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Re: More Odometer/Speedo questions


posted to the group because of its general interest.

On 26 Oct 98, at 1:41, TOASTEDT3@aol.com wrote:

> There appears to be a gear in the housing where the speedo cable screws
> onto which is where I'd guess the first gear is.  that gear in then turns
> another gear.  this first visible gear in the line of gears is pretty
> gummed up. There's some thick greast covering the gear.  Is this normal or
> is this an instance where dust has mixed with the original grease and
> thickened?  There's actually a few placed where there appears to be some
> pretty thick grease.

Grease is just a mixture of oil and and a thickener that is 
chemically known as soap.  The soap is just a vehicle for storing and 
dispensing the oil; only the oil does any lubrication.  After some 
years, all the oil is gone, and the old grease is thicker.  New 
grease is a good idea.  I recommend that you just wipe off what you 
easily can, perhaps using a wooden toothpick to get rid of stuff 
caught in crevices, and then apply a few dabs of any good quality 
grease to the most likely places.  This is not a critical lubrication 
area, so don't worry too much about what you use.  Just don't use 
something that is too thin that will dry up quickly and leave you 
with no oil in a year. 

> Finally another listee suggested using a variable speed drill in reverse
> with the speedo cable in the chuck to check if the speedo works.  How's
> this sound to you? 

Sure, this works.  I cut the speedo end off a broken speedo cable and 
just use the last 6" without a housing.  You can spin this in a drill 
or in your fingers.  It is useful to feel if there is any drag from 
the speedo head; there should not be, it should turn perfectly 
smoothly.

Jim
-
*******************************
Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
*******************************

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