Q: Speedometer, from MPH to KMH?

[TheSwede]

Hi! I´m new here, i´m from Vasteras, Sweden.

I have bought an GN -87 from Austin Texas, this summer.

And my question is: I think the speedometer from the beginning were in KMH (the large numbers is in KMH and the smaller numbers above is in MPH) But someone has changed that so the larger numbers shows MPH. How can i change it back?

Is there a easy way?

I hope that you know what i mean, i´m trying as hard i can to make myself understood

Have a nice day!

 

[jastrckl]

Does your car have a digital dash? Also the car was never sold overseas, only certain places in canada as far as I know, so I'm not sure that any ever came with KM/H as the primary readout. If your car is digital dash there's probably a chip you can get to change the readout, if it's a regular dash, then you're going to have great difficulties. Good luck.

 

[V6DVette]

Way back in "the DAY" Kirban had a show/open house at an airport near him. I took a pic of the dash of a car from Canada that had a KM/H dash. So they did exist....Maybe one of our Northern brothers can chime in here...


I'm never gonna finish this car!

 

[TheSwede]

Fast answers! Nice! =)

No digital dash, it´s a regular

According to the previous owner, has Kirban owned this one.
And i think my GN were made for Canadian market.

 

[V6DVette]

2nd...I should welcomed you to the board!LOL
3rd I reread your post and think I know what you need/want.
Our (US market) came with large MPH# on the bottom and small KPH on the top. I think all you would need is a "new?" Canadian market faceplate.
Kirban offers a upgrade to 145MPH plates. I wonder if he has any KPH plates?or knows where you might get one?


I'm never gonna finish this car!

 

[TheSwede]

The faceplate in my GN is the correct one, with MPH with small numbers and KPH with big numbers, but the "needle" points on the KPH numbers if they were MPH i´ll try to show you what i mean.

Look at this link (picture of the speedometer)
ftp://GN:GN@gasa.no-ip.com/GaugeCluster.JPG

the yellow is MPH scale, and white is KPH.

15 MPH approx 20KPH
25 MPH approx 40KPH
And so on....

But someone has changed so the speedometer displays up to 140 MPH instead of 85 MPH (or 140 KPH) and put an tag over where the KPH tag should be.

Another thing..... The meter to the right of MPH tag, doesn´t move. Anything to do a thing about or should i leave it be?

Perhaps when i convert the speedometer?

How can the KPH scale be changed to the MPH scale without changing the faceplate?

 

[typhoon]

I can confirm the Kilometer per hour dashes exist, I happen to own a car with that dash.

I have read, and thinking for myself as I want to go opposite of what you want to do is to change the gear in the tranny. I suspect maybe someone did that to yours to do exactly what I want.

Would be nice ifyou lived close, we could swap gears out. Going across big water probably isn't worth that though.

You have any speedo shops around? They should be able to get you going, or possibly just a factory speedo gear if that is what they did.

 

[TheSwede]

Ok, there is a possibility that the gears is changed in the tranny.
I´ll have to check that up.

I live across the sea, so it´s probably not worth it.

Don´t know any speedo shops here in sweden, but i´ll check that up too.

if I pull out the speedo gear from the tranny, is the gear marked or something so I can see if it´s for MPH or KPH? or is there a number on it?

 

[turbofish38]

Hello, It sounds like someone has either changed the drive gears on the speedo head itself or has installed some type of underdrive adapter at the transmission. I have done this to several of my cars. The Canadian speedo and the domestic speedos both use the same drive gears so assuming they modified the speedo head all you need to convert it back would be a U.S. speedo and swap the drive frame. Turbos and non-turbos use the same speedos. I have had several Canadian speedos and the one in your car is Canadian. To bad you cant find a European spec one as these read to 200KPH. Click here for a picture of one of mine.http://www.msnusers.com/turbofish38/carparts.msnw?Page=Last
Yes its the same.

Eric Fisher

 

[gn85]

Hey neighbor Swede,

I remember that they were selling an adapter to change the KPH as the MPH reading so a US dash with MPH as the large numbers could read higher speeds. Just use the KPH scale to tell how fast you're going. I think it may have been Kirban that was selling these adaptors.

One interesting question Swede,

Your odometer, which is it reading?? If you drive one kilometer does it read one kilometer or less? .6 or something? That may be a hint as to what you have in there. Also, follow your speedo cable from the tranny until the firewall. See if there's anything that resembles a step/adapter gear that may have been installed.

