Speedometer

DonH4106 · March 05, 2015, 06:19:49 AM

The 4106 we acquired a couple of months ago has a Dixson speedometer. it seems to work fine up to 35mph where it stops. I am unable to contact the PO about it. I am hoping someone here can point me in the right direction before I take it apart. Don

chessie4905 · March 05, 2015, 06:38:25 AM

Check the sending unit.

Tony LEE · March 05, 2015, 09:28:39 AM

That is often a sign that the coil in the sending unit is set too far away from the gear teeth (or whatever) that triggers the pulses.

Looks like the odometer isn't working either - or that it has been around the clock at least once

DonH4106 · March 05, 2015, 07:28:24 PM

That mileage is all that was put on the coach after this unit was installed. I am not sure where the sending unit is. Where might I look? Maybe on the driveshaft? Front wheels? Thanks guys. I will have to get it up on blocks and find it. Don

PP · March 06, 2015, 02:37:58 PM

I know this isn't going to be any help to you, but I find that since I have the GPS mounted on the dash when driving, I can flip the screen to "Trip Computer" and have a full screen speedo with very precise travel mileage as a bonus which is a godsend when your fuel gauge is stuck on 1/2 tank like mine. I know there are a lot of people using their GPS for speedos when traveling. Good luck fixing it though. We all like everything to be working right.
Will

Dave5Cs · March 06, 2015, 04:17:58 PM

Should be on the inside of the drivers side wheel area. Explains in the manual how to adjust it if it is the same as the original if not go on line and there maybe a PDF tutorial about it.

Dave5Cs

chessie4905 · March 06, 2015, 04:43:22 PM

Ours was mounted on the transmission output, but that was the 4104. I didn't care for the color band but it always worked well.

RJ · March 06, 2015, 06:12:23 PM

Quote from: chessie4905 on March 06, 2015, 04:43:22 PM
I didn't care for the color band. . .

The color bands match the shift points for a manual gearbox.

FWIW & HTH,

gus · March 06, 2015, 06:21:16 PM

Quote from: PP on March 06, 2015, 02:37:58 PM
I know this isn't going to be any help to you, but I find that since I have the GPS mounted on the dash when driving, I can flip the screen to "Trip Computer" and have a full screen speedo with very precise travel mileage as a bonus which is a godsend when your fuel gauge is stuck on 1/2 tank like mine. I know there are a lot of people using their GPS for speedos when traveling. Good luck fixing it though. We all like everything to be working right.
Will

I do the same thing, hardly ever look at the bus speedo which isn't accurate and is too hard to see anyway.

Dave5Cs · March 06, 2015, 07:21:33 PM

When mine stopped working I just downloaded an app speedo and put my phone in the Speedo hole. Works very good. and it is digital or analog, has the time and the miles you traveled and keeps a total of trip miles also if you want it to.

Dave5Cs

Oonrahnjay · March 07, 2015, 04:58:12 AM

Quote from: PP on March 06, 2015, 02:37:58 PMI know this isn't going to be any help to you, but I find that since I have the GPS mounted on the dash when driving, I can flip the screen to "Trip Computer" and have a full screen speedo with very precise travel mileage as a bonus which is a godsend when your fuel gauge is stuck on 1/2 tank like mine. I know there are a lot of people using their GPS for speedos when traveling. Good luck fixing it though. We all like everything to be working right.
Will

My Magellan has a little window at the bottom of the screen that displays MPH. Works well ... too bad it's not a great unit in other ways.

bevans6 · March 07, 2015, 05:29:20 AM

If the sensor is on a front wheel, it's usually the driver's side, mounted on the spindle so it rides near the rim of the brake drum. There are bolts in the rim of the brake drum that trigger the magnetic sensor. Usually you want 1/8" to 3/16" clearance. My MCI has two pairs of two bolts, others might have more, spaced equally around the rim of the drum.

Brian

DonH4106 · March 08, 2015, 07:52:16 AM

Thanks Guys
I suspect the sensor is on the front wheel. I have not put in on blocks to have a look. What is strange is that it works fine until it hits 35mph then freezes.
When I look at it I will check the clearances. GPS is the way to go but I want a working speedometer. Don

digesterman · March 08, 2015, 08:28:07 AM

I lost my speedo 2000 or so miles from home so I set one of the Garmins trip recorders to zero and just used the GPS as a speedo the rest of the trip. Once I received the new speedo from Prevost I took it and the mileage off the GPS trip recorder to have the new speedo set to the exact mileage of the coach, which BTW matched the DDEC's mileage too.
GPS are really great nowadays and fairly cheap

RJ · March 08, 2015, 12:36:29 PM

Don -

The early 4106s had their speedometer driven off the back of the transmission, near the bulkhead. It's like a tach generator, an L-shaped thing with a wire attached, IIRC.

If the coach had a tachograph, then there was a cable drive from the transmission to the tachograph up front.

Later '06s had theirs driven off the LF wheel if it was only a speedometer. Tachographs were still driven off the transmission.

So you'll have to poke around a bit to figure out which you've got.

That Dixon unit is not an OEM GM, it's the same one found in a lot of MCIs, primarily 8s & 9s, and those were all driven off the LF wheel.

FWIW & HTH. . .