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Gauge troubleshooting

To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Gauge troubleshooting
From: "Paul M." <rowman22001@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2003 13:45:37 -0800 (PST)
I need help troubleshooting some gauge problems in my
1971 MGB tourer.

The speedometer has always bounced around a little,
but it's been getting increasingly bad recently, and
over the past month, it's also been reading more and
more "optimistically" (higher than true speed).  At
first it was just 5 mph or so, but then 7, then maybe
10...  But when I went for a drive this afternoon,
it's suddenly bouncing around wildly and reading about
40-50 mph high.  But it literally bounces between, say
70 and 120 mph.  Wild bouncing.

But the odometer still reads perfectly, so am I
correct in assuming that it's probably not a sender
problem?  (Or pickup, or sensor, or whatever it's
called...)  Is it likely to be a problem in the gauge
itself?  Or is there a drive unit or something that
might be bad?

Forgive my total lack of knowledge about these gauges!

Also, the tach is just dead.  Originally, it worked
perfectly, 100% of the time.  Then it would start to
konk out, but only when it was cold outside, and only
for a few seconds.  Then more and more frequently.  I
could whack the glass a few times and wake it up, but
it's been getting increasingly bad.  Now it hardly
ever works at all.  I can beat the bejeezus out of it
and nothing.

Every once in a blue moon it'll wake up on its own and
work for a minute or so, and then it goes dead again.

Any help on how to start troubleshooting these things?

Finally, I'm going vintage racing with this car, and
I'd like the tach to be working as accurately as
possible.  If it turns out to be bad, does anyone have
a recommendation on a reasonably affordable quality
tach that will fit in the stock opening (or
thereabouts)?  Preferably something that "looks the
part" as well?  Something kinda vintage?

(I don't want to put a liquid-filled, AutoMeter
Pro-Comp in there with memory and a huge shift light. 
Somehow I doubt they had those on the Marathon de la
Route!)

Thanks in advance,

=====
Paul Misencik
1971 MGB Vintage Race Project
Huntersville, NC  USA
www.sopwithracing.com

Learn the truth at www.misleader.org

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