Date:         Wed, 21 Jun 2000 14:07:36 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ibm.net>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ibm.net>
Subject:      Re: Instrument cluster - 87
Comments: To: DCrammond@aol.com
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2000062113165612@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 13:16 6/21/2000, Dar Crammond wrote:

>Next step was to pull the instrument cluster and check the LED.  My foil
>circuitry looks nothing like the Bentley, which led me to a long and
>agoninzing trace to find the correct test points for my LED.  Stupidly, I
>reversed the polarity when testing the light and it blew.

Actually you probably had the polarity right and tested right at the LED
instead of including the series resistor that limits current through the LED...


>I hear that radio shack has replacements.  My first question is:  is this
>a blinking LED or is the blink function in the supporting circuitry

Plain LED -- I'm pretty sure.  Radio Shack has lots of LEDs, and any of the
T1 3/4 size (that's Tubular bulb shape, 1 3/4 eighths of an inch across)
should plug in with no changes needed.  I'm using a clear-lens
high-brightness type for visibility in daylight.  If it turns out that the
original *was* a blinker, go back and get one if you want to.

>?  Second question is where is the buzzer? On the L board or elsewhere?

L-board.


>Back to my original problem.
>I haven't gone too far into the dash when I notice that the plastic frame
>that the speedo and tach, etc. screw into is absolutely shattered.  It
>crumbles in my hands.  Was this just a lousy run of plastic, did it
>freeze, get heat stressed, was it in an accident?  Very strange.  It is so
>crumbly that I don't really want to reinstall it.

VW apparently got their plastics technology from Detroit instead of Tokyo
(or maybe Detroit got it from VW...).  They may have also flubbed the
stress analysis where the screws go into the plastic.  Whatever -- these
panels crumble.  Treat with gentleness and reinforcements as indicated.


>My thinking now is to buy a used instrument cluster from a junk yard.  It
>has to be an 87 or later in order to have the whiz bang oil pressure L board.

'86, I believe...


>Anyone out there have any insight about my plight?  Do all these plastic
>parts degrade this way?  Is the oil pressure L board system inherently
>bad, which means my $100 bucks is money down a rat hole?  Does anyone out
>there have an instrument cluster for sale?

Bus Depot has new panels with km/h speedos.  Van-again sells L-boards for
$50, may also have clusters.  AFAIK the L-board system is fine.  I would
attempt to verify that L-board is actually getting the correct signals
before proceeding further.

david

David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"