G'day,

Just got a question regarding the accuracy of the centre speedo in a Mini.

The needle in my red Mini doesn't stay steady, it kind of 'hovers' around the correct speed, but isn't steady. My question is, is this usual? Dad's convinced that they're all like it - 1960s technology - but how steady should the needle be? The needle hangs around the right speed (checked with GPS).

I'm currently planning to go for my licence in the Mini within the next month, but Mum is convinced I'm going to fail because of the speedo! Has anyone else recently done a licence test in a Mini? The alternative is the instructor's car, an i30 that I struggle to control because it's so modern and sensitive!

Thanks,
Evan.

_________________
Saxon Green 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62641
Nightfire Red 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66555

The car magazines in the 60s used to praise the accuracy of the Smiths speedos in Minis. But like any sort of accurate bit of machinery they do need regular servicing.
Send the speedo to a good instrument repairer and get it cleaned and serviced.

Thanks for the quick reply, Morris! Good to know they have the potential to be accurate!

Will have to look into speedo places. Anyone have any recommendations? I'm Google'ling at the moment...

_________________
Saxon Green 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62641
Nightfire Red 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66555

Speedo needle wavering is often due to a sharp bend in the cable.
I'd fit a new speedo cable first.
But smear grease on the inner (not the top 150mm though).

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

yeah i had mine rebuilt/serviced last year and it is almost 100% accurate, only difference i've noticed is when my speedo says 90k my gps (which is accurate been checked on many different vehicles) says 100k

but otherwise needle is dead still

maybe check your speedo cable connection is still tight, when mine became loose the needle swayed a bit

Early Mini speedos usually read high but Cooper S speedos were pretty close. My 200KMH/130MPH S one was spot on between 50-110KMH to my TomTom when I had the 1412 + 3.44 diff in it.
Now I am back running the 1360 + 3.647 diff, it over-reads a bit.

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

you're MUCH better off doing the test in the instructors car - you probably won't get a "sympathetic" tester, and they may just take one look at the mini and decide that you're going to fail.

and your mum is right, if the tester can't tell what speed you're doing, how can they tell if you're breaking the speed limit. That's assuming that they can do the mph to kph conversion in their head, and I'd suggest that they can't

they might also decide that the mini is not safe and refuse to get in it...

yep, would be nice to do it in your mini, but you'll get over it

_________________
did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Yes this is what I found.

I always thought my wavering needle had to be the speedo needing servicing. A previous owner had fitted a long clubman cable. I had tried lubing the cable but it didnt help much.

I finally got round to replacing it with a new correct cable which takes a much straighter and shorter path.

My speedo is now absolutely 100% steady and also very accurate when checked with a GPS. It is way more accurate than my 2000 Mitsubishi which reads 5k fast at 100 kph.

_________________

68 Morris Cooper S Mk1 (*ex 78 1275 LS 4th last built, 70 Morris 1500 OHC & 70 MiniMatic)

I did my L >P test in my 1993 rover mini about 12 and a half months ago.
I passed the test and did quite well, The instructor told me i should buy a new car as the mini had no air bags and such.
He did look a little scared when he sat in the mini.

_________________
http://www.flickr.com/by_dan
Current: 1970 Mini K 2014 Focus ST
Past: 93 Rover, 64 850, 97 Rover, 66 Deluxe, 66 Moke
81 Austin Estate, 2006 R53MCS, 66 Deluxe, 1978 Clubbie
2014 Land Rover Defender 90

I did mine in the instructors car I didn't even know you could do it in your car? How's the instructor supposed to know what your doing is right wrong or otherwise?

No offence intended here but if your struggling with an I-30 I'd do a bit more practicing because if you have to drive anything modern and cant drive one of those you will struggle. Also I feel like id fail the test in a mini simply because the test is centred around a modern car, especially the way you need to drive it definately centres around power steering etc.. Also when they ask you were your hazard lights are.. Errr..

Just do it in the i30 mate, then when you pass you can give the mini a caining[/quote]

I tend to agree here, I did my test in my 85 ford meteor because of the hazards light bit, but 3 years later when my younger brother tried to do his P's in the same ford meteor, the instructor refused to get in the car because it was a 40degree day and the meteor didn't have air con! At the time, both me and my brother didnt even contemplate using dad's leyland mini (family runabout) as we just figured there would be too many things that the instructor might not like about it.

_________________
88 Rover 1.3i "Reggie"
99 Rover 1.3i “Grover”
12 Mini Cooper S "The shitter"
17 Mini Clubman JCW “Noddy”

Lol airbags... did my test years ago inthe old faithful was barely roadworthy instructor got in could see daylight between the door & body wasn't happy looked at the speedo wasn't impressed again. Did stall once whilst trying to downshift to non sincro first up a large hill still got it first go.

_________________
PrOuDlY aSkInG qUeStIoNs FoR uR aMuEsMeNt

I did my test (13 years ago) in my old mini. i lived in the country , so it was the police that did it. They were pretty easy.. i got the junior officer as the senior guy wouldn't fit in it. haha. then half way thru my drive my bling gearknob fell off. haha. he just got me to pull over and put it back on. They new that all us country kids had been driving around from the age of 10, so just got me out on the open road doing 100, then said that'll do. I just got knocked for " late braking" (mastercylinder was leaking, so need to pump brakes into corner. and " incorrect gear for speed " ( poor little clubby reved a bit hard at 100).
I still passed
Pretty funny now that i look back on it

_________________
Tim
Dusk Blue
1964 850

I remember when I was on my L's and I re-registered my mini.

I got a very stern look from the lady on the other side of the counter and she said "I hope you are not planning on bringing that for your test"

So I did it in the i30 training school car and it was all gravy.

_________________
You're so square
Baby I don't care

I got my licence in a new mini clubman and it was a driving school car. Hillcrest driving school from memory. But that was in 1978. The reverse park test was a breeze. The first mini I had driven and the start of an addiction.

_________________
Why don't people believe me when I say Arianca Tan will make a come back.