Tractormeter failure

I bought a new one in June of 2013, which now has 24 hours on it - don't use the tractor much, as you can see.
Suddenly now the needle is reading about twice the engine speed that it should, and when you shut off the tractor, it coasts back down to zero very slowly. I've taken it apart and can find nothing visibly wrong.
This did happen right after the hood dropped down unexpectedly with a bit of a bang, but I can't tell if it's related.
Once it was apart, I thought I was on to something - perhaps the needle had hopped over the peg that it rests against, at zero, so the coil was "unwound" by one turn, I thought. Happy, I put the whole thing back together only to discover that with the new extra tension from "correcting" the problem, the needle wouldn't move at all. It's like the spring was half a turn too loose and is now half a turn too tight.
Any of you guys tinkered with these?
Oh yes also the hour meter is counting nicely, everything seems to turn as it should, and there is no binding. I must say these are fiddly like a clock but I have been very careful and used lots of magnifying glasses etc.
Ideas?
It's this one: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjQ4WDY1MA==/z/8e4AAOxyKsZRuHpM/$(KGrHqFHJBsFGznKheugBRuHpLzB,g~~60_12.JPG
 
May just be bad. There is places that rebuilds meters that is original. Maybe someone will respond. I've seen some meters advertised very cheap on E-Bay. Made in India seems like. I was leary to buy, get what you pay for.
 
Hi,

If you alreade have had it opened, and can figure out a way to make something rotate at a certain speed, and figure out what that relates to in engine speed you might be able to fix it yourself.

Then, since you have already tried to make the hand turn one more turn to tighten the spring, I wonder if something has come in between the magnet and the cup that makes it rotate. This could give increased friction and make the hand show a higher speed than it actually should. I am thinking about something like fuzz or a hair or whatever can come in between the rotating magnet and the cup. Maybe blow in theere with compressed air could get whatever is in there out. If that is the problem.


Bill
 
(quoted from post at 23:18:10 12/21/14) Hi,

If you alreade have had it opened, and can figure out a way to make something rotate at a certain speed, and figure out what that relates to in engine speed you might be able to fix it yourself.

Then, since you have already tried to make the hand turn one more turn to tighten the spring, I wonder if something has come in between the magnet and the cup that makes it rotate. This could give increased friction and make the hand show a higher speed than it actually should. I am thinking about something like fuzz or a hair or whatever can come in between the rotating magnet and the cup. Maybe blow in theere with compressed air could get whatever is in there out. If that is the problem.


Bill
did have the section with the magnet off to check in there, but all seemed good. With the needle where it was when I took it apart, the spring returned it to zero only very slowly. This is the position in which it read much too high - as if the spring was weak. When I moved the needle such that the spring was now tighter, it them didn't move away from zero when hooked back up to the tractor - as if the magnet was too weak. I held a small screwdriver near it and t did seem like a very weak magnet, but I don't know what normal is for these things. I even then wondered if banging the hood down had caused the magnet to lose its magnetism, somehow. Anyway it's now back on the tractor so the hole is filled. The hour counter works at least.
 
Is there an adjustment on the lower bearing of the needle pivot, similar to the ones found in escapements on mechanical clocks ?
If so then backing that off by a mm might lessen friction and allow the needle to turn a little more easily .
 
(quoted from post at 00:40:56 12/22/14) Is there an adjustment on the lower bearing of the needle pivot, similar to the ones found in escapements on mechanical clocks ?
If so then backing that off by a mm might lessen friction and allow the needle to turn a little more easily .

No adjustment at all, to my surprise. Had the same thought.
 
You may recall I had written to them to ask if there was any kind of warranty or if these are known to have a high failure rate.
Well to their great credit they contacted me the other day saying they will definitely make good and did I want an exchange or a refund?
I'm pretty happy with that!
 

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