Huh?

David, what are you saying?  That it is OK to push while moving, or that it
is not OK?

I used to always push mine in while moving, having found that it took
considerably more effort to push in the button while standing still.  The
whole thing went to hell when I gave it a good push a year or two ago and
the back of the speedo housing departed the front, landing somewhere near
the brake master cylinder! (note - vehicle not moving at the time).

Karl Wolz

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Beierl" <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 6:22 PM
Subject: Re: dont pusy our trip meter while driving!

> At 07:36 PM 1/25/2001, Jere & Beth Hawn wrote:
>
> >I understand the logic behind this issue however, I have been pushing my
> >trip meter while the van has been moving *not continuously* for the last
11
> >years/249,000 miles and it has never broken... what gives?
>
> You'll have to work harder than that to keep *me* from messing with your
> commas...you must have quite a callus on your finger by now <evil grin>.
>
> Seriously, though, I'm sad to say that what you have heard is an Old Wives
> Tale.  In order to reset the tenths wheel on the trip meter (which drives
> the rest of them) it is necessary to disengage it from the drive gear
> coming from the main odometer (which looks a lot like a hundredths wheel
> hidden behind the faceplate).  In fact all the wheels need to be able to
> turn freely, and the reset mechanism does this by lifting away the rack of
> gears that drive each wheel including the tenths wheel from the preceding
> one.  The only difference is that the tenths wheel follows 1:1 with its
> drive, while the others move one tooth per revolution of the preceding
> wheel.  You verify this by gedanken-experiment or by taking your speedo
out
> and trying it -- you can learn enough without taking off the needle and
> faceplate.
>
> This points the finger of blame at VDO for not correctly figuring out the
> assembly dimensions and allowable stress for the drive pinion, or else on
> some other demon that creates extra drag in the odometer assembly -- but
> feel free to push that button until you get tired, if you're not already.
>
> Sigh...I've been hoping for a year or two now that someone other than me
> would mention this. :-/
>
> david
>
>
> David Beierl - Providence, RI
>   http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
> '84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
> '85 GL "Poor Relation"
>