Date:         Sat, 12 May 2007 22:32:05 -0700
Reply-To:     John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: odometer question
Comments: To: Maggie Dew <wildebus@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <4387de760705121856l237c97a9r84a63ab2846bd687@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

> .. the odometer hadn't changed and the trip meter was still on
> zero.  The speedo is working though.  I tried the reset button a couple
> more
> times - once at a stop and once while moving.  No change.
>
> Question one - what is the problem?  Question two - how do I check it
> and/or
> fix it?  Thanks.


1) the usual. Something in the odometer mechanism is loose. Most likely, the
pot-metal gear on the end of the odometer shaft is loose and spinning. Later
model odometers have a plastic gear that "sticks" better (though those go
bad in other ways). Other posibilities are the metal or plastic gear has
slipped sideways and caused the gear on the OPPOSITE end of the shaft to
lose contact with the worm gear that drives the whole thing, or the gear
slipping on the shaft such that the shaft falls out of one of its mounting
holes. Whichever it may be, there's only one culprit in all these scenarios.

2)  A picture is worth a thousand words. Check out here:

<http://www.twistedlimbpaper.com/brian/vanagon/Odometer.htm>

It's a pretty fiddly proposition, getting the odometer apart to fix it. It
involves gently prying off the needle and juggling a bunch of loose plastic
gears. I have a half dozen or so spare odometers of the early, metal framed
type, as used in the '85. Lemme know if you want one.

--
John Bange
'90 Vanagon - "Geldsauger"