How to remove a Speedo needle

[Kia]

Hey guys,

I've been driving without a speedo for a while, well the speedo is (was) fine till the needle broke off. So now that I have the whole dash off to replace bulbs and do some other maintenance, I was wondering if anyone know how these things are dismantled?

Is it a screw off (normally), or something else?

The last time I had the dash off I glued it back on, but the surface area isn't that big to hold the glue so it dropped off again.

I'm trying to see if it's salvageable as there is nothing wrong with it, and being in the EU not able to get parts easily :-(

Here's what I have on my desk right now...



Here's a couple more closeup photos...



Thanks in advance guys!

P.S. It's a 1989 K5 Blazer (all stock)

 

[ZooMad75]

I believe it just presses onto the shaft. Though I don’t think there is any flat spot on the shaft to position it one way. So figure out a way to give yourself a reference on where the needle sits prior to removing it. Try not to let the shaft turn.

Taking the old broken base of the needle off is easy. Grab a fork from the kitchen. Slide the times under the needle base with the shaft between the tines. Gently pull up. It should pop off.

 

[Kia]

I just updated the original post with two more close up pics of mine.

There is a post on Reddit (been doing a lot of searching) that shows a brass (colour) fitting at the end of the shaft...

https://www.reddit.com/r/chevyc10/comments/xmdefg

...so it looks like mine has a broken shaft in the middle somehow :-|

So I guess the pulling the needle will dislodge the brass fitting from the needle itself rather than part of the shaft coming off with it.

Now I have to see if I'm able to repair the shaft or bonding it together again somehow.

Ideas?

 

[ZooMad75]

Yep there should be some shaft poking out of the assembly with the odometer dials. You might be able to glue it, but I doubt it lasts.

Being overseas from us is the killer because I’d just get another Speedo and swap it in. With a little patience you can set the mileage on the new to you speedo. Though the 5 digit odometer with trip speedo is less common than the non trip version.

 

[Kia]

Yep, it does suck, but happy to have a full working K5 :-)

I'm thinking/planning to use JB-Weld putty. I did a test with some black electrician's tape to see if it'll work/sit in the right place while using a (slow) drill to mimic the movement, and it works just fine.

So maybe a tiny but of putty inside the tape then remove the tape (if possible) once it's 'welded' I think should do the trick.

Will test some putty and tape before I 'violate' my truck with it though ;-)

 

[Blue85]

Yes, yours is broken. The end of the shaft is wider and knurled. The knurling presses into the plastic of the needle. You could try pulling it out of the needle and soldering it back on.

 

[Kia]

Yes, yours is broken. The end of the shaft is wider and knurled. The knurling presses into the plastic of the needle. You could try pulling it out of the needle and soldering it back on.

I did try to pull it out of the needle but it's stuck tight, so didn't want to pull too hard and possibly break the needle :-(

Maybe I could try to heat it a little, but again as there are no (easily available) spares here in the EU, I want to see what's possible before I go in heavy handedly.

I wasn't aware how they're put together, now that I know I'm thinking of solutions before I get my hammer and chisel ;-)

 

[Blue85]

I happen to have one off right now because it fell off my tach. I built the tach to take the needle from the large fuel gauge (so it matches the speedometer). I took the stem from another gauge and soldered it to the Sunpro mechanism (not very straightforward to do, for anybody wondering). I do not remember how hard it was to get that apart.