stevie_b

I'd not thought of that. sounds tricky, but the trickiest would probably be a PVC catsuit.

Interested in the gearbox. Is it your car that it came from? In your garage it says you have a TT. Do you know if the synchros are worn, if it makes unusual noises etc?

PM on its way

Probably. Eliminate the other probable causes of the fault that I've described in this thread first. Post #11 on this thread

Bypassing its buffer doesn't stop the odo from working. I've run a bypassed buffer for 6+ years, and my odo counts up with no ill effects. The Thor speed converter happens to bypass the buffer. It sounds like your odo has several faults, or it isn't getting the input speed signal. Check the wire from speedo to odo for ropey splices (if you're running any aftermarket converter etc), loose wire, etc.

Bypassing the odo's buffer is often used as a fix for the code 42 warning lights, assuming the fault is in the buffer circuit.

Don't forget your sheepskin coat and trilby hat! Joking aside, I've read an online guide that recommended you stand near when the cars you're interested in are started up and driven into the arena. Watch out for the usual warning signs.

Do you mean these: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/android-tv-boxes-what-are-they-and-what-can-they-do/ I've never heard of them TBH. I love this quote near the end of the article:

Do V160/161 rebuilds (or W58 for that matter) require specialist knowledge of that particular gearbox? I ask because there are many gearbox specialists in the UK. I haven't come across any that claim to be experts in V16x or W58, but I wonder if that's important. It reminds me of new supra owners seeking out supra specialists to do their servicing for them, although IMO a standard-ish supra can be well-serviced by any competent mechanic: supra experience is not necessary.

You either need the electronics knowledge, or get someone to do it for you. They need to pulse the input of the new odo so that the numbers count up.

Assuming the garage is competent and there genuinely aren't any fault codes logged, it does sound like an internal fault with the odo. Very unusual though for these issues not to trigger code 42 (speed sensor error). Here's why: The speed sensor's on the gearbox. The signal from it goes to the speedo cluster. The cluster uses it to, well, show the speed. The speedo cluster then outputs the signal to the odo. The odo uses it to count up the display, buffers it, and re-outputs the signal to the ECU. If the ECU doesn't see a speed signal once the engine's up to temperature and the car's travelling at at least 50mph (I think it uses the other speed sensor to tell what the speed is. Sounds like a circular argument, the details of which I don't know about!), then the ECU logs a code 42 error. The point is, the gearbox speed sensor, speedo cluster, odo and finally the ECU are in a daisy chain. If you break the chain anywhere, the ECU won't see the signal and will log the error. Common failure points: 1) Failure of an aftermarket speedo converter spliced into the daisy chain somewhere 2) Failure of the odo's buffer circuit, meaning it doesn't re-output the signal to the ECU I think you've got one of the following scenarios: 1) your car hasn't been above 50mph when warm since you last reset the ECU/removed the battery. This means that the ECU won't have met all the conditions to log the expected error. Your odo problem is probably (and it is just an educated guess) caused by a faulty odo unit. 2) your car has been above 50mph when warm, and still hasn't logged any errors. This means each component in the daisy chain is doing its job of receiving the signal and re-outputting it, but that the numbers just aren't counting up. Both 1 and 2 suggest a new odo is required, not a new speedo cluster.

Thread hijack, but was there a fault code showing on the dash (engine MIL, etc) before you did this? I'm curious about how severe a problem needs to be before it illuminates the MIL.

Hmm, I'm not sure then. I've got a manual so I'm not familiar with the OD function.

Does your MIL light (the orange engine light) come on when the ignition key is at position 2?

[hijack]Nice wheels. I'm usually Captain OEM, but they're lovely![/hijack]

OK. Actually, it might not be a buffer circuit issue with the odo PCB. It might just be dry solders, or some other issue with the odo. Anyway, you have 2 issues: your odo doesn't count up, and your MIL light doesn't work. Both could be caused by dry solders, quite common problem on these cars.

Probably the buffer circuit in the odometer circuit board has given up, or has some dry solders. I would also expect your orange engine MIL light to be lit up once you've got the car up to temperature and speed (50mph+). If it isn't, check that it comes on when you have the ignition at the II position. The point is that the odo not counting up should generate a MIL error that can be safely ignored, BUT you need that MIL light working in case something bad ever does happen.

I swear by the Thor converters.

No easy way out of this one. People can get quite territorial about the road immediately around their home. I remember a thread on here a while ago where someone's neighbour was in the habit of parking a big van (and it was big, several steps up from a transit) outside their house. It wasn't blocking anyone's driveway and was parked on a public highway, but it didn't provide a pleasant vista unless you've got a thing for big white vans. The consensus on here was that the van shouldn't be parked there. To go technical: Your diagram marks out access paths, but does the access area include where you park your car? If where you park your car is considered Access, you might have a hard time arguing you can continue parking there if things escalate down the Call the Authorities route. To play Devil's Advocate, your neighbour might not be as skilled in manouvring a car as you are. She can probably do it, but maybe she struggles with manouvres (quick plug for my campaign to make drivers retake their test every 10 years, you knows it makes sense!). We've all seen people who make a meal of parallel parking or a 3-point turn even when there's plenty of space.

Are you NA or TT? - - - Updated - - - Are you NA or TT?

To picture a 10-year old me beside a new car, you'd need something like this:

Sad times. A great player.

Thanks mate.

@Benjy: my father in law's got an '11 plate Transit with the 2.2L Duratorq TDCi engine. Do you think this one would be affected? I read on t'internet that it's only ones with Euro5 engines, but I don't know if his one falls in that category (Ford's ETIS system doesn't say).

Sounds like a tough wish list. If you can compromise on one or two things, I reckon your choices would open up. I would suggest a Perodua Kelisa, e.g.: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Perodua-Kelisa-1-0-EX-SUPERB-LITTLE-CAR-/181878012523 I don't know much about them, but I was looking at them when I was considering getting a cheap runaround for short 1-person journeys. They've got OK reviews on autotrader or parkers. Great as an inner-city car I would think because of their size. You'd be hard-pushed to say it's good-looking though (criterion #4). I kind of like that in a runaround though: if it gets dinged in the car park, meh. Not sure about its load-carrying capability either. Might be OK if the rear seats fold down.