scannon Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Last week while on a drive with the LOCO club my electronic Caerbont speedometer quit working in Canyon Lands National Park between one drive segment and the next. The Caerbont is the OEM speedometer for Caterhams. There is power to the speedometer when the key is turned on and the ground wire checks out OK as well. I removed the rubber plug on the back and sniffed for burnt electronics but none detected. When plugged in and the key turned on, the typical needle jump and lighting up of the digital odometer doesn't happen and neither the speedometer nor odometer work. Any suggestions? The hole in the dash is 3.5" and a search online for a different replacement did not yield any replacements that fit the existing hole in the dash. I have a TSD rally next weekend with the MG car club in Glenwood Springs so I really need a working speedometer and odometer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I know 3-1/8" and 3-3/8" gages as well as 4" but have not seen 3.5" . You could jury rig one for the rally? If it is any consolence my VDO speedo (electronic sender) packed up a while ago, when speed display and odometer could not be calibrated the same way anymore. New speedo, problem solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carsport Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Just to get you through the RALLY. Do the rules allow you to use an app on a smartphone for GPS speed/odometer readings. Is there a fuse in your speedometer that has blown? Has your Hall sensor displaced or wires come loose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 Just to get you through the RALLY. Do the rules allow you to use an app on a smartphone for GPS speed/odometer readings. Is there a fuse in your speedometer that has blown? Has your Hall sensor displaced or wires come loose? I don't have a smartphone, just a dumb phone but a friend has a Garmin GPS that has a speedometer and an odometer. Unfortunately the odometer only displays full miles, no tenths. Not sure about the rules but at least I will know how fast I am going. The speedometer is getting power from the car, I could not find any way to open the speedometer's case to check for interior fuses. The Hall sensor is in position, no broken wires. Since the speedometer doesn't display the odometer nor does the needle do its little jump at power on I assume that something is amiss inside the speedometer itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Did you check the input on the transmission to make sure nothing popped out ? Power to the gauge doesn't mean the gauge is getting any signal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 Did you check the input on the transmission to make sure nothing popped out ? Power to the gauge doesn't mean the gauge is getting any signal. The signal comes from a Hall effect sensor on the LF wheel. The speedo doesn't need a signal to turn on. As soon as the key is turned on you can see the needle do a little jump, then the digital odometer lights up and displays the miles traveled. None of this is currently happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskossie Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Skip, I hate to mention it, but isn't this the new speedometer that we swapped out of my unbuilt Caterham kit in 2010, to get something working on your car, and then you later got a replacement speedo for me from Ben at Rocky Mountain Sportscars? So, maybe I owe you a new speedo on warranty.....(?)! Just wondering..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 I could not find any shop in the USA that was willing to work on the Caerbont speedometer. An email to Caerbont in England said send it and the minimum cost would be £35.00 + VAT and they would look into it, parts and labor extra. I then checked out aftermarket GPS units but the only one I could find that would fit in the 80mm hole in the dash only went to 60 mph. None of the electronic ones fit the hole that didn't look like they were styled for a hot rod. I tried Jon at Caterham in Denver but never got a call back so I called Hillbank Motors (the new Caterham dealer/distributor) in California. He had one in stock and considerably cheaper than the previous one I had purchased. I asked for some new wiper blades but he didn't have those in stock. He said they had not yet stocked many parts for the older cars. The speedo arrived a few days later and tonight I finally got the calibration to work (after a few emails to Caerbont) and all is well again. I can now remove the Garmin GPS I have been using as a speedometer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taber10 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 A speedometer that only goes to 60mph on Skips' Caterham would be very inadequate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 A speedometer that only goes to 60mph on Skips' Caterham would be very inadequate! Yeah, that would take care of 1st and a little bit of 2nd gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now