Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1999
Some time ago the speedometer cable in my 73 1800ES froze and required a replacement. Since then the speedometer seems to register higher than it should. Seems like I recall that a gear on the transmission was the culprit. How can I check this without another trip to the shop?
Thanks ...
It may be that the wrong gear was installed. I don't have specifications for the gear on the '73, but on models up to '69, the speedometer gear on the transmission had 19 teeth for overdrive cars, 17 for non-overdrive. Any Volvo parts dealer with a book for the ES should be able to tell you how many teeth are on the stock speedometer gear.
To check, you'll have to get under the car and remove the speedometer cable where it fastens to the transmission. Then you should be able to remove the gear by twisting the stem and pulling by hand.
Before you get started, you might want to check the speedometer with another car. According to road tests recorded in contemporary magazines, the speedometer error is normally about 3 percent. That is, when the speedometer says 60 mph, you should actually be going 57. -Glenn.