G'day g'day g'day assorted geniuses and smartie pants. I have a sticky speedo needle in my '94 2.6 petrol Ford Courier. It's fine around town but sticks at 70 or 80km/h on the freeway and won't go any further. Ford says the speedo cluster will need to be removed and sent away for repair. Or they suggested finding a second hand one to install.

Alternatively, a friend suggested installing a tacho to judge freeway speed using the rpm. I've done a Google and found only one reference to km/h per 1000rpm - an NRMA report on the 2.5 diesel Courier in 2003. It's a 5-speed transmission with the same gear ratios as mine. The NRMA said the speed was 38.5km/h per 1000rpm in top gear.  So, what is top? 4th gear is 1.0 and 5th is .085 which I thought was called overdrive.

Maybe Bill12 has a tacho in his 1996 Courier and can tell me what rpm it shows when he's doing 80 or 90km/h. At the moment I'm guessing that 90km/h is about 2500rpm but that seems a bit low for a petrol engine capable of over 4000.

Well, well, well, I never would have thought of a GPS. I don't have one yet but will have before I hit the road.

bill12 wrote:

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90kph is about 2750 revs ,in my diesel courier, but depends on load and weather conditions. A head wind will make a big difference.

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The relationship between road speed and RPM is fixed. It doesn't vary with the weather, nor with the load. It only varies when you select different gearing, or if your clutch is slipping, or perhaps if you have an automatic transmission.

Hehehe. Yep, Bill's an old salt. But a mate of mine in Merry Cah said that road speed is a bit like air speed in a plane. Headwinds and tailwinds can make a helluva diff as passengers will note in the departure lounge. So, Bill, if I do the Big Loop with a tail wind, which way should I go? Clockwise or anti-clockwise? :)

There's a good old saying"where ever the wind blows, it blows for you". I did a clockwise lap last time , and recommend that you go north in the winter, and south in the summer. Even then you will have headwinds at times. Keep an eye on the weather, and move when the going is good. I remember waiting in Esperance,til the wind was behind me to cross the Nulabor.It worked, and it was worth waiting.When is the camper going tobe loaded? Bill

The perennial question, Bill. Every time I mention loading the camper, my mates disappear. Funny about that. But I'll need to do it soon cos I want to take it to an auto sparky and work on a few other things. If push comes to shove, I guess I'll have to do it myself.