Replacing Your Odometer

Many people are afraid to even contemplate repairing their odometer for fear of getting into legal trouble. The fact of the matter is, that replacing your odometer doesn't have to end up with you facing a lawsuit from a later owner. The trick is that you do the process correctly, and make sure that you notify the new owner about the replaced odometer. Notifying the next owner is up to you, but the correct process is listed below.

1. Disconnect the battery. Whenever you do any type of work on the dashboard, you want to make sure that you first disconnect the battery from the vehicle. This will help prevent any accidents with the electrical system, and can help save you from a nasty shock later on.
2. Remove the speedometer. The first step in replacing your odometer is to actually remove the speedometer from the dashboard. In order to do this grab a flat headed screwdriver, and begin to gently pry at the gasket that surrounds the speedometer. Once you have loosened the gasket begin to pull the entire assembly away from the dashboard. Be careful that you do not pull too hard, or you can find yourself disconnecting the wires before you are ready. If you have a high quality camera on your cell phone, use it to take a picture of how the wires are connected to the assembly. You may want to take a few photos from various angles to ensure that you can see all the wires. Disconnect the wiring once you are certain you will be able to reconnect everything. Lay your assembly on to a flat surface and then begin removing the screws from the back of the casing to allow you access into the innards of the assembly.
3. Remove trip odometer post. After you have removed the assembly case, locate the trip odometer post, and grab hold of it. Begin to gently pull away on the post and you should see that it moves. Make note that if you feel any resistance at all, do not force the post to move. Instead, place one of your fingers underneath the gauge (about where the post passes through and connects with the motor casing) and press upward. This will help get it completely removed.
4. Remove the needle. Pinch the round base of the needle, and turn it in a clockwise manner until it stops. Gently pull up slowly while also rocking the needle back and forth. It can be extremely easy to bend or break the needle, so be as careful as you possibly can while you do this, and do not force the needle off.
5. Remove the odometer's motor casing. Use a small Philips head screwdriver (the kind that you use on computers) and locate two screws that should be on the on face of the speedometer. These screws help hold the motor casing in place, so go ahead and remove them. Be careful that you do not lose the screw as you will need them put everything back together. After you have the screws removed go ahead and pull the motor casing for the odometer from the assembly. You should now have no problem removing this casing.
6. Disconnect the gear pod. With the motor casing in hand, look for the gear pod near the top of the casing. The gear pod is usually attached to the "lid" portion of the casing, and should easily come off. Look inside the gear pod.
7. Remove the odometer planetary gear, and replace it. Locate the odometer planetary gear inside the gear pod, and then remove it. All you should need to remove this gear is a small flat head screwdriver (like the kind that you use to work on computers) to pry it out. Be careful when you are doing this that you do not use too much force, or damage any of the other parts and pieces. Put your replacement planetary gear into the location of the old one, and gently but firmly press it into place.
8. Reconnect everything. Once you have replaced the faulty odometer planetary gear, you can begin reassembling everything. Do this by simply working in the reverse order of what you have done so far. Keep in mind though that you do not want to remove the planetary gear that you just replaced, or your odometer will not work.