resetting odometer...

[deesandvees]

Well I got the 9C1 speedo for my '87 and before I put it in I want to reset the odometer to "0000000" (it's only fair I got a new motor, trani & rearend). Anybody know how to do this?

[PeteA216]

Yep, when I got the 9C1 speedo for my '84 it read 160k when my car really had 84k, so I took apart the speedometer unit making careful notes to myself of how all the little parts went together until I got the odometer cylinder out. I rearragned the numbers to match the original odometer from my caprice right down to the tenth of a mile. It'd be even easier to go back to zero, but I wanted accuracy. I changed this the same time I changed the motor, so I can always look back to the original speedo to see what the mileage was at the time of the engine swap.

[silicon212]

Just remember that if you ever sell the car, you need to bring up this fact to the buying party. Failure to do so is a felony in most, if not all, states.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by silicon212

Just remember that if you ever sell the car, you need to bring up this fact to the buying party. Failure to do so is a felony in most, if not all, states.

Thanks for mentioning that. I was going to post something in lieu of the previous postings concerning the law(s) on this, but was looking for the exact wording of the law online, to post here. Many states have a provision on the back of the vehicle's title to state whether or not the odometer's reading is the original miles for that vehicle, or a separate document that needs to be filled out by the seller, and filed when the vehicle is registered.

[deesandvees]

Originally Posted by PeteA216

Yep, when I got the 9C1 speedo for my '84 it read 160k when my car really had 84k, so I took apart the speedometer unit making careful notes to myself of how all the little parts went together until I got the odometer cylinder out. I rearragned the numbers to match the original odometer from my caprice right down to the tenth of a mile. It'd be even easier to go back to zero, but I wanted accuracy. I changed this the same time I changed the motor, so I can always look back to the original speedo to see what the mileage was at the time of the engine swap.

So basically just start taking it apart and be careful huh? No special tools required? I'll probably videotape the whole process so I can make sure I can get it back together if it's as complicated as I anticipate.

[WLD AL3ARAB]

I did that to my 88 caprice and after 9 hours i finally got it to work perfectly.

But it is tricky so be careful. And another important thing is the guages needles are fixed in a certain way if you didn't put them back the way they were you won't get an accurate speed reading. ( Don't forget to put some grease in the moving parts ).


Good luck

[PeteA216]

Heres a video I made real fast of how to take out the odometer digit cylinder on the original speedometer from my '84 Caprice:
Odometer Removal
Watch not to loose that spring clip lol. After the cylider is removed, you'll see how I sort of zoom in on the back where a plastic piece holds onto little metal tabs. Once you've changed the odometer reading to your liking, be sure those tabs line back up so you can put the plastic piece back on. Once its all set, pop it right back in as easily as it came out and put the speedometer back into the car.