TheSamba.com :: View topic - Parts i didn't know exsisted. (spedo question)

Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:07 am

I took my bus to the mechanic to get all of the electrical sorted out. We had tried for a long time to fix everything and we couldn't get it. so, he checked it out and he said i'm missinga copper piece that goes on the back of the spedo! what is that? I have no idea. He says it acts as a ground for all of the dash lights.

True?
where do i get one?
does someone have one they can send me?
is there a picture of this piece?

Thanks
-Grant

Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:54 am

Never heard of it and I've torn a few speedos apart. Unless he means something totally different...can you shoot an image of the back of your speedo. I could tell you if anything's missing.

Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:58 am

yes, there is a copper tab that is riveted to the housing that grounds the high beam light in the lower center of the speedo. it's only a ground for the high beam bulb. the gen and oil light are grounded by the regulator and sender (respectively). the tab can break off if the bulb housing is removed wrong.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=244813

Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:01 pm

do you have a picture?

is this something i could possibly find?

maybe i could just get a piece of copper and rivit it myself?

did i spell rivit wrong?

-Thanks to you both. (i don't have the bus at the moment so i can't take a picture)

Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:05 pm

Grant88 wrote: do you have a picture?
is this something i could possibly find?
maybe i could just get a piece of copper and rivit it myself?
did i spell rivit wrong?

is there something wrong with the link and pic above? maybe the one below will be better.
the tab is not a separate replacement part.
i'm sure you could take the time to re-rivet a piece of copper stip there if you needed to.
yes, you spelled rivet wrong.
:lol:

that tab only effects the operation of the high beam indicator bulb. that should not be a source of any other electrical problems, since that wire comes directly off the fuse block to that bulb holder and goes nowhere else. the tab is not the ground for any other speedo bulbs. the other bulbs are grounded through the holders having direct contact with the speedo housing (except for the gen and oil light as mentioned before).

Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:54 pm

hazetguy wrote:

LOL

maybe the power spade is broken off. that would be the part that the wire is coming off in the picture.

Wed Dec 21, 2005 2:17 pm

rizzag wrote:
maybe the power spade is broken off. that would be the part that the wire is coming off in the picture.

that could be true as well. had not thought of that. i heard "rivit" and "ground" and that was the only thing i know of that was "rivited" to the speedo that grounded anything. the one you speak of is a hot lead, not a ground. that would cause power not to get to the gen and oil lights.
if what rizzag suggest is broken, that whole assembly unscrews from the speedo and can be replaced. be careful not to break the "rivited" grounding tab off the speedo housing if you remove it. :wink:

Wed Dec 21, 2005 3:35 pm

rizzag wrote: hazetguy wrote:

LOL

maybe the power spade is broken off. that would be the part that the wire is coming off in the picture.
:D which piece??? :D

Wed Dec 21, 2005 3:39 pm

Gotta like the Charlie Brown style arrows Hazet...

You'd never make it at Bentley, we have specific dimensions for arrows that we add to pix. If you've got photoshop they are easy to make.

Wed Dec 21, 2005 3:45 pm

sorry, no photoshop for me. i do things the "olde fashioned" way. :lol:

so grant, what is/was the problem? inquiring minds want to know.

Wed Dec 21, 2005 7:08 pm

HA! your arrows are all wrong (no matter how nice) its the other piece. the one that has the little unclosed O chpae right where the bulbs are supposed to go. '

The good news is that i think i remember seeing that a while back in my parts box.

-Grant
thanks for everything

Wed Dec 21, 2005 7:29 pm

Grant88 wrote: HA! your arrows are all wrong (no matter how nice) its the other piece. the one that has the little unclosed O chpae right where the bulbs are supposed to go. '

that makes no sense to me. do you mean this part?

Wed Dec 21, 2005 7:43 pm

there ya go.

Wed Dec 21, 2005 7:48 pm

got it. but that is a hot lead and not a ground (you might want to edit your gallery description and tell your mechanic). and that whole piece is held on with screws, not rivets, and can be easily replaced. i think it is the same as a type 1 speedo too, so finding a good one should not be a problem. only the tab for the wire connector is riveted to the copper piece.

here's how all the bulbs on the speedo get power and ground, starting at the top.

turn signal indicator: + comes from the (black) wire that runs from #15 on the ign switch via the lower terminal on the speedo (the one that is aparently broken or missing on yours) and goes to a fixed tab that is also non-metallicly separated from the speedo housing. it provides a hot lead to the metal housing of the bulb holder. ground comes from the flasher relay to the terminal on the bulb holder ( often a blue wire, sometimes with a white tracer). that's why your dash light and your external indicators do not flash together (they alternate).

dash light/running light bulbs: + comes via the headlight switch to the center post of the bulb holder, variable resistance to adjust brightness, grey wire w/ red tracer. ground is bulb holder housing to the speedo housing via the metal casing.

high beam indicator light: + comes from the fuse block of one of the wires that powers the headlights when it is on the "high beam" circuit to the center post of the bulb holder (often a blue wire with white tracer). ground is the copper tab that is riveted to the metal speedo casing that touches the metal housing of the bulb holder when it is installed.

generator light: + comes from a (black) wire from #15 on the ignition switch to the broken/missing piece in question and is provided to the bulb holder outer casing. ground gomes from a contact in the voltage regulator and the wire that attaches to the center post of the bulb holder, blue wire.

oil light: + comes from the same as the generator light (a shared power source on the same black wire). ground comes via the blue w/green tracer wire that attaches to the oil pressure sending unit on the engine case to the center post of the bulb holder. when there is no oil pressure the circuit closes, grounds out, and completes the circuit and makes the light go on. pressure breaks the ground contact and the light goes out.

the piece in question, again, is NOT a ground. that is why it is separated in a non-metallic housing from the metal cased (and grounded) speedo housing. it is a hot lead and has (or should have) power going to it when the key is turned on.

Wed Dec 21, 2005 9:21 pm

OK, I'm bored

Thu Dec 22, 2005 1:58 pm

WOW!

that is alot of info. Thanks alot.