Type3 gauge repairs · Aussieveedubbers

nsuwift · 30 Aug 2010, 8:45 pm

Hi Just wondering is it possible to get gauges fixed if they are not working. If so where from. I got a KM/H speedo for free the other day. Have not put it in the car yet so have no idea whether it actually works or not. Has a crack in the grey plastic where 40 KM/H is marked and seems to have a liitle bit of a rattle inside of it. Also have no Idea whether the clock that came with the car works or not.

vlad01 · 31 Aug 2010, 8:04 am

yeah should be able to get it fixed by an instrument specialist.

lol seem to be a common spot for cracking. I had a few speedos with that same cracked area. 😂

1500S · 31 Aug 2010, 9:56 am

nsuwift wrote:Hi Just wondering is it possible to get gauges fixed if they are not working. If so where from. I got a KM/H speedo for free the other day. Have not put it in the car yet so have no idea whether it actually works or not. Has a crack in the grey plastic where 40 KM/H is marked and seems to have a liitle bit of a rattle inside of it. Also have no Idea whether the clock that came with the car works or not.

File a square on a bit of steel or aluminium to suit drive in speedo, hold that in a cordless or similar drill. Place the square in the drive of the speedo and turn drill on. Simple to see if it works as long as you have drill running in right direction.

As for the clock, hook it to a battery would be the simplest way to see if it works!

DH

nsuwift · 31 Aug 2010, 4:55 pm

cheers thanx for the help.

newghia · 31 Aug 2010, 6:14 pm

M.I.S ................. Mobile instrument service @ Maryong / kings park car do repairs & servicing
if parts are still avail for the particular gauge,
Nath

blutopless2 · 1 Sep 2010, 8:24 am

common fault in old speedos is the odometer part not working. This is usually caused by the little pinion gear. This usually cracks when it is loaded up to turn all of the odometer numbers at the same time... eg when it turns from 9999 to 10000 etc... depending upon the amount of numbers you have. replacements can be bought for a few dollars at most speedo places.

as suggested above use a drill to test the speedo dial.. on the back of the speedo there should be stamped the gear ratio from the input to the dial... if you have a drill that you know what speed it is running (or a way to test the drill speed) you can work out what speed should be displayed.

1500S · 1 Sep 2010, 9:16 am

No ratio on a Type 3 VW speedo unless you are talking about the small gear on the odometer. Nothing stamped anywhere though. Just one size for km and another for miles. The cable just turns a magnet which in turn pulls a drum around. The drum has the needle spindle attached to it.

One problem with the VW speedos is that the input shaft bearing is just the diecast metal and when worn, the magnet sits too close to the drum thus showing an increased speed. One way to get a standard Type 3 to do 160kmh without driving down a mine shaft!

Can be repaired by drilling oversize and bushing it with bronze if you have a lathe.

As for the odometer gear, in most cases in the VW speedo it is slipping on the shaft as it's only a light press fit. Can be fixed by a light knurl if you have pulled it apart without losing anything and then reassemble with a bit of loctite etc.

DH