Any car can do that, pretty much. Think of the cable/odometer/speedometer
as a drive train--the transmission or wheel (in the case of a Vanagon)
drives the cable. The cable drives the odometer, which is a very
directly-geared device. It also drives the speedometer, which is a
magnetically-coupled device and any little think wrong with it can take the
needle, which is softly connected, out of whack with the odometer, which is
a hard connection.

If you could reach into the instrument housing while driving and touch its
various components, your pinkie could stop the odometer needle, but it
would lose skin if you stuck it into the odometer.

Jim

On Fri, Jan 18, 2013 at 5:42 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:

>    I've not heard of a Vanagon speedo losing it's speed function and
> keeping the odometer, but that is just what mine begin doing this afternoon
> without any warning or prior indication of problems.
>
>     I had the odometer wheel problem and I also had a bad cable before but
> now the speedo needle sits unmoving on "Zero" while the miles click off
> just fine.   I know from my tach how fast I am going but the speedo is also
> pretty handy and I'd like to restore it's function...if anyone has a
> hint....thanks,
>
>   Don Hanson
>