Date:         Mon, 5 Feb 2007 12:39:00 -0700
Reply-To:     Ryan Miller <rmiller@AZTECA.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Ryan Miller <rmiller@AZTECA.COM>
Subject:      Re: Help, late model instument cluster in '82 van
In-Reply-To:  <009601c7495b$edfe5c30$d85b9904@gpa207joel>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Thanks for the info Joel. The lower end connection is the big question. I
could use my old speedo, but it's a bit beat up, so it would be nice to have
a newer one. My bus used to be an aircooled bus, but now it's Subaru
powered. I might just have to go back to the yard and hope the wires for the
cluster are still there.

Ryan

-----Original Message-----
From: joel walker [mailto:jwalker17@earthlink.net]
Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 12:29 PM
To: Ryan Miller
Subject: Re: [VANAGON] Help, late model instument cluster in '82 van

> During my conversion I pulled an instrument cluster out of a donor
> van. The
> van was identified as an '82 (same year as mine), but I'm pretty
> sure it was
> a diesel or maybe some sort of conversion since it had a radiator
> (engine
> was missing), however it had an instrument cluster with a
> tachometer, so it
> suited my needs until I realized that the speedo connection wasn't
> the screw
> on type like mine, but rather, what I guess, is more of a plug in
> style. The
> tach also has a temp guage and the wiring ribbon is of course
> different. It
> appears that my plug would fit the new cluster, but I'm sure I don't
> have a
> tach or temp line that runs to it. So, I guess my questions are can
> I get a
> 'newer' upper plug in speedo cable and have it work? And, what would
> it take
> to get the tach and temp gauges working?

if it's got the plug connector AND the lcd digital clock, it is NOT
from a diesel bus. that's 1985 and later. :(

can you get a cable with the plug and use it? should work, if the
lower ends of the cables are the same. and it's possible that they
might NOT be. :(
it might be easier to just remove the old speedo/odo from the old dash
and put it into the new cluster. it will fit. the only problem would
be if the new cluster has a trip odo and the old one doesn't, or vice
versa.

the temp gauge ... if your bus is an aircooled, there's not any way to
get a sender that will make the temp gauge work. :(  if your bus is a
diesel, it should work ok ... same gauge as in the rabbits and they
were also available in diesel.
but the position of the wire in that blue foil thingie is likely to be
different ... that is, the blue foil wire goes to a different "real"
wire in the big multiplug that connects the cluster stuff to the rest
of the wiring in the dash. that's the big problem with moving clusters
around in vanagons: vw changed the wiring positions from year to year.
:(  if you can find out where the wire is, and change its position in
the big multiplug, then it should work.

the tach ... same deal with the position of the wires. but you could
do like i did in my 80 bus: just run a wire from the #1 terminal on
the ignition coil all the way up front to the dash and connect it
straight to the backside of the tachometer itself. then all you have
to do is provide volts from the dash lighting for the tach, and a
ground wire to make it work. :)

good luck!
joel