PDA

View Full Version : 2002 R1150RT speedometer

DarkCloud
05-01-2010, 08:59 PM
My speedometer need is bouncing around until 60mph, and I hear a strange noise coming from the cowling when the needle is flopping around. Been through this with old bricks, but not with an oilhead. Has anyone had this problem, and how did they fix it? Thanks, JON
awagnon
05-01-2010, 10:21 PM
My speedometer need is bouncing around until 60mph, and I hear a strange noise coming from the cowling when the needle is flopping around. Been through this with old bricks, but not with an oilhead. Has anyone had this problem, and how did they fix it? Thanks, JON

You can go to the oilhead forum on the BMW Sport Touring board and do a search on the speedometer squeal of death. It usually means the speedometer is dying and they can't be repaired. However, if you follow my thread http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=51538&Number=569585#Post569585 on that forum, you will see that oiling it may delay, but not prevent failure. If you replace it, buy a police (authority) speedometer. It's the same price and more accurate.
Dave_Faria
05-02-2010, 07:57 AM
My speedo was do that. I did two things.

1. I greased the cable. Didn't help.

2. I oiled the brass bushing in the back of the speedo that the cable plugs into with 3 in 1 oil. That fixed it. No squeal or bouncing needle in 10k miles.
DarkCloud
05-02-2010, 11:20 AM
Dave, what's involved with getting to the back side of the speedo to oil it? Thanks, JON
awagnon
05-02-2010, 11:35 AM
You can remove the dash panel (Remove the top panel first.) and then take out the four bolts that hold the tachometer and speedometer in place. If you release the speedo cable at the axil, the assembly may tilt forward enough to undo the upper end of the cable and then oil the bushing. ( There should be a picture on my link which shows where to oil. ) Be sure to use as little oil as possible, or you may see oil on the speedometer face later.
Dave_Faria
05-02-2010, 02:30 PM
What Awagon said but, while you've got it open you might want to go ahead and replace the lights in the speedo and tach. The only advice I can offer there is the speedo and the tach will sometime hang up in the housing due to road grit. The way I was able to get mine out was my wife's hair dryer. Warm the housing and they will slip out. And when puting the assembly back into the bike I had to adjust certain clips so the mounting looked correct. I had never noticed things before because that's the way it came from the factory.
awagnon
05-02-2010, 04:13 PM
".... while you've got it open you might want to go ahead and replace the lights in the speedo and tach."

Good advice. I changed the bulbs in mine while I was in there, also. I didn't have any trouble getting the speedo/tach out, but I also had to tweak it so that it looked correct with the dash panel when I put it back. I'm not sure why it was different when it went back in. I also replaced the speedometer with the authority model, though in retrospect, I probably could have saved the old one with a little oil.