odometer question
 

Is it possible for the speedometer in my 420sel to be correct and the odometer/trip meter to be incorrect? I ask because I noticed i was getting 100 less miles per tank than before. I decided to experiment with a handheld gps and they are almost spot on with speed, but as i drove more and more the difference between the distance covered on the gps and car got greater and greater. The gps showed more mileage driven than the car. The only thing is that i cant really tell if im spending more on gas before because of actual reduced economy or just a faulty reading because i moved to a different house and the landscape and drive times are different. would new gears in the cluster fix this?

You just proved that it is! :D

i guess my question sounds stupid, but arent they related to each other? I also question the accuracy of the 4 year old magellan,

No, the GPS is going to be accurate to several feet. The odometer has additional gears that aren't involved in the speedometer indicator, even though they are driven by the same cable. Do a search in the forums for odometer problems, I know there have been some. In my '87 190D, the odometer drive gear moved on its shaft and became disengaged from the driven gear. The odometer stopped working entirely. I was able to push it back in position and it's been OK, but I imagine the gear can simply slip a little on the shaft but stay engaged.

Guys get them operating again using Super Glue on the shaft/gear.

Ill give that a try. My odometer is getting slower and slower. It now reads about half of what it should.

keeping it "low mileage" is all ;)
 

You will have one of the famous "low mileage" cars seen on fleaBay all the time if you leave it alone!

John in San Antonio

pull instrument panel and pull speedo.turn on one side and undo two screws holding plastic cover over the gears.you will find plastic gears that have reverted to original material before it was hardened.the teeth are now breaking off.go to speedometergears.com and you can find the replacements and fix it.