Worried about Odometer

[Greg_Stein]

I'm looking for a first gen Cummins, and I'm noticing a lot of them have broken odometers around 160k. Should this be a major concern for maintenance intervals, and if I do decide to get a truck with a broken odometer, is it worth replacing?

Any other tips for what to look for, I'm a first time buyer, I have read through part of the TDR Buyers guide.

 

[DVolk]

Mine stopped working then it started again . if you can't keep track of mileage then go go by so many month intervals or you can call places like Instrument sakes and service company in Portland,Ore

 

[avvblanc01]

A lot of them have broken odometers because the plastic gears that drive them are very fragile. Buying a truck with a broken OD can be a bit of a gamble, but as long as you do your due diligence to check the truck over for any flaws (like you should with any truck) you will be fine.
The gears are easy to replace should you want to fix the problem. You can also try checking the DMV records for the last reported mileage reading to see how long it has been broken.

 

[RobertGray]

I would say that due diligence on a truck at least 22 years old would include taking a very sceptical view of the odometer reading. In the UK there is an old saying that every time some bandit takes an odometer out of a Jaguar to set it back (clock it) they find a sticker on the back of the odometer which says "Not again!"
I tried buying the gears from Southern Electronics and getting a mechanic to change them, it didn't work, the mechanic said it appeared their was not enough electrical current getting to the instrument. If anyone has any thoughts on this I would be grateful.
I believe there are instructions here and on youtube- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVHSufDAzRo for changing these gears, it is a delicate job.

 

[DVolk]

You can contact instrument sales and service in Portland, Oregon they do repair

 

[RSchwarzli]

Its a gamble for sure. I once bought a crew cab with "only" 250,000. I am into a 10 year resto as that was a replacement speedo cluster and I suspect the mileage was closer to 800k.

Robert

 

[ofelas]

Laspeedometergear call them, ask for Kerry and say I sent ya.
Half the price of anywhere else and they are made in house of graphite impregnated Delrin.
Long lasting, a more robust design and self lubricating.