Re: Damn Dodometers!

[broberg@cpg.mcw.edu]

I have had 4 Audis and experienced both odometer and speedo problems on two of them, 
both 5Ks.  Two common ones that I am familiar with can be repaired by a tinkerer that is 
not afraid to rip out the dash units.  Worn out units are not covered here.

One problem is a result of pushing the reset buttion too hard in which case it breaks 
the PC board on the electronic units.  The break can be hairline and difficult to see.  
This failure stops both speedo and odo.

A more common failure on the mechanicals is the stripping of the main drive gear 
that goes between the speedo to the odo.  That is the shaft that the odo number wheels 
fit on.  It is knurled at the drive end and pressed into a nylog gear.  What 
frequently(!) happens is the strength of the knurl-to-gear connection becomes weaker 
than the number of wheels that have to be turned.  That explains why these failures seem 
to happen at 99999 miles, or thereabouts.  I've done that repair probably a half a dozen 
times.  Enough times on one 5k that I could get the steering wheel off, dash out & 
disassembled in a few minutes.

Can't speak to the differences between models.
Roland


On Wed, 19 Jun 1996, aspeer@mail.utexas.edu (Andrew J. Speer) wrote:
>I've owned 3 Audis thus far.  A 5K, a 4Kq, and a Coupe GT.  The odometer on
>the 5K quit at 88K, the Coupe is beginning to quit at 85K, and the 4Kq is
>ticking away happily at 110K.  I hear of several 4Kqs with 130K+, whereas I
>see many 5Ks with odos dead at <100K.  Am I twisting statistics in a deluded
>way or is there a reason why 4K odometers appear more reliable?  They all
>seem identical from the outside (analog).  Also, do Euro-spec (in km)
>odometers suffer from the same odometer gremlins their U.S. couterparts do?
>
>
>
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