Date:         Tue, 15 Mar 2005 11:51:11 +1100
Reply-To:     Stephen Overmyer <S.OVERMYER@UWS.EDU.AU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stephen Overmyer <S.OVERMYER@UWS.EDU.AU>
Subject:      Re: Life after speedometer, why do they break?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Regarding too many other keys on the chain with your ignition keys...
I dunno about it shortening the life of the ignition switch....I guess
anything's possible however I have never seen an ignition switch fail
with a heavy bunch keys being the only likely culprit...more likely they
just wear out from lots of use however...

What I am aware of is the ignition having been switched off whilst a van
was in motion due to a large number of keys swinging on the chain and
getting up enough momentum to turn the key. I have heard of this a
number of times.

In one instance, this happened to a neighbour of mine in his '90 T3 as
he exited a service station over a rough gutter causing the keys to
swing and cut off the engine as he straddled several lanes of a highway.
That put a kink in his colon...;-)

Leading up to this event, he had complained several times that the van
had cut out without warning and was considering taking it back to the
dealer to find out what the problem was. He worked it out for himself
following the incident above and promptly separated all house and work
keys on to another key ring.

Also, I'd be another one who has often zero-ed the trip meter whilst in
motion and has suffered no ill effects after nearly 13 years and
271,500kms. I try to do it as soon as I get back in the van after
filling up but have no qualms about re-setting it whilst in motion if I
initially forgot. I think there are other more likely reasons such as
old grease with dust and crud stuck in it that causes odometers to
suffer TFUs...

Cheers,
Steve O
NSW Australia
'92 Transporter WBX Kombi
'00 Transporter Double Cab
'03 Transporter Double Cab (work truck)
'78 Landrover Series 3 Soft top Ute (ex-Aust.Army)






Date:    Sun, 13 Mar 2005 23:01:05 -0800
From:    Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Life after speedometer, why do they break?

Sam, I think the trip meter warning to reset only when stopped is just
another bourbon legend passed along because it sounds good.

Just like the one where passengers warn you not to have too many keys on
the keychain or it will break the switch.

I have enough keys to double as a small dingy anchor and in tens years
the switch hasn't broke yet.

And I hope it will soon because i'm tired of waiting for it to. It was
supposed to break at least 8 years ago.
If you disassemble the igniton unit you will find the actually switch is
a plastic piece that fits in the bottom of the housing, away from the
keys. The key only turns a metal tab that's inserted into the end of the
switch .

If anything, the weight of the keys might wear out the brass keys
tumbler, but that hasn't happened yet either. In any case,  it isn't a
cause of switch failure, wear and overheating is.

Likewise,
If you look at a speedo dissassembled,  you see that when you push down
the reset button, a row of four gears on one shaft is pulled back and
disengages with the driving gear. You can spin the little gears freely
while the button is down.

The button breaks from age or being pushed too hard, as the gears are
disengaged .
As long as the button is pushed down and the Vanagon rolling, the trip
meter will show four zeros -it won't begin to tabulate until you let go
of the button.
This means while pushed in, the driving gear is disengaged.
Since gears are just disengaging, what kind of resistance force is built
up to break the button?

It doesn't add up.

I have a speedometer and a drill and I have tested this over and over-
no sign of stress building up to break the button. The button will
always depress the same amount, whether the car is rolling or not.

It is not somehow interupted halfway and then *snap*.
If the button snaps as the result of pushing it while rolling, then
should'nt the gear also break or strip?

I have also been resetting the trip meter while driving, about ten
years.

Any other old Vanagon tales like this?

Robert

1982 Westfalia