Date:         Thu, 4 Jul 2019 02:18:49 +0000
Reply-To:     Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: shaky speedo needle
In-Reply-To:  <CY4PR04MB0983607883060A9E90F7758AA6FB0@CY4PR04MB0983.namprd04.prod.outlook.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

 I had shaky speedo needle too, about 8 years ago when van was 27 years old.  That speedo cable is in a tough environment....getting exposed to heat from radiator airflow and all, plus tons of vibration.  So not surprising that grease inside cable housing had long since gotten dried out.  I replaced it, not expensive.  My 85 had the "two piece" cable so as to engage the O2 reminder warning light; I replaced with the one piece version (from GoWesty), bypassing the warning light box altogether.  All has been silky smooth since then.  I really doubt that it is the Speedometer itself.

Rich
San Diego

    On Wednesday, July 3, 2019, 9:17:38 AM PDT, Richard Smith <smirby@GMAIL.COM> wrote:  
 
 [What Alistair recommended, plus...]

Mine was very shaky when I got it - it has been sitting a while - and I found that if I straightened the cable a bit, behind the speedometer, it would smooth out. 

I suspected that the cable was making too sharp a bend and binding a slight amount (maybe needs some lube?) as it comes out / goes into the speedo. I put a small zip tie back there, connected to the dash frame, so that I could simulate the pressure and angle that I put on it with a finger (drove with the cover off for a short distance to discover and then test this). 

By adjusting how tight the zip tie was, I was able to get it smooth enough without unduly stressing the cable. This is obviously a 'patch' solution, but I have to admit that it has been in there three years now and it is working well. The needle still wobbles a bit, but it isn't nearly as annoying/distracting as it was.

My instrument cluster has only one rear tab (one is broken right off) and that one is clearly a "plastic weld" that someone did with a heat gun or something. I suspect that it is sufficiently mis-aligned that this might be causing the speedo cable to be stretched a bit - I searched along its length for a bit of slack before I tried the zip tie approach.

If you can find a bit of slack, and ensure that it enters the back of the speedo squarely, you might be able to fix this without resorting to the zip tie. All those rough roads might have just shaken something a bit loose.

Best of luck, sounds like a wonderful trip.

...r 

On 2019-07-03, 8:55 AM, "Vanagon Mailing List on behalf of Alistair Bell" <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com on behalf of albell@SHAW.CA> wrote:

    Second, reach behind the speedo unit, dash cover and plastic shield off, and make sure that end of the cable is secure in the speedo.