Just to mention, I have a friend coming from the states in a week or so. If there's any odds or ends that you need, please let me know now. He can bring them with him. Of course, within reasonable size. No downpipes or posi rears!

 

[TheSwede]

Yes, you might be right! I think that the odometer is in miles, if i remeber that right. It sound like the speedo gear has been changed.

How do i do to get the speedometer out from the dashboard?

Where do i find an actual size picture of the drive frame?
perhaps i can manufacture my own drive frame, then i don´t need to change the speedo back. 140KPH isn´t enough for the trap speed in 1/8, so if i keep the speedo gear and just change the drive frame, 140 MPH equals 225KPH, which is good enough for the 1/4 trap speed.

Shortly after the car got here to sweden, i tried it out in the last
competition in Vasteras, for this year. I drove the car with pump gas, similar to your 91 or 93 octane (don´t know which), 255/65-15 tyres (no drag tyres) start pressure 0 PSI, 60 Foot in 2.026, 1/8 in 8.368 and 87.13 MPH, 1/4 in 12.981 and 107.15 MPH. That was the 4th time i really tried the car out, all in the same day.

Next season i´ll have to get drag tyres and another intercooler, have a modded stock intercooler.

Thanks Turbofish and gn85 for the speedo tips

 

[gn85]

Not bad times. If it comes about next summer, I'll try to make my way up there. Of course, you could ALWAYS bring your GN down here. It's MORE THEN WELCOME!!

If the odometer is still reading in miles, then so is the needle. That means you need that adapter and the proper faceplate.

Hrm.. let me do some searching. Doesn't seem too long ago that people were doing this.


Wish I still had all my vendor catalogs with me.

 

[TheSwede]

gn85>> You are more than welcome! there are 2 GN's here in Vasteras, The Swede on this forum has the other (The Swede and TheSwede is two different persons)

The Swede, Uffe, is the one who "tricked" me to get a GN as well =)

Please tell me if you find anything!

 

[gn85]

Originally posted by TheSwede
gn85>> You are more than welcome! there are 2 GN's here in Vasteras, The Swede on this forum has the other (The Swede and TheSwede is two different persons)

The Swede, Uffe, is the one who "tricked" me to get a GN as well =)

Please tell me if you find anything!

Yes, that was confusing me. I saw your post count and it said you were new.... that didn't quite add up. Of course, I'm glad to help, but something didn't quite fit.

Anyways... 2 GNs would be two more then I've seen since my 'stay' here in Germany.

Although I did see a Typhoon only a few blocks from my apartment. Almost wrecked my Golf staring and listening to it.

I'll keep my eyes out for what I can find.

 

[TurboT231]

Speedo Face Plate

TheSwede, I have a spare face plate 85 mph from a GN if you want to trade, once you get your speedo out of the car it comes off very easy, let me know I can mail it to you.

 

[bsdlinux]

Originally posted by TheSwede
Hi! I´m new here, i´m from Vasteras, Sweden.

I have bought an GN -87 from Austin Texas, this summer.

And my question is: I think the speedometer from the beginning were in KMH (the large numbers is in KMH and the smaller numbers above is in MPH) But someone has changed that so the larger numbers shows MPH. How can i change it back?

Is there a easy way?

I hope that you know what i mean, i´m trying as hard i can to make myself understood

Have a nice day!

Hey Uffe,

Welcome to the board. That is my old car which I bought from Nivek on this board. Kirban owned the car before him and I was told that Kirban converted the speedo using a Canadian piece. This is what was used before the newer 145 mph plates came out. So it is a canadian piece with a "MPH" label on the bottom which can be removed. I am not sure how they converted the mechanical drives in the speedo, but it was only off a mph or two around 65 mph. I was under the impression that the speedo itself had been tweaked not the tranny gear or speedo cable. I am sure someone on this board would know what to do.

 

[TheSwede]

bsdlinux>> No, not Uffe, i'm Christer. It's me who bought your car. It was Uffe who helped me with the deal.

I'm sure my speedo problem will be solved.

But if anyone has a picture of the scale face plate, i'll be happy if i could get a copy of it.

TurboT231>> i'll be needing an KPH plate, or a redone Face plate that reads to at least 200KPH or if i only change the face plate and don't check or change any speedogears, then the 145 MPH marker will read 225KPH, that must be the easiest way to go?

 

[bsdlinux]

Originally posted by TheSwede
bsdlinux>> No, not Uffe, i'm Christer. It's me who bought your car. It was Uffe who helped me with the deal.

Hey Christer sorry about that