I think the stumbling block has to do with the dynamic oil pressure sensor
on the later buses and provisions for the thing in the dash pod. I'm not sure
of  the exact years this upgraded oil pressure warning system was used. I'm
guessing  the dynamic oil pressure system came along when the engine was upgraded
to a  2.1L. Maybe someone can chime in here who knows the deal(?)

I have an 83 Water cooled Westy. The difference in the pods between early
and late is the blue foil. There is a blue foil from the early Vanagons with
tach that worked better on my 83.

The later style foil would work, but you lose the use of the oil pressure
idiot light--something I wouldn't recommend. This is because the oil  pressure
idiot light is powered AFTER the oil pressure buzzer that has it's  workings in
a circuit board mounted on the speedo. That is to say power from the  oil
pressure sending unit is plugged into the buzzer in the speedo and then uses
that same plug to get power to the idiot light. If you can't plug into the
buzzer the power has no way to get to the idiot light. (This plug to the speedo  on
the blue circuit board has a number of connecting pins-- let's say 5 for
arguements sake because I don't have one here-- and one or maybe some pins bring
power to the buzzer while another pin takes that same power and it follows
the  circuit to the idiot light.)

I used my orignal 83 speedo in a later model dash pod with a tach and  on the
83 there is no oil pressure buzzer and therefore no where to plug the  blue
circuit board into the oil buzzer outlet.

In the end I found an 85 with a tach and used that foil on a later model  pod
and my existing speedo.

The later model pod I had was brand new, so I chose it because it was in
great shape. You could just use an entire pod with a tach from an 84 or  85--or
before they came out with the dynamic oil pressure system when ever that  was.

I suppose you could make the dynamic pressure system work on an earlier
Vanagon, but you'd need a different sending unit I'm guessing, and of course the
later model speedo with the buzzer attached.

And for the record, the buzzer is just mounted in the speedo because  there's
space there. Unless I'm wrong the buzzer's function isn't related to the
speedometer or speed as far as MPH of the vehicle--but it is related to the rpms
of the engine--is that right?

Best,
Jeff
83.5 Westy
LA,CA

In a message dated 12/13/2005 10:59:49 AM Pacific Standard Time,
svs3@SBCGLOBAL.NET writes:

The ebay  ad
says the cluster works for all years. Is this  true?