I installed my 5 speed tranny last spring and put the correct pinion (black, if i remember correctly) BUT my speedo has not been working since. Worked fine before the swap. First i tought it was not deep enough in the tranny, so i shoved it in. Did'nt help. I swapped the pinion mounts (i had 2 of'em) and tried. No bueno.

Used a electric drill with speedo cable, and my oh my it moved. SO, what is the matter? Pinion is not ruined or anything, looks just fine to my eye just like the blue one i had in 4 speed. Why does it not work even i have pushed it way deep in the transmission?

Depends on which part it is.  I've seen the plastic gears on the removable assembly be screwed up.  But the gear in the transmission tail shaft housing is plastic also, I believe.  It is replaceable but requires removing the transmission.  $14.85.  Part #65.

 

http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsunS30/DatsunZIndex/PowerTrain/TransmissionGears/5Speed/tabid/1708/Default.aspx

 

http://www.courtesyparts.com/gear-speed-p-344016.html

 

Make sure they know what they're doing.  If your gear assembly (part #59, talked about in Post #6 above) wasn't clocked correctly, the gears could lose contact.  It would look broken but just require a slight rotation.  If they just watch to see if things rotate from the outside they may not understand about the offset of the gear shaft.

Yeah its that part nr 65 that is broken, a pain in the arse to change.. would be easier just to swap the whole tranny...

Got a Smart Phone? For a temporary Speedometer you can download a GPS App ( Free ) that uses GPS as a speedometer. They are very accurate. Apps available for I/phone, BB and Android. Search your App store for " Speedometer ". I use one from Gadget Box on my BB.

 

I have a suction cup style Cell phone holder mounted to my W/S and it places my Cell phone at an ideal location. Large HUD on my BB Z10 makes it very handy. Handy for my GPS driving Maps as well.

 

I've got the wrong speedo gear in my Tranny. ( Diff ratio change ). Just haven't had time to change to the correct gear. So the GPS App comes in very handy.