Possible Odometer repair - less than $10

threepwood · June 11, 2021

I have not seen this posted here so I'm going to try. Like many, my odometer quit around 160k. Taking it apart I found the spindle gear cracked and in pieces, but the drive gear on the motor was fine. I replaced the spindle gear with a 10 tooth nylon gear I bought off ebay for less than ten dollars and it's still working after a 100 miles. It's important to use a 10 tooth gear, as my first attempt was a 12 tooth gear and that did not work. The hardest part was getting the dash out. Those electrical connectors are tough. If you attempt it be sure to disconnect the battery before starting for at least a few minutes or you run the risk of fouling up your air bag light. Another Couple of tips - In order to get the spindle out you will have to remove a very small e clip (see photo). Be careful, if you push to hard it could go flying and is very hard to find on the floor 😞 . You will also have to ream out the center hole of the gear to get it to fit over the spindle. The spindle is 2mm diameter and even though the gear I bought said it had a 2mm hole it would not fit. I used a 5/64 drill to ream it just slightly and it was a tap fit to get it to the splined shaft area in the middle. I realize the new gear is not a screw type gear like the original gear but it is only 5mm wide so it appears to be working without binding.