1986 300e

[04 Diesel]

My odometer has not worked since I bought the car, is this common for the 124s ? The speedometer works fine, does that meen that the cable is not broke? Gear problem?

[Hirnbeiss]

Yes, this was another 70's -80's Mercedes design feature - the gear wheels came loose on the shaft or similar. I had mine repaired by Overseas Speedometer in Texas about 10 years ago. You can check if they're still around.

[04 Diesel]

Originally Posted by Hirnbeiss

Yes, this was another 70's -80's Mercedes design feature - the gear wheels came loose on the shaft or similar. I had mine repaired by Overseas Speedometer in Texas about 10 years ago. You can check if they're still around.

Is this a DIY job?

[Oracle12345]

use the search function


You can take apart yourself and learn how to fix it :p

But becareful you can break them if you go the wrong direction with the gears

[04 Diesel]

Thankyou.

[David Wilson]

The gear that drives the odometer shaft becomes loose on the shaft and slips. The cure is to slide the gear down the shaft slightly, exposing the contact area. Then you need to "scar" the shaft to provide some grip. Then clean the contact area with a solvent that dissipates (acetone, brakeklean, etc). Then slide the gear back to its place on the shaft and apply one small drop of loctite to the gear so that it flows into the contact area. The hard part is getting to the gear. You need small screwdrivers, steady hands, and good eyesight. I only have 2 of the 3.

You would be better off getting a later model (89 on) cluster so that you can take advantage of the improved lighting design, and maybe a working odometer. They go for $50-$100 on e-bay.

[spazinweasel]

i have a 90 300e and i got the same story

[04 Diesel]

I took the cluster out of the car, now I got the speedodometer/ odometer out and everything looks good. What am I looking for? If anybody has some pictures, that would be great. I am not sure what to do next. Thanks. I looked on Dieselgiant and my 124 speedo is different than the 123 speedo.

[David Wilson]

Originally Posted by 04 Diesel

I took the cluster out of the car, now I got the speedodometer/ odometer out and everything looks good. What am I looking for? If anybody has some pictures, that would be great. I am not sure what to do next. Thanks. I looked on Dieselgiant and my 124 speedo is different than the 123 speedo.

You should have the speedometer with the clear plastic case. Manually turn the input shaft and look closely at the gears in relation to the shafts that they are attached to. You are looking for slippage of the gears. When you locate the slippage, (or damaged gear) you will then know where to go next. Tedious work.

[04 Diesel]

Originally Posted by David Wilson

You should have the speedometer with the clear plastic case. Manually turn the input shaft and look closely at the gears in relation to the shafts that they are attached to. You are looking for slippage of the gears. When you locate the slippage, (or damaged gear) you will then know where to go next. Tedious work.

Do I have to take the needle and the face plate off?

[lkchris]

It's common for a lot of 22-year-old cars!

[David Wilson]

Originally Posted by 04 Diesel

Do I have to take the needle and the face plate off?

It will make things easier to work on. You don't have to fear scratching the face plate up if you have it removed. Bring the needle over the stop and let it come to a natural rest, and mark that location. Or, if your speedo is off by a few mph's, now is the time to fix it the poor mans way. Pop the needle off using steady pressure from underneath and from the opposite side from the needle. Be careful as it will go flying when it releases. Then you have the 2 screws. It's easier than it looks. When you go to re-assemble it, the needle pushes on easy. I had to re-glue the little black cap on my needle.

[04 Diesel]

I will give it a try this weekend. One question, If the speedoometer cable is broken will the speedometer still work? Does the cable turn the odometer?

[David Wilson]

Originally Posted by 04 Diesel

I will give it a try this weekend. One question, If the speedoometer cable is broken will the speedometer still work? Does the cable turn the odometer?

That's correct, No cable, no speedometer.