Date:         Wed, 9 Jul 1997 15:22:59 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Linda Bartnik" <lbart@preferred.com>
Subject:      odometer update

Jeff,
Thank you very much for the instructions.  You turned out to be right, I
don't need to remove it.  I was thinking I would need to remove the needle
and the face to get easier access to the odometer mechanism but it turned
out that I could remove the drive gear with no problem.

It turns out that my problem is that the drive gear is cracked.  I was
hopeful that it was merely slipping on the shaft, but instead there is a
crack running the width of the gear :-( .  I am attempting to repair it
with super glue, but I'm not too hopeful that it will come out OK.  I
foresee that I will be back in there before long.

Here's how it works, for those who have never taken it apart.  The cable
drives a white plastic screw-like gear that is laid perpindicular to the
face of the speedometer.  Then there is a plastic gear mounted
perpendicular to the screw gear whose teeth ride in the threads of the
screw gear.  What is happening on mine is that the plastic drive gear has a
crack in it.  This crack makes the gear ever-so-slightly wider between
those two teeth than between all the other teeth.  This extra wideness
tends to make the gear hang up on the screw geer when those teeth come
around.  What happens is that the tooth that's farther apart from the one
before will not go down into the threads of the screw gear, but rather will
ride right on the edge of the thread.  I can see that if it was not
cracked, it would be just enough closer together to work correctly.  Why
couldn't VDO make this damn gear out of metal????

It looks like a new gear or a good used gear would do the trick, but I
doubt there are many Vanagons around here in junkyards and I bet you can't
buy this part new.  I wonder how many VDO speedometers use this same gear,
and even better, how many old VDO speedometers use a gear of the same
dimensions but made out of metal rather than plastic?  I'd love to replace
mine with a metal gear.  

Any ideas on the above are appreciated, including any ideas on a better way
to fix it.  Or if anyone has a spare good gear lying around, I'd be happy
to take it off your hands :-)

Sean


----------
> From: Jeff Carver <CARVER_JEFFREY@aphub.aerojetpd.com>
> To: "Linda Bartnik" <lbart%preferred.com@aphub.aerojetpd.com>;
type2%bigkitty.azaccess.com@aphub.aerojetpd.com;
vanagon%lenti.med.umn.edu@aphub.aerojetpd.com
> Subject: Removing Speedo Face '80
> Date: Wednesday, July 09, 1997 2:18 PM
> 
> Sean - 
> 
> Yes, I have removed the needle.  Learn from my mistakes.
> 
> You shouldn't have to do it, avoid it if you can is the first rule.
> 
> The needle has a pre-load applied by the spring.
> 
> If you take the needle off without noting how much pre-load is 
> applied, installing later will leave it inaccurate.  Mine's low by 
> about 4mph.
> 
> With the face exposed, gently lift the needle over the 0 mph stop and 
> allow it to come to rest on it's own.  I'd do this with the face 
> flat, face up.  Make a mark on the speedo face of this location on 
> easily removed tape or a Post-It note (don't remove it tho)
> 
> Protect the face of the speedo with something like cardboard from a 
> cereal box and pry off the speedo needle.  It does NOT come off 
> easily, but be gentle.  After the needle is off there are two brass 
> screws to remove to get the face off.  These also do NOT come off 
> easily and very easy to damage.
> 
> Spend the time to find/make screwdriver that FITS the screw.  One 
> slip and the speedo face gets scratched.  I filled my scratches in 
> with a black permanent marker and had to file the screw head to make 
> them look nice again.
> 
> Re-installation should be the reverse.
> 
> Thought I'd make this procedure public also.
> 
> - Jeff  '80 Westi
> 
> > Jeff,
> > Do you know how to remove the speedometer needle on the Vanagon
> > speedometer?
> > 
> > Sean