Can anyone confirm whether the mileage recorder is required to be functional?

I've almost passed SVA - only the speedo now has a problem with a flickering needle. Naturally, when I tested it it was as steady as a rock!

If anyone is having issues with his speedo, I've outlined below the problems I've identified with mine...

I think there were three problems

1. The cable was flaky - moisture/rust has made part of the inner non-flexible imposing a cyclical loading six feet along the cable.. I'm getting a new cable that I hope has the correct fitting for the autobox.
2. The bearing/bushing where the cable enters the speedo head was a bit tight or dry. Oiling and twiddling seems to have freed it significantly.
3. I've had the speedo head apart. There's two little cross-shafts that drive the odometer via a couple of worm gears. It looks as if there's a bit of damage on the one driven by the cable.
The (small) load of the odometer and tripmeter is enough for the first worm to bind and put excessive load on the cable, possibly cyclically.
I've removed the second plastic shaft (the one parallel to the drive cable) and it's now as free as you like - BUT the trip and odometer aren't driven.

Hope this helps if you're having problems with your speedo.

SVA requires the speedometer to over-read between 0% and about 15-20% (and show a steady reading) but I'm not aware of any odometer requirement.
Anyone confirm (or otherwise)?
Cheers,
John.

Not a requirement as far as I know. The only test is the accuracy of the speedo.

adrian

It may be a requirement for your insurer - to check the mileage you do each year.

Thanks Adrian. No mention was made of having a working odometer at the SVA...but I am getting a bit paranoid about it!

David, yes, good point, but the immediate aim is to get my sticky paws on the MAC!

Thanks, guys.
John.

If it's intermitent it'll read low. So as long as you don't tell the insurer they won't know. If they bother to look up the info from MOTs (obviously not a problem for 3 years) they'll just think you do seriously low mileage....

if the worm gears are damaged the load will be enough to kill cables as they are massively geared down.

is not getting another speedo an option?

or the £ 10 solution is to fit a bicycle speedo - it will need to be illuminated., that is how I passed my SVA. (my speedo cable died on the drive to SVA)

With these bike speedometers, what's their range?
A bicycle max is in the region of 30-40 mph whereas a car is capable of 120 or thereabouts - certainly more than 99 - so the digital readout would need three digits...? Surely they wouldn't go to the expense of putting the 100's digit in the readout if clearly not needed for the intended application?
And how best to illuminate a bike speedo? Only the dearer ones seem to have a backlight - would one of those gooseneck map-reading lights be considered capable of providing illumination?

I've got a new cable and it gives a super-steady reading on the Sierra speedo with the cross-shaft to the odometer removed. I'm just a bit paranoid about the accuracy, as it was only just within acceptable limits on the rollers and considering fitting a bike unit as backup or alternative.

My 306 has been naughty (a failed HP sensor) and the priority is to fix that and we're away for a family do next week so one of these years I might complete the SVA!

MautoK,
I passed at Exeter with a cycle computer. Mine is a Sigma bc1200 and reads up to 183 mph apparently. Although it has a backlight, it only lasts a few seconds so I rigged up a couple of LED's to illuminate it from overhead.
Byron isn't exactly a fan of these being used for car speedos but as long as they meet SVA regs he will pass them. It took three attempts to get it to read accurately though... Its mounted near the steering wheel in attached pic.

[Edited on 28/2/09 by andrew.carwithen]
Rescued attachment sva3 014.JPG

"A bicycle max is in the region of 30-40 mph..."

My personal best was in a race, verified by a Police outrider, coming off Axe Edge from Buxton towards Leek with a screaming tailwind is... 63mph!

adrian

Braver man than I am, Gunga Din!

Of course, my point was whether bike speedometers have 2 or 2 1/2 digits - i.e. 0-99 or 0-199 - since most people don't go very much faster than 30, 40, 63 mph

Any advance on 63?