on 5/30/01 5:24 PM, John Brush at jbrush@AROS.NET wrote:

>> i took off my instrument cluster to clean it, and was going to try to
>> take off the dynamic oil pressure circuit board from the speedometer
>> (just disconnect the blue plastic from the speedo to clean the speedo and
>> keep it from sticking).  besides the broken plastic all over the cluster
>> housing, i noticed the blue plastic looked kind of funny, stretched, if
>> you will.  i lifted up one end to see how it connected and *pop* off came
>> the plastic from around the first of the four connectors.
>
> If I am reading you correctly, you pulled some of the flexible circuit
> board off of the panel, which should not be a problem unless you break one
> of the copper lines. The blue flex circuitry is glued in some places and
> snaps over small pins in others, but there is no electrical connection
> thru the blue flexible plastic. So as long as you didn't break any copper
> colored lines, which are the conductors, you should not have any problems.
>
>
> And on the plus side, if I am wrong, you can be sure the truth will come
> out sooner or later here :-)
>
> HTH a little,
>
> John

actually, the flex circuit came off of the female connector that the male
prong (coming off the actual dop circuit board through from the other side
of the speedo housing) plugs into.  there are six prongs and six connectors
(like a spade connector, but tiny), and the connectors look like they're
attached to the plastic...which popped off due to what looks like some
pretty heavy torquing by the DPO.  so now i don't know about the integrity
of the connector/circuit link, and am afraid i will fry my engine if the
circuit is compromised.  is something actually broken here?

fortunately another list member wrote and said these circuits are available
from vanagain for about $50.  if the blue plastic is stamped with openings
for the female connectors and it's just supposed to snap over the connector
to hook it up, then it doesn't sound like anything is broken, even though
it's pretty bent up.  otherwise i think i'll be contacting vanagain.

thanks for all the responses.
bill
'87 syncro westfalia
http://www.scruznet.com/~kasper/pics/westy/