Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2011 23:17:05 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: speedometer removal
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response
Can I just tell you ?
you know how to get the cover off right ?
( while on that though ..
here is a spot I'll bet hardly anyone every lubricates. If you've found a
instrument cluster that is really hard to get off ...like you're worried you
might break things..
and this is a real issue, since the speedomeoter housing plastic breaks very
easily ..
and often the corner tabs are broken ..
so if the forward edge of the cover doesn't slip over the bumps with the
spring clips there ..
you're in danger of damaging the brittle plastic it's clipped too.
A dab of grease on the springey clips on the cover fixes that nicely . )
cover off, that's step one. step 1.5 is remove the white plastic cover
that's just sitting there. If there is a brake level switch wire on the
brake MC , unplug that.
I do this job with just one long phillps screw driver, btw. the only tool
needed.
step 2 ..remove the plug on the back of the brake warning light., on the
left.
step 3. .......unclip both the 4 way flasher switch and heated back window
switch. Just let them flop on the side on their wires. ( you'll find these
switches just barely disengage enough to remove easily.
step 4 ...do the same for the light switch ...and just let it flop on its
wires there.
step 5 ..remove the four phillips head screws holding the instrument cluster
down . Some corners maybe be broken off. They break very easily.
stet 6 ....only two things left once those 4 screws are out. Lift up the
cluster a little and find the main plug on the right side , and unplug that.
step 7 ..reach forward on the left side, find the speedo cable..squeze to
release that.
It should be in your hands now.
flip it over, look at back side.
you'll see the four screws that hold the speedo in .......some of those
corners are usually broken too. This is very cheasy plastic. you'll have to
get th printed circuit off it and out of the way ..
but that's pretty easy.
one tip ..where the plugs plug onto printed circuit foil strips..
like at the back of the brake warning light ......and especially at the main
plug ..
those foil strips can tear and fail after a while..
so do something to lube them going back together ...I might use wd-40 there,
electrical contact cleaner, or dielectric grease. The printed cirucuits are
delicate.......
they're 20 + years old ...and either you can't get them, or they are very
expensive.
and Another Great Thing about vanagons !
this is about the easiest dash to work on in car-dom !
scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Miller" <mwmiller6@ATT.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2011 4:10 PM
Subject: speedometer removal
> Anyone know where there are instructions for removing the speedometer
> from the housing?
>
> I screwed up my odometer a while ago, well okay, more than a year ago,
> and I'd like to fix it. But that means taking out the speedometer.
>
> TIA,
>
> Mike
