Speedometer Replacement 2002 R1150RT

Hey guys,

I have a 2002 R1150RT and the speedometer has been making a horrible noise. I just took it in to the dealer for diagnostic and they said the gears in the speedo are bad and it needs to be replaced. The part is $189.57 and labor is $558. I don't mind paying for the part but that's a lot for labor... I was thinking of trying to do the job myself, but was wondering how hard it would be? I've had the dash off before, is that all that needs to happen, or is there a lot more steps?

Mark E

It's easy in my opinion.

My opinion not might count much because I was a mechanic for a living.

If you were my girlfriend (don't go there, PLEASE), this is what I say to her; What have you got to loose? If you screw it up, then you find somebody to unscrew it up. Take lots of pictures and ask lots of questions. There are no stupid questions. Stupid is when you don't trust yourself. Always rely on common sense.

It could be that the bushing in the back of the speedo that is turned by the cable, and in the center of which the cable goes, is dry.
Turn the speedo face down and lube the outer edge of the bushing with whatever oil you like. I used motor oil.

Mine was making a really annoying squeal and the needle jumped all over. This fixed it over 20k miles ago.

jeff488 said:

Mine was making a really annoying squeal and the needle jumped all over. This fixed it over 20k miles ago.

Click to expand...

Exactly what mine's doing... Thanks, I'll give that a try. If it doesn't work I'll order the replacement and try to tackle it myself.

Mark E

Hope it works for you.
It's one of those deals where the actual fix takes about 5 minutes, but getting to the offending part is a big PITA.
Gotta take the whole dash off the RT.

I suppose it does build character, though, and I can always use that.

Speedometer

Once you get it out, ship it to Palo Alto Speedometer. They will quote you a price before you ship it and I have used them before when I had one of the "Joan the Bone Claybrook" 85mph speedometers on an 81 RT. Also sent them the whole guage pannel from a 733i. In both cases, the work was excellent and fairly priced.

Regards,

Will

Thanks Will, they're right down the street!

It isn't difficult to replace. Did mine ( 2002 RT ) when it developed the "squeal of death". The bushing where the speedo cable attaches gets worn and the thing starts to vibrate and squeal when it's cold. If you replace it, get the "authority" or police speedometer. It's the same price and much more accurate. You can see the authority speedometer head on the right. There are more gradation marks and only goes up to 120 mph, but it was 100% accurate according to my GPS. My old speedo was about 10% off. By the way, I don't believe Palo Alto will take this speedometer for repair. It isn't repairable to the best of my knowledge.