Re: Fast speedo

[Peter Orban <ORBAN@nrcamt.iamt.nrc.ca>]

>Is there anyway to adjust the speedometer on a 1986 4000q?
>This is the VDO analog type.
>Mine seems to read about 8 mph high!

Do you have the right size tyre? Assuming that your tyre is right,
i.e. your odometer is accurate, you can adjust your speedo at two
places. Your needle could be misplaced. This is that 0 is not
where 0 on the scale. Unfortunately the dial does not start at 0, so you
can not align your needle there. The effect of this is that
you have 8 mph difference all the time, e.g. 8 mph high at 30 mph,
and 8mph difference at 60 mph. In this case you pull the needle from
the shaft and replace it 8 mph lower.
The other problem could that the spring rate for the needle is not
accurate. This shows up like 4 mph error at 30 mph, 8 mph error at
60 mph. In this case you should increase the spring rate (shorten the
spring). This is the spiral hair spring under the face plate. The end
of that spring is held by a conical pin, which jams the spring against
a post. You have to pull out the pin, change the position of the spring,
and put back the pin. For that you need to remove the needle and then
the faceplate. This adjustment you can only do by trial and error.
To complicate matters, the error usually is not either/or but the
combination of the two things.

If you do not feel comfortable messing around with a Grandpa's clock,
then do not touch your speedo, you can make more damage than good.

Another option is to send away your cluster for repair. I saved the
following info from the VW newsgroup in '91:

>Somebody told me about a place where they manufacture/repair foreign
>car speed/odo's--I took my speed/odo out - took it there-while I waited,
>they repaired it--total cost $47.93--
>
>The place--VDO YAZAKI Corporation    Phone: 703-665-0100
>           P.O. Box 2898             TELEX 6711644
>           980 Brooke Road           TELECOPY 703-662-2515
>           Winchester, VA. 22601

If you need more info on how to disassemble your speedo without
ruining it, e-mail me, I can tell about my experience.

Good luck, Peter
peter.orban@nrc.ca