Speedo Conversion

[Simon]

I am moving to the UK and I plan to bring over my Stepwagon from HK. I am delighted to see there is a forum for the Stepwagon. Please can someone advise how :

1. Where I get the Speedo Converted to mph
2. Whether there are any UK rules which which may cause problems for a Stepwagon in the UK so needing other conversions
3. Will UK garages service a stepwagon

Many thanks

[Scrap]

Hi Simon

You can get a speedo fascia from Wellhouse Leisure - see http://www.wellhouseleisure.com/cgi-bin ... &ID=*&nh=3 (How you take the dash apart to fit it someone else will have to tell you).
You may need to get a rear fog light fitted. The radio won't work unless you fit a waveband expander (£5 + postage on ebay).
I've had mine serviced at my local HiQ (Fossitt & Thorne) garage. What happens when I need Stepwgn specific parts such as windscreen & exhaust I don't yet know.

Regards

Brian

[Rob]

What happens when I need Stepwgn specific parts such as windscreen & exhaust I don't yet know.

I had a windscreen crack on me. The national company my insurers use got hold of a windscreen within a fortnight. Would have been a bit inconvenient with a totally smashed 'screen, but in the event it worked out OK.

Rob

[PAR]

I have just bought an unconverted 1999 RF2 from Browns Car Sales in Norfolk, and they did an electronic (I think) change to the speedo which now records and shows MPH. The only other change is that they blacked out the k of km/h!
All I need to remember is the number of KMs shown on the speedo originally as it now increments in miles!

[Vantastic]

Just had a look at Brown's stock list - they have a gorgeous burgundy RF3 for good money on there!

http://www.brownscarsales.co.uk/108751/used-cars.htm - go on have a peek!

[PARR]

Follow-on from my post as 'PAR' Mon Oct 18, 2010 - I decided to revert to Kms but to have a speedo face with mph round the outside with kph on the inner ring.

I found a speedo face on e-bay for £8.50 plus postage, and asked Brown's how they had done the conversion in the first place.
They had fitted a 'chip' which took the kph impulses and converted them to mph impulses and they very kindly sent me the fitting instructions for it.

On my 1999 RF2 the dashboard surround is fixed by 6 screws and a few clips - 3 across the top (the leftmost one is more of a small bolt which screws into a plug - don't lose it!), and 3 across the bottom - one above the air vents, one behind a blanking panel half-way along, and one behind the roof and window winder switches. The plugs for the switches remaining in the panel cannot be replaced wrongly - they are all different.

After this was removed there are 4 screws holding the instrument panel unit - ease it forward carefully and remove the plugs at the back (again the positions of the plugs in the harness make it impossible to get it wrong on reconnecting). The chip was found as described behind the speedo, and it was only necessary to disconnect the + and - leads and reconnect the lead which had been divided to insert the chip.

The clear front of the cluster is fitted with moulded-in clips as is the next layer - the black surround. The original speedo face is fairly thick, and as the needle of the speedo would not budge (stopping me from removing the old face), I made a fine cut with a stanley knife from the centre hole of the new face to the bottom edge and made a slot about 2 mm wide from the centre hole to the lower opening for the trip counter (the openings needed to be cut out and made a little bigger). The original fixing screws for the face were removed, the new face slipped in behind the needle and fixed with the original screws (there were 2 places on the face which needed cutting - one for the trip meter zero and the other for a small stud).

Putting the instrument panel back was straightforward - fortunately. I was very glad to find that it worked properly.

I went on to remove the old TV/satnav display, but this was more complex - there was another surround which needed removal (screws obvious) and the whole radio/tv/pocket assembly needed to be dismantled - the screws etc are pretty obvious.

Again reassembly was the reverse of the dismantling.

I now have lost the useless TV/Satnav from the dash, and have a pocket where it used to be. The opening is not DIN, but some filing and cutting allowed a DIN dash pocket (£1 on e-bay) to be a firm sliding fit (I left it proud by 1/2 an inch so as not to encroach on the radio fascia).

There were two further components for the Satnav - a CD player thing under the passenger seat and a radio-sized box under the passenger side carpet.

It just took time to disconnect these and remove the yards and yards of wire harnesses and aerial leads (aerials removed much earlier). There was one lead I was unable to remove altogether (it had been disconnected 'up top') so I just cut that one short.

I hope this helps if anyone else is planning doing their own conversion!

The chips are available on e-bay but are fairly expensive - £45 to £50.

Next job - fitting a 12V accessory socket in the hole in the off-side interior panel (where the high voltage socket is in later models).

[PARR]

Forgot to mention - fitted a frequency converter in the aerial lead while I was at it - had bought it on e-bay - about £8 including postage. I removed the unexpected converter already fitted (fitted where and when I do not know - made in New Zealand - did not work - no earth lead).
It must have been expected to earth through the braid of the aerial - but the connection was not to the radio - it was to the defunct and non-functional TV!

Anyway, now have many stations from which to choose - just need the time to sit and tune it in - the 'seek' function is not brilliant.

[Vantastic]

Thanks mate ... Lots of useful hints here - if you have any photos even of the final install that would be nice to see!