BMW Repair: BMW e30 Speedometer issue, replacement gears, bmw e30

Question
I have a 91 325i whose speedomter works intermittently.  I can't find any connect as to when it works and when it doesn't.  The odometer doesn't work at all.  Any help besides purchasing a new speedomter would be appreciated.

Answer
Jeff,
 99% of the time, if a guage is acting weird, then the problem lies in the cluster (electronics problem).  The speedometer is the exception.  This is because there is a sensor on the back of the differential that tells the speedo the vehicles current speed.  This sensor fails sometimes, and could be the reason for your speedo problems.  The odometer is not working because the gears inside are broken.  I've seen it countless times, the gears that turn the drums of the odometer get old and brittle, and they eventually crumble.  There is a website (www.speedometergears.com) that sells replacement gears for your odometer.

 Good luck,
 Josh