Mine just broke this year, bought van new in 1988 (leftover 1987).  Have
around 145,000 miles on it.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Marshall [mailto:Willolyn99@AOL.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 7:20 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: trip odometer myth

OK, I've heard enough.  If you push in the trip odometer button while
moving,
you will reset the odometer.  That's it.  The first thing that happens when
you push the button is that the gears disengage.  So, it won't matter if
it's
moving or not.

Those of you who have had their vans since new, did these break the first
time you tried it?  No, probably not until the plastic aged for a decade.
How is it that everyone (including me) talks about how the speedo plastic is
brittle and broken, but no one thinks the trip odo is in the same condition?
Mine broke, and it was the brittle plastic ring that holds the axle in
place.
 A weak design, and the plastic was brittle.  I rebuilt it with JB Weld and
it is now permanent.

I'll bet that the workings get sticky with age and lube drying out, and you
have to push harder to activate it.  Combine that with old brittle plastic
and you've got breakage.  I reset that thing on the fly every tank of gas
for
6 years.  I figure that was 500 times before it went.  Why didn't it go the
first time? Or first 50 times?

Because it is a myth.

So that's my rant, hope you enjoyed it ;-)

Bill Marshall
'85 GL Tiico "Pandora"
Aurora, IL