Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1999 15:17:24 CST
Reply-To: Joel Walker <JWALKER@UA1VM.UA.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Joel Walker <JWALKER@UA1VM.UA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Speedometer clicking - any recommendations?
In-Reply-To: <000a01be3816$313deb10$c801a8c0@oradba.Infintium>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
On Mon, 4 Jan 1999 11:12:37 -0800 you said:
>I have both a annoying clicking sound and slight needle vibration in my
>speedometer that varies in intensity depending on how fast I am going. I
>had a local VW dealer check it out and they said I need a new speedometer
>head and cable. They want over $200 for the parts and over $100 for the
>labor. I have a Bentley manual and it looks like a simple enough job that I
>can do myself, however, I'm hesitant to spend the big bucks for the parts to
>fix the
try this first. call Camelback VW in phoenix, az, and ask for Mike Bayne.
tell him you want a new upper cable for your bus. runs about $60, i think.
swap that out and see if it fixes the problem. it's an easy replacement
... you'll need to remove the front headlight grill so you can feed the cable
down to the OXS light box (on the frame, next to the spare tire) and up into
the instrument pod. it helps to have someone else to feed the cable down to
you, while you lay on your back by the spare tire.
now. if that does NOT solve the problem, THEN you can get a new speedo head.
$134 was the price from Camelback. labor? sheesh, about 30 minutes at most,
doing it myself. 4 screws (at the corners of the instrument pod, once you
pop the top off), remove the speedo cable (simple squeeze-pull), and four
more screws that hold the speedo head onto the instrument cluster housing.
that's it.
there are TWO gotcha's to watch out for:
- if you have cruise control, the new speedo will NOT have the little
inductive pickup. you'll need to move it over from the old speedo.
it's the little thing with the wire going to it, right back at the
rear of the speedo, where the cable connects to it.
- if you have the trip odometer, it's a little tricky to get the reset
plunger/button of the new speedo head into the little hole in the
front glass. a little tricky. not too bad. just something to watch
out for.
that's it. if you can operate a screwdriver, and have ever removed a door
handle, you can do this. :)
>listmembers who may have had a similar problem and found a cheaper fix other
>than the standard dealer "replace all the parts and give me your money" fix.
on one bus, it was the speedo head. the odometer quit working. on another
bus, it was the cable ... that stopped the needle from bouncing around at
20-40 mph.
good luck!
joel
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