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[rascott]

ya- just the light- that's where the teeth are smeared off......
good to hear the drive gear is metal('cause that would be lame, otherwise), so replacing the speedo drive could happen, i suppose.
my current wonder is if there was a slip washer(down in the trans.) for the stripped "nylon" speedo drive gearshaft, it would still be in there(below gear oil level).
good call re:alpine america-  a good resource. michel repaired my distributor.

here is another photo attempt..... this gear stopped moving.
mabe there is shim/washer in trans? if i drain a bit of gear oil out i should be able to see.......

[BDA]

I don't think that draining the oil will help you retrieve the bits and pieces. I think you'll have to take off the end cover - in fact I advise it since you'll never be sure you got all those bits out unless you do at least that. I don't think you'd need to crack the case since I think the pieces will be kept in the back by the 'web' that carries the rear bearing. It will also make it easier to plug the hole left by your speedo drive if you have to.

[rascott]

have all five same size wheels.
finally completed what i was trying to get "the tire shop" to do for me.........
had to rotate my shop, modify my tire machine slightly, and dismount five and mount one.
supposedly, "the tire shop" will accept the carcasses for disposal, when i haul them(harumph!) back...
the spare will need some mounting assist to fit back into the front without fouling, but that can happen.


bda- i'm less worried about the gear material, as most of it seemed to come out with the drive.
my wonder is if there was a shim/washer left behind when i pulled the drive.
perhaps a (marine) transom plug would make people wonder. or modify a dip stick, and use it to check gear oil level....or...


"the lotus" is flying in the driveway, again, so i can repack the l/f wheel bearings(i like those felt grease seals), and fully bleed the brakes.
it's raining a bit these days, so "the lotus" is wearing a rain coat.

richard

[BDA]

If you can do it, I like the dipstick idea!

[jbcollier]

Those are not original rims.  They look like Triumph Sptifire/GT6 rims.  They will have a different offset and, with tires mounted, may hit either the suspension or, worse, the lip of the fender (sometimes only under compression).  Check clearances very carefully before going for a drive!  Especially with the steering on the stops and the suspension compressed!!

Had lots of stripped speedo gears over the years and have never had a problem with the plastic swarf causing problems.  You'll probably be OK though bearing in mind that once once categorically stated, the opposite invariable occurs ;-)

Steve Veris on the yahoo list remade the 336 plastic gear.  I do not know if he has any left but it would be worth checking.

Usually the angle drive seizes due to lack of lubrication and that takes out the drive.  Sometimes it can be the cable or speedo head but usually the cable snaps if it is the speedo head.  Regardless, check the head for free movement (a drop or two of light oil would not go amiss), the cable housing for cracks or kinks and disassemble, clean and lube the angle drive with light grease.  If you fit a new cable, remove the inner cable first and lube it with light oil, lots of light oil -- a bit messy but it will turn as smooth as silk.  There is nothing worse than fitting a new speedo drive gear to discover a kilometre down the road that the actual problem lay elsewhere... and you need another new drive gear!

[BDA]

Had lots of stripped speedo gears over the years and have never had a problem with the plastic swarf causing problems. 

You're a luckier man than I am! I was left with 3rd & 4th when mine went. I guess you're probably right that small bits that might be left would probably not be a problem.

[rascott]

haven't made a dipstick yet, but have been playing.
cut bigger holes in the fascia(modified existing) to accept an electric speedometer, and a similar tachometer.

i used a sensor from a cruise control aftermarket device, to see if i could generate the pulses for the speedo.
strapped 4 magnets on the yoke and made a bracket for the sensor.
haha! i think it works!
also think i should have only used 2 magnets- tested idleing in gear(on stands).

mabe i can sort out some sort of calibration, i have gotten sidetracked by trying to replace that 2fuse block with something else.

[BDA]

The Smiths unit I got (I would assume they all work similarly) required you to tell the speedo the number of pulses per mile. For my Smiths, there was an acceptable range that essentially meant the more the merrier. The three I had were on the lower end of the range so four is probably better. Of course, your speedo may be different. The documentation for the speedo should be able to explain how to set it up. One thing you might need to pay attention to is the gap between the magnets and the sensor. Hopefully, the documentation will explain that.

[rascott]

one thing led to another, and i have been trying to put it back together, ever since.
the fan switch on the radiator failed(on- intermittent, usually @2am), then the gunk in the radiator triggered some flushing, then jbcollier made me think about blinding the carburetor heat system.
the pump end seems easy- looks like 1/8"npt.

the head also seems to be 1/8"npt, so i found a fan control and screwed the sensor in there.........

