non functioning speedo

Hi everyone I am the proud, newish (since last August) owner of a 1989 GTA turbo which has recently lost the use of it's speedo amongst other miscellaneous electrical issues. I've looked in the somewhat vague workshop manual I bought on ebay but it simply deals with removal of the unit and offers no trouble shooting info.
The symptoms were that it would work for the first few miles of a journey then work intermittently and then stop completely. I'm afraid that it's now just stopped working at all.
Does anyone have experience of sorting out this problem and if so are the parts obtainable? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
It would also be good to know if there are any fellow Alpine owners/garages who know about them in the area. I live between Bury St Edmunds and Norwich.

Murf.

[BIG_MVS]

Welcome Murf.

If you have a search on the forum there are many threads on this matter you can pick through.

Believe it or not when I had my GTA's the winter was the worst for these type of issues. The cold damp weather did nothing for reliable electrics.

JohnC - Look away....

When driving have you tried to give the binnacle a "whack"? Obviously don't do a power smash of the iron fist but give it a few taps to see if it comes back into life? Is the rev counter OK?

It could be something simple like a bad connection or most probable a bad earth.

Out of interest which GTA have you bought? We may know about it and the problem before which might help.

RATS is in Derby who are the biz. Not sure about owners in the area though...

[mettersl]

Well I'm an ex owner of an a610 and an owner of a Gta kit, I'm in saffron walden, so no more than half an hour from you.
I think we have a new owner down near stansted and there used to be an a610 in Burwell, but I haven't see it or the owner recently...he's a member from the "other club".
Happy to help if I can, but I'm new to Gta ownership, so new I haven't yet driven mine, so will probably have the door openers, fuel gauge and speedo issues (can anyone add to that list) once RATS have worked their magic and put it all back together.
Cheers Lee

Some contact cleaner on the electrical connections low down in the drivers side rear wheel arch will help this in my experience.

Plus regular use. Always the best maintenance for these cars.

Hi murf, and welcome to the world of intermittent speedo's.
As a Full Club Member, you have access to the "RAOC Members Area". There is a posting giving quite a comprehensive article about GTA speedo's titled "GTA Speedo Faults". Suggest before doing anything, you read the article from end to end (excluding the posts about a members domestic oven )
On my PC, it is on page 2, dated Sept 2010.
However the first port of call must be the speed sensor connector mounted on the off side wheel arch in the engine bay. There is a picture of its position in the artical.
I hope this helps.

Definitely agree with JohnC and Jon Viola.

Clean the contacts in the connector behind the driver's side rear wheel arch. Easy to get to from underneath. There are 3 connectors there. The speedo is the smaller one with it's lead trailing off towards the gear box.

Get some good switch cleaner in there for a start. I use a silicone sealant like 'Damp Start' to seal it up once it's clean and working.

Jon

I use a silicone sealant like 'Damp Start' to seal it up once it's clean and working.Jon

Jon ...... may I suggest the use of Silicone Grease as opposed to sealant ..... it will have the same effect but the connector still be able to be disconnected if necessary, ...... sealant could cause the connector to become "glued" so to speak.

Hi everyone and many thanks for all your responses. It would appear to be a common problem so I will certainly search out the other threads and try all the suggestions next time I get an opportunity to work on the car. The rev counter was still working the last time I drove it about 10 days ago and I did give the instrument binnacle a few hefty whacks to try and breath life into the speedo but to no avail.
The car was owned by Jon Kenny for a number of years who lives near Winchester but I don't think he did a great deal of mileage in it (currently 79,000) and came with a sheaf of bills etc so it seems to have been cared for and been garaged.
My immediate problem is to build a garage for it but I have been struggling to find the time outside family commitments/the weather to move this project forward. In the mean time it's under a breathable tailored cover I got from a company in Yorkshire which is well made but a poor fit around the mirrors. The mot is due in March so no doubt that will raise a few more issues but I arranged to have the use of my friendly garage's lift for a day to inspect underneath and wasn't too horrified by what I found. All visible metalwork was scraped/wire-brushed and Dinitrol'ed so I'm hoping that will keep things under control for a while.

Murf.

I use a silicone sealant like 'Damp Start' to seal it up once it's clean and working.Jon

Jon ...... may I suggest the use of Silicone Grease as opposed to sealant ..... it will have the same effect but the connector still be able to be disconnected if necessary, ...... sealant could cause the connector to become "glued" so to speak.

Fair point John. So far it's not been an issue (the spray dries to a very thin and sometimes brittle layer) but probably the grease approach would be more vibration resistant too. Thanks for that!

Jon

Clean the earths also - never does any harm at all.

Easy first one to look at is under the plastic scuttle that covers the battery. Follow the lead from the negative terminal and (unless it's been moved) you should find it runs down to the chassis in a gulley beneath the battery. It also has a drain point there for water and you tend to get leaves and crud building up there over the years, none of which helps matters.

Undo the strap (hopefully it won't be seized as it goes to a threaded hole in the chassis) and clean up both sides - the strap itself and the flat mating section on the chassis. Both should be silver and shiny to get a good contact. Worth also cleaning the bolt as it'll also conduct through that. Re-tighten and squirt with lithium grease or similar to protect it from the damp.

If nothing else you might find the car starts easier in the cold and the lights don't dim on idle! If you're lucky you might find it cures the speedo.

There are a few other earth straps including one to the engine and one (I believe) to the gearbox(?)

Just in case any member is interested in obtaining some Silicone Grease ..... this is what I use.

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/greases/0494124/

[stephendell]

Obviously don't do a power smash of the iron fist

What about a Hulk Smash, does that work

At least we know where Mr Kenny's car has gone now

Hi Murf,
My speedo is intermittent, however flicking on the rear view de mister, wipers or heater fan, normally does the trick for a while.

I also have Jon C, fault rectification guide as per his posts, but as yet have not followed.
Sorry Jon will do hopefully prior to Macon.

Hitting it is not a good idea!!

Dave

My speedo is intermittent, however flicking on the rear view de mister, wipers or heater fan, normally does the trick for a while.

I also have Jon C, fault rectification guide as per his posts, but as yet have not followed.

Hey Dave ....... I have not posted the fix I gave you and two other members for this particular fault yet, as I have been awaiting feedback from you all, as to whether it cured the fault or not ........ still its only 18 months since I sent out the fix, but let me know if it helps when you get around to it.
I hope you have good news for me in Macon ....... and if the other two members read this, and you have tried the fix, can you let me know if it worked or not.