May 11, 200718 yr Heh ... I was messing with the timing the other day .. retarded it a bit. Not enough to ping, but quite a few steps ... Anyway, i was all-excited to see my new awesome gas mileage ... when PFFFT!!!! Speedo dropped to '0', and odometer came to a grinding halt, making my gas mileage suck. heheh ... Question - any common characteristics on these things to give m a good idea where to start tracking this down? I think I see where it goes into the reduction case, and I’m sure there are seals, gears, etc in there. Anyone been thru this? Any land-mines to be alerted? Thanks!
May 11, 200718 yr Most times its the shaft itself thats broke. Remove it from the bottom and see if you can gently pull on it. I would say, if it comes out easily then it could be broke. Especially if its shorter than the sheath.
May 11, 200718 yr I've had this happen to me before. In my case the speedo cable was just worn out and had broken in two. If this is the case with yours, all I can say is that it is possible to change without taking out the guage cluster, but you'll need limber hands. Good Luck
May 11, 200718 yr Author If this is the case with yours, all I can say is that it is possible to change without taking out the guage cluster, but you'll need limber hands. Yep .. I can definitely see that. I wish I had a kid .. "C'mere Kid ... Hell, I gave birth to you - the least you could do is get your tiny little hand & reach down there and pull that snap ring offa there!" heh heh ... I'll report back
May 11, 200718 yr Heh ... I was messing with the timing the other day .. retarded it a bit. Not enough to ping, but quite a few steps ... Thanks! I killed a motor this way once. It was pinging on an uphill climb so I did the old VW trick of advancing the timing 1 degree per 1000 ft. Well I went the wrong way on accident and then overheated her in the mountains. From now on I will only set the timing with a light and to the specs listed.
May 11, 200718 yr Don't want to hijack the thread, but I find it best to dispel misinformation when possible... Pinging indicates too much ignition advance. If your car is pinging on hills, it must be retarded, not advanced. Advancing the timing is possible for altitude, but is not a good idea if the engine is pinging. Better fuel economy is possible if the timing is advanced slightly. If it is advanced way too much, the engine will ping, and the fuel economy may drop - but at that point, it is so advanced you are risking engine damage. I run my Loyale at 22-23 deg, which is 2-3 deg. more advanced than the stock setting. I have no problems with ping under any load conditions, and I find it does help improve fuel economy on the highway. So, if you really did retard the timing, I would expect: 1. No ping. 2. Worse fuel economy.
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