Speedo needle

Captain Fishfinger · Post by **Captain Fishfinger** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 11:55 pm

Is it a common fault for the speedo needle to chatter up to about 50 mph or is my cable damaged somewhere?
BX19 TXD
Also I have to shut off the top air vents on the dash to get air to come out in the footwell. Is that normal?

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 12:00 am

BX speedos tend to wobble. Careful attention to the cable or even replacement may help.

I think Citroen heaters all suffer from these problems - our ZX which is in very good condition is much the same as the BX. Its worth checking all the flaps and linkages are still attached and working - and remember the fan switch turns off the flow altogether when turned fully anti-clockwise (you can feel the load on the switch as you rotate it.)

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:21 am

Replace the speedocables (£20 the pair from GSF) and it will cure your speedo wobble, not a difficult job to do when you have the dashpod out, replace the obligitary dashbulbs whilst your at it.

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:21 am

I've found that when I turn the selector control to the "footwell" position I have to close the upper vents and turn up the fan speed to get a noticeable warm draft onto my feet. It would be interesting to know what the flaps/linkages do when you move the control from "upper+footwell" to "footwell".

Mark.

BX Bandit · Post by **BX Bandit** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:20 am

Regarding needle wobble, they're not quite 'certain' those speedo's are they?

as Jeremy siad it seems to be a BX trait, and as Tim suggested replacement would be a good way forward. Two things I would add...the routing of the upper cable behind the dash needs to be as 'smooth' as possible...so unless you have seen one in the correct routing, then poke out your eyes and fit them in your hands to see where the old cable went (assuming current cable is fitted properly)

Also, another member suggested making sure the square end of the cable is a nice fit in the speedo, pack it with some Ally foil if it's not a snug fit... any slack at this junction will certainly add to the wobble

ellevie · Post by **ellevie** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 11:49 am

Welcome Captain Fishfinger. I changed my cable but it wasn't enough to cure the problem. See http://www.bxclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3836 for details. Also do a search on "speedo" for loads of discussion on the problem.

adamskibx · Post by **adamskibx** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 12:55 pm

Welcome Captainfishfinger. It is normal for the heaters to act like this. It makes you wonder why they dont just do without the air control and just let people shut off what they dont want in order to get whet they want in terms of face/feet etc. I suppose its got to at least seem user friendly. Its a bit of a weak point really, but I accept it as normal now as all my BX's have been the same.

Doz · Post by **Doz** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:18 am

There's a mod to do to the heater control PCB to make the fan run at "full tilt" when it's in the full tilt position (it doesn't as standard)... It involves soldering a wire link somewhere .... If I can did out the details I'll mod a PCB and send it to you , send me the old one back ... now where did I put the details of the mod???

This may help to blow some warm air around your feet

BTW has anyone any idea when winter is due this year ...

Post by **docchevron** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:59 am

hhmm, well currentley the weather is broken!

Expect winter to start as soon as the weather is fixed, sometime in March maybe......

Cheers
Chris G

Doz · Post by **Doz** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:53 pm

docchevron1472 wrote:hhmm, well currentley the weather is broken!

Expect winter to start as soon as the weather is fixed, sometime in March maybe......

Cheers
Chris G

At least I'm not adding to global warming quite as much now I've got my posh new carb

kiwi · Post by **kiwi** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:31 pm

BTW has anyone any idea when winter is due this year ...

Well it finally left New Zealand two weeks ago so should be near you real soon

Talking of Speedo Cables! This has got to be the first BX I have owned that did not have a Speedo twitch?

One thing I have noticed is that compared to my other car and a friends the measuring is out.

At 100kph I register 91 kph and the same applies to distance roughly 11% error. Heck I know thats a lot more than normal. Checked the tyres and they are 175/70 R14 instead of 175/65 R14.

Would some one with a tyre background know if this would be the cause?

Mike E (uk) · Post by **Mike E (uk)** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:37 pm

If the heater speed control switch is working properly, as you approach the full speed clockwise position, you will hear a relay click as it switches out all the resistance.

If you don't hear this click, then the mod is required if you want max wind.

It is well worth checking the speedo against a GPS unit, then you know what speed you are really doing, (+- wobble mph).

Mike

kiwi · Post by **kiwi** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 12:10 am

It is well worth checking the speedo against a GPS unit, then you know what speed you are really doing

Why didnt I think of that

I spend days working with a handheld GPS and never thought about using it in the Car.

Captain Fishfinger · Post by **Captain Fishfinger** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 9:49 pm

kiwi wrote:
It is well worth checking the speedo against a GPS unit, then you know what speed you are really doing
Why didnt I think of that I spend days working with a handheld GPS and never thought about using it in the Car.

I don't think it is legal in this country to drive holding a GPS in one hand! I drive ferries for days on end across the wet bumpy bits but we never go fast enough to get rid of the wobbley speedo!

kiwi · Post by **kiwi** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:48 am

I am not in England and they have not banned Cellphones use in cars yet

Who needs to hold it? Just tape it to the dashboard or get a passenger to readout to you.

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