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Thread: Mileage clock counting slow

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    11
    My Cars
    1981 BMW 320/6

    Mileage clock counting slow

    Having a problem with the mileage counter counting slow on my BMW 320/6. The gauge that you can reset to count a certain distance is measured in kilometers and basically just works when it wants to, as for the main counter, (in miles) it seems to count extremely slow, eg 1 mile to about 5 or 6. Has anyone had a similar problem and knows how to sort it out ? any info would be appreciated.
    Makes me wonder how many miles the dam thing has actually done. Only bought it a week ago with 64k on.
    Cheers

    Dave

    ps. dont know if its related but seems to vary on hot and cold weather.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Pioneer, CA
    Posts
    1,865
    My Cars
    73' tii 79 320i 73'2002
    maybe your cable has a loose connection and is slipping?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    sechelt bc canada
    Posts
    94
    My Cars
    1982 e21 320is, 77 VW kombi
    I wish I could be more help.- other than to mention it may have done 384000miles in that time.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Marietta, GA
    Posts
    131
    My Cars
    1979 320i and 1999 Honda Accord
    Quote Originally Posted by DrGonzo View Post
    Having a problem with the mileage counter Only bought it a week ago with 64k on.

    I know how you feel. My odo reads 149k, but I didn't realize that it wasn't working (at all) until after I bought it. I still would have bought the car, but I probably could have negotiated a better price.
    -Charlie
    1999 Honda Accord
    1979 BMW 320i


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    11
    My Cars
    1981 BMW 320/6

    Slow count

    Well the car itself is spot on, no rattles, engine and gearbox are solid, so hopefully it cant have done that many more miles than it shows. And like the previous post says i would have bought it with more miles on the clock anyways.
    How do i go about getting to the wires and stuff behind the dash then ? Cheers

    Dave

    Its not all a bad thing that its counting slow anyways as i have it under classic insurance with limited mileage. Just means i can use it more i suppose.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Griffith, Indiana
    Posts
    406
    My Cars
    2001 Mustang GT, 198
    I seem to have the opposite problem. Mine, at least the spedo, is fast by 15-20mph. Haven't had time to track it, wonder if mileage is more than it really is and how long has been?
    One who is confident doesn't need to intimidate, confidence alone is intimidating enough.

    My Birthday Gift:

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    20,728
    My Cars
    E21, E24, E34, E46
    This is a really common problem and shame on the forum for failing to identify it already. There's a little plastic gear back there that slips on its shaft. Thats why the speedometer works and the odometer doesn't. It IS temperature related, because the gear shrinks when its cold and grabs better on the shaft. You can try to glue it in place, it should be alot easier on the euro odometer, but there is a place that sells the gears (don't remember where, you'll just have to look it up).

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Rochester, NY USA
    Posts
    1,105
    My Cars
    '77 320i 2.2L M10
    http://www.odometergears.com/cable.html

    There are 2 gears that usually fail. There is a plastic gear that is pressed onto the odometer shaft that cracks and fails. There is also a metal gear that comes loose and spins on its shaft. If the metal gear is loose then you need to remove the speedometer needle and gauge face and partially disassemble the odometer.

    I just did this a few weeks ago on mine. I replaced the plastic gear a few years ago and should have replaced the metal gear at the same time but didn't.

    Layne is 100% correct. My odometer worked great in the cold but progressively got worse in the warmer temperatures.

    Some people say $25 a gear is too high. For me, my time is worth more than the $50 it took to fix my odometer and know I will never need to waste my time with it again.

    - Steve

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Marietta, GA
    Posts
    131
    My Cars
    1979 320i and 1999 Honda Accord
    Quote Originally Posted by DrGonzo View Post

    Its not all a bad thing that its counting slow anyways as i have it under classic insurance with limited mileage. Just means i can use it more i suppose.

    I really just want to get mine fixed so that I can track oil changes accurately. I'll get around to in in about a month. I'm not doing anything for spring break, so I figured I'd try and get the E21 in usable condition.
    -Charlie
    1999 Honda Accord
    1979 BMW 320i


  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    11
    My Cars
    1981 BMW 320/6

    Counting Slow

    Cheers for the info on that. Will take mine apart and have a good look at it when the weather gets better (live in manchester so may not be for a fair while!). Didnt realize it was a common problem but good to know someone knows whats up with them.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Griffith, Indiana
    Posts
    406
    My Cars
    2001 Mustang GT, 198
    Layne, thanks that's useful info.
    One who is confident doesn't need to intimidate, confidence alone is intimidating enough.

    My Birthday Gift:

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Bloomington/Normal, IL
    Posts
    73
    My Cars
    79 320i
    Sorry to give life to an old thread, but does anyone have any pictures or diagrams of the gears described in Layne & Steve's posts above? Specifically where I'll find them once I get the cluster out. I'm having this exact problem but need to be able to do this in a weekend since my E21 is a DD.

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