of 2019!! Be sure to check in here around that time!!

More bonus points for you Math whizzes: what's my average annual mileage??

66andBlue · « **Reply #14 on:** August 11, 2008, 22:14:22 »

quote:
Originally posted by J. Huber
... the 4th digit 7979 KMs away, ...

Are you sure

CraigD · « **Reply #15 on:** August 12, 2008, 07:22:42 »

Here are the 2nd and 3rd digits on my km speedo... also skinny 6's!

scoot · « **Reply #16 on:** August 12, 2008, 08:24:00 »

...so are we saying that ALL of the 6's on the odometer are skinny for no known reason?

J. Huber · « **Reply #17 on:** August 12, 2008, 08:44:43 »

I think so Alfred! although Math was not my strong suit!

Darn, Craig -- I should have taken a spin last night to snipe you... I may still get the next one -- in about two years!

Scott, there has been a thread on how to repair the mileage counter, it may have had some speculation on why they differ.

66andBlue · « **Reply #18 on:** August 12, 2008, 11:35:17 »

quote:
Originally posted by J. Huber
I think so Alfred! although Math was not my strong suit!....

Sorry James, it was a bad attempt to send you on a wild goose chase

Anyway, your mileage yesterday was 11197.73 miles

J. Huber · « **Reply #19 on:** August 12, 2008, 14:39:54 »

Excellent work, Herr 66 and Blue. And extra credit for the conversion (I had to go and do that myself to check your answer!) I wonder if kilometerage is a word? It is now.

Mike Hughes · « **Reply #20 on:** August 13, 2008, 17:35:31 »

quote:
Originally posted by scoot

...so are we saying that ALL of the 6's on the odometer are skinny for no known reason?

Essentially....Yes! Althought I will speculate that since the numbers 6, 8, and 9 look so similar that the skinny 6 may make it a little easier by means of some Teutonic logic to accurately read the correct mileage at a glance! In any case, they are all like that.

Garry · « **Reply #21 on:** August 14, 2008, 22:06:48 »

Just to add some confusion into the "6" equation, A couple of years ago I brought a second speedo off Ebay that was supposed to be from a W113 and used it to replace worn parts in my own speedo as I restored it. I just went and had a look at the bits I had left and found that none of the 6's were skinny. Dont know what it came off now!!!!!!! My repaired one in the car definately has skinny first 6 dont know about the rest.

scoot · « **Reply #22 on:** August 14, 2008, 22:32:09 »

quote:
Originally posted by Garry

Just to add some confusion into the "6" equation, A couple of years ago I brought a second speedo off Ebay that was supposed to be from a W113 and used it to replace worn parts in my own speedo as I restored it. I just went and had a look at the bits I had left and found that none of the 6's were skinny. Dont know what it came off now!!!!!!! My repaired one in the car definately has skinny first 6 dont know about the rest.

Did your original have all skinny 6's on the odometer, or just on the end?

Garry · « **Reply #23 on:** August 14, 2008, 22:54:11 »

At the moment only the first 6 (skinny) is showing. I will have to take it for a drive this weekend to see if the last two are any different. I always thought that they were normal and only the first was skinny. The middle ones are reading 78 so are not going to show in the immediate future. Certainly none at all on the other speedo are skinny

JamesL · « **Reply #24 on:** August 15, 2008, 01:23:36 »

Perhaps it's your car's way of telling you it's running lean...

Garry · « **Reply #25 on:** August 15, 2008, 07:01:20 »

I just think the one on the left has an eating disorder.

Garry

seattle_Jerry · « **Reply #26 on:** August 15, 2008, 19:03:51 »

I'm more concerned that Scotts trip counter in the picture reads 666 and the sum of the 65930 odometer reading is 23.

I just watched the movie "23" the other day.

seattle_Jerry · « **Reply #27 on:** August 15, 2008, 19:12:04 »

I actually think its odd that the 9 and 6 weren't interchangeable at the factory. It would have reduced tooling costs.

scoot · « **Reply #28 on:** August 15, 2008, 22:11:59 »

quote:
Originally posted by seattle_Jerry

I'm more concerned that Scotts trip counter in the picture reads 666.

Ha ha ha ha! Yes, that should concern us all I think. I keep resetting it and it keeps stopping at that number! I think the B-52's sang a song - something like "help! the devil's in my car..." -- perhaps it should be "help! the devil's in my pagoda...".

It's just on 666 because it stopped working and I was resetting it and for no good reason I stopped at the 6's.

Cees Klumper · « **Reply #29 on:** August 16, 2008, 08:37:58 »

quote:
Originally posted by Mike Hughes

quote:
Originally posted by scoot

...so are we saying that ALL of the 6's on the odometer are skinny for no known reason?

Essentially....Yes! Althought I will speculate that since the numbers 6, 8, and 9 look so similar that the skinny 6 may make it a little easier by means of some Teutonic logic to accurately read the correct mileage at a glance! In any case, they are all like that.

My euro speedo, that was put in probably about ten-fifteen years ago by a PO new to convert from the original miles speedo, has a regular size (i.e. not skinny) 6 as the first digit. I think all 6-es are normal, I'll look out for it as I rack up the km's. Maybe new speedos are normal and the original ones have skinny 6-es.

al_lieffring · « **Reply #30 on:** August 16, 2008, 19:30:16 »

OK. So how technical do you want this explaination to be?

The "skinny 6" is there for the cogs on the digit wheels that allow the next power of 10's wheel to advance one numeral for each complete revoloution of the wheel to it's right.

For the operation of main odometer, on each digit wheel to the right of the numerals are 20 teeth around it's perimiter. To the left of the numerals is one single tooth, Between each of the wheels on a counter shaft is a smaller cog with 8 teeth, alternating wide and narrow. The location of the shaft with these smaller cogs happens to line up with the 6 numeral on each of the digit wheels.

In most cases, all of the wheels on the main odometer have the narrow 6. It is possible that on some speedos that the 10k's wheel could have a fat 6. The speedo shown is from a 64 220SEC and has a fat 6 on the 10k's wheel. I know that on most of the speedos that I had worked on the same skinny 6 wheels were used in all positions.

When the tooth cut next to the 6 rolls past the smaller cogs, one of the wider teeth drop down into the slot and advances the wheel to it's left 2 teeth, the wheel is then locked into place by the flat area around the rest of the perimiter contacting between two of the wider teeth of the cog wheel.

The trip odometer operates on the same basic principal but the reset function, of course, makes it more complicated.

Because the counter shaft with the smaller cogs is located above the main odometer and below the trip odometer the single tooth cut in the trip odometer wheels is in a different position. It is there, just harder to see because it is hiding in the open mouth of the 3s (if you look real close at the 3 on the trip odo in the photo Craig posted you can see it) so none of the numerals on the trip odometer wheels needed to be narrowed.

When the odometer stops working it is almost always because the grey metal wheel to the right of the 1's wheel has worked loose from the shaft that all the wheels rotate on. The brass gear to the right of the assembly rotates the shaft one turn every mile (or KM on metric odometers). The grey metal gear is a press fit onto that shaft, the plastic wheel spin free on the shaft with the white plastic cogs on the counter shaft holding them in place.

Al

benzportland · « **Reply #31 on:** August 21, 2008, 23:20:46 »

This is actually reassuring to hear I am not alone. I noticed my skinny 6 recently and started losing confidence......... :oops:

News:

Author Topic: Speedometer - why is my odometer "6" skinny? (Read 26580 times)

tuultyme

graphic66

Douglas

Rolf

seattle_Jerry

seattle_Jerry

al_lieffring

benzportland