TR2/3/3A speedo and tach until the weather gets better

[sp53]

I am going to work on the speedo and tach until the weather gets better. I remember the last time I went through some gauges there was a problem with the old grease turning into tar or sometime. The stuff was so thick that it would stop the gears and strip out the odometer. I remember talking to someone who said if the grease is not too thick to use some brake cleaner gently on the tar along with some wd40 until the gears and disc turn smooth then clean the wd40 out with brake clean then put a few drops of oil on the cable end instead of talking the whole thing apart. I have the guts out of the tach and it does have some tar on the worm gear and does not want to turn around at the cable head. They do turn clockwise, right. Anyways always open for comments. Yes, when this fails, I will take it apart and clean it correctly.

 

[TR3driver]

A tach shouldn't have a worm gear ??
I guess the solvent and oil approach is better than nothing, but it seems to me that you've already put a lot of work into this (what with removing the instruments from the dash and the mechanism from the case). Personally, I'd go the extra mile. Also worth painting the inside of the case, as well as the back of the inner trim ring. A nice coat of gloss white will do wonders for the illumination.

 

[sp53]

I hear yeh Randall and Yes it is more like a screw gear than a worm. The gauges are surprising nice. They came with this basket case and have been out of the car, since I guess from the 80’s. The white paint is off color some, but very nice. Leaving the needle and the face on the works is something I prefer for now, and I will see how smooth it works. I hope the speedo being a little more complicated to dismantle is as nice. I would just like to clean it up also and see if the needle bounce or not before I do a complete dismantle.

 

[CJD]

It is a worm gear on the tach input spindle...it just is not connected to anything on the tach. Brake or carb cleaner should loosen the waxy grease. Just be very careful to keep it away from the faces.