Rev Counter

[H48HPE]

After the sucess ive had fitting my econometer (which works a treat) Im looking for my next modification, I like the idea of putting a Rev counter in the car, If the instrument pack comes apart could I swap the rev counter half with the corresponding half on the original pack so that I keep the original speedo? Some may think its a stupid thing to do and it would be easyer to just swap the whole thing over but id rather keep the speedo part original you see.

Is this asking for trouble do you think? if so Ill just swap the whole unit when I get one.

Does the speedo read differently depending what modle it was for?


andy

[Austin-Rover]

The easiest way would be to swap the speedo half and insert that into the new rev counter pack - instead of messing with the rev counter itself. It just unscrews and slots into your new pack - so you can keep the original speedo and not have to mess about with it.

[threelitre]

Originally posted by RDGelder
The easiest way would be to swap the speedo half and insert that into the new rev counter pack - instead of messing with the rev counter itself. It just unscrews and slots into your new pack - so you can keep the original speedo and not have to mess about with it.

Yepp... and then the rev counter half will be backlighted and the speedo not. So not looking very good. At least you should then withdraw all the bulbs behind the rev counter part. I assume you have an 1.3 litre. So you should look out for the complete unit of an 1.3HL or 1.3 Mayfair with rev counter and get this. It is very easy to keep your mileage by taking the speedo to bits and changing the counter. Don't take an 1.6 unit, as the speedo will be very optimistic afterwards (like indicating 70 at 63 - my 1.3 does 110mph like that!). I now have a rev counter unit showing mph (and small kph) from a UK car, but still counting my original kilometers - but it's from a 1.6, do the indicated speed is too high. The counter works correct, since I kept this from the original speedo :)

HTH,

Alexander

[matthewsemple]

I swapped the whole lot when I put a rev counter pack in my HLE (so I achieved econometer and revcounter like you are aiming for - it was very good!)

The early HLS speedo pod has the same graphics on the speedo as the HLE. I got one with 100 miles more than my car, waited for the car to catch it up and then plugged it in.

Alternatively the odometers are easy to clock which is not illegal because you would not be try to deceive a potential buyer if you match the mileage to your car.

[threelitre]

Originally posted by matthewsemple
The early HLS speedo pod has the same graphics on the speedo as the HLE. I got one with 100 miles more than my car, waited for the car to catch it up and then plugged it in.

This is true, but the main problem is the different gearing of the gearbox: then LE does have the same final drive as the 1.6, where the 1.3 in standard form revs a little higher... Look at the speedos from a 1.3 and a 1.6 and you will notice that they have (slightly) different marks...

Regards,
Alexander

[Dave]

You can withdraw the speedo cable from the gearbox - the 1300 has a green gear on the end, the 1600 a red/brown gear.... simply make sure you keep green with 1300 and red/brown with 1600. If you change the instrument pack only, and not the speedo cable, the pack will read correctly regardless of model the pack was sourced from. (inc 2l and 1600 models with honda pg1 box)

Dave.

[matthewsemple]

Originally posted by threelitre
This is true, but the main problem is the different gearing of the gearbox: then LE does have the same final drive as the 1.6, where the 1.3 in standard form revs a little higher... Look at the speedos from a 1.3 and a 1.6 and you will notice that they have (slightly) different marks...

Regards,
Alexander

This is not my experience. The speedos in the 1983 HLE and HLS were exactly the same and there was no difference in th readings when I swapped them. I could tell this because the HLE would not comfortably go into 'E' (4th) until 40mph. This was unchanged when I swapped teh speedos.

As Dave says I did not change speedo cables - just the pack. One thing you have to watch though, is that the cables changed at some point but this is an age issue, not a model specific problem.

[H48HPE]

Ive been trying to make sense of this on the Electronic parts catalogue. there seems to be different part numbers for different models. Im thinking to save confusion I might just put the speedo part from my car into a rev counter pack, but what will be the effect of this on the back lighting I understand from the above that it lights differently? Unless I could guarentee that the donor came from a 1.3 mayfair (I think thats the only modle they made with the rev counter in the same style of instruments as ive got).

andy

[threelitre]

Hmm, so there must ether be something wrong with the conversion I did, or there is a difference between 1.3 (not HLE!) and 1.6 models. The 1.3 HLE and 1.6 use the same final drive ratio, and so there is no reason why ARG should have produced different speedos for them. If you swap the 3+E box for the 5-speeder from a 1.6, the 5th gear will be exactly what E was before...

So, I do have a standard 1.3 from 1988. And I wanted to have a rev-conter and backlighted instrument. And I wanted to keep my km-counter (the one on the unit with the rev-counter was broken anyway). I think, but I do not know for sure, that the unit I used was from a 1.6 HL Montego. There is a difference between the graphics on the speedo, showing a higher max on the 1.6 unit I used. reusing my old drive for the needle led to a speedo showing higher speeds then the old one before, due to a differently calibrated scale. The speed shown now is correct for a 1.6 in relation to the rev-counter (about 40kph at 1000rpm in 5th as opposed to about 36kph at 1000rpm in 5th for the 1.3). I can now cruise along at an indicated 110mph with 4400rpm (which would be about correct for the 1.6) - but I doubt that my 1.3 is that quick and should just touch the 100mph then...

I might have done the error of discarding the original drive of the unit (I did not touch the cable apart from pulling it out of the speedo!), but they do look identical to me. So I still would say, that there _is_ a difference regarding the speedos. Compare the scale on the unit in a 1.3 with the one in a 1.6, there should be a difference, at least for later cars.

Regards,

Alexander