Date:         Sat, 20 May 2006 04:05:47 -0700
Reply-To:     Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Subject:      Re: Speedometer Ok -Odometer and trip meter dead!?
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=response

I have mine out and in front of me (from an '87) and when you push the
button while rotating the odo by hand in the proper direction, it forces the
trip odo gears in the opposite direction from rotation to reset them- but it
should at the same time disengage the fat black drive gear in the trip odo
from the white 'tenths' gear. However I noticed that when I first began to
fiddle with it that those two gears seemed to have another connection that
worked almost like a ratchet. When I pressed the button while turning the
main shaft there was a distinct and abrupt 'catching' action. As I
manipulated them more and attempted to move them independently with the
button pressed they began to move more freely. At first I thought I had
broken something but now I think there was just some gunk in there that was
binding them at one spot. They now move quite freely and it still works
properly and more smoothly than before.
I can readily picture that these two gears got gunked or gummed up and that
while it didn't require a great amount of force to move them past the
sticking point it was almost certainly enough to dislodge that crappy pot
metal gear from its press on the main shaft after repeated applications.
Pushing the button moves the lever against the cam on the odo gears- if the
tenths gear is stuck in some fashion to the drive gear the force gets
transferred to the intermediate gear between the two mechanisms and then to
the pot metal gear, which eventually loses its grip on the shaft. No
mystery, no myth. It's just so poorly designed it can't overcome a little
grit.

Btw, I used to think the Flat Earth Society was a joke by some
too-cynical-for-the-room types- I mean, what could be more absurd? Then I
looked it up- and they're not joking. Pretty strange.

Cya,
Robert

From: "Mark Drillock" <mdrillock@COX.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, May 19, 2006 9:12 PM
Subject: Re: Speedometer Ok -Odometer and trip meter dead!?


> You are right and this has been explained several times on this list
> over the years. Some people still believe the myth about not pushing the
> odometer reset while you are driving. I'm sure many people still
> believed the Earth was flat long after it was demonstrated to be round,
> rotating, and orbiting the sun to boot.
>
> It is also possible that very early speedos had a different internal
> setup and thus the myth was founded on fact but carried forward to
> falsehood.
>
> Mark
>
> John Bange wrote:
>
>>>
>>> dont press the ODO reset button while the vehicle is moving.. this is a
>>> common no-no with all VAG products.   others may balk at this, but ive
>>> had
>>> it
>>> happen a few times.
>>
>>
>>
>> I've heard this one before, but must admit I am at a loss to understand
>> exactly what this theory is based on. As it happens I have a disassembled
>> odometer right here (mine quit working this week, 20 miles after pressing
>> the trip reset while STOPPED at the gas station). The only connection I
>> see
>> the trip reset button has to the main odometer is a small synchronizing
>> pinion gear (three gears removed from the main shaft) on the spring
>> loaded
>> arm the button moves, and the first thing thing that happens when you
>> press
>> is that gear is pulled away. By spinning the main drive gear with one
>> hand
>> and operating the reset button with the other, I am completely unable to
>> induce any sort of malfunction. I'm not saying that people's odometers
>> don't
>> go south after a "moving reset", I'm just saying I can't see how it would
>> have any connection.
>>