'cuda just bought a new switch.... what the heck thread is that thing, anyway? hunted the hardware store for some sort of reducing bushing.
the fan control has a temp adjustment to play with.

[jjbunn]

seems the drive unit seized up......
probably could have saved it if i had looked at this when it was still functioning......
it came out easy enough.
i hear replacements are hard to find, and i suppose the gear in the transmission is nylon also?
that would be a shame.......

i have some parts coming, that may become a speed sensor, and a instrument to hook it to.
richard

In this photo you show what appears to be a rubber O ring. When I took my assembly out yesterday for inspection, it had very similarly mashed/squashed gear teeth which looked just like yours - but there was no O ring! Where does the ring fit?

[rascott]

o-ring came out w/the drive gear.

does your gear unit still spin? mine was pretty well stuck....... worked for a while, probably could have saved everything if.....


btw- how's that door seal coming along.
i haven't got there yet, but have been collecting materials in anticipation.
got 2 door sets of stuff- one from rd,and one from dbean.
your experience made me look in the boxes.

one on the left is from ray.

[jbcollier]

Nope, the gear inside is metal.

[jbcollier]

Seal on the left is for the early cars.  Seal on the right, later cars.

[jjbunn]

o-ring came out w/the drive gear.

does your gear unit still spin? mine was pretty well stuck....... worked for a while, probably could have saved everything if.....


btw- how's that door seal coming along.
i haven't got there yet, but have been collecting materials in anticipation.
got 2 door sets of stuff- one from rd,and one from dbean.
your experience made me look in the boxes.

one on the left is from ray.

My gear still rotates freely, and the speedo needle moves too (bonus)! However, the gear teeth don't inspire confidence.



I'm going to need an O-ring - will raid my parts drawers.

The door seal I have is like the one on the left in your photo: as jbcollier says, for an early car (mine is 0701R).

[rascott]

since the contractors working on my house needed the driveway, and i am uncomfortable with leaving "the lotus" parked on the street, i have been driving it to work(and back, so far).
seems i need to address a couple of problems that should be moved into the priority side of the "list".
the steering has some looseness in it, and the car wanders- difficult to keep straight.
mabe it's that worn out tierod end......
a bit more interesting are the noises the clutch release bearing is making.
this is not unexpected- i was pleased the clutch worked as well as it does- and i have been collecting parts.
while i have the drivetrain out, i intend to repair the failing bulkhead panels, modify the slot the handbrake cable fits thru on the backbone(mine doesn't have the hole for the horseshoe(swingtree, was it?), revisit a brakeline modification i had made, replace bad motor mounts, leaky gearbox seals.........
fishing season is rapidly approaching, and little suzi the psychic needs some attention- i abused her badly on my last outing- i need to repair some interesting failure of body mounting(rock crawling stresses), and i intend to have a front locker added for this season.
mabe i can multitask.

observashun021116
i have been running the radiator fan w/a temperature sensor in the rear of the head.
this seems functional, but the fan runs until the motor is cool enough(longer).
just for fun, as i was wiring an override for the fan circuit, i added an indicator lamp that comes on when the fan is on.....
kinda neat seeing it go on/off as needed....
also getting a lot of looks, as i've been tooling around.

mornotes021216
electric speedo and matching tach have not been cooperating. must be something in my wiring, as they operate erratically.
i suspect the ignition switch, but am replacing the little bits of original wire i had been using(for convenience), and revisiting the circuit grounds. think i'll replace the keyed switch anyway.
may have to drive it to work for another week to keep the driveway clear........

burpon022016
clutch parts are in. should replace the crank seal, since every other seal i've run across seems brittle, and also the seal for the output shaft of the transmission(just thought of that). seems the release bearing arrangement needs some modifying, but that will probably make sense when the time comes.
also got some tierod ends, and new bellows, to tighten things up in the front end.
still can't get my fancyass tachometer to function correctly, and have not spent time on the speedo. thought i was having wire problems, spent much time deciding that wasn't the case.
putting a new (blaster2) ignition coil and ballast resistor in place of the slug that came with "the lotus". guess that makes the ignition system "new" now. mabe the tach will magically work correctly......
got the driveway back, so the "shop" can reopen.
i think i will suffer the clutch a bit longer and finalize a bit more of the cobbled stuff.
question: the turn signal lever is on the right side of the steering wheel. is this from a rhd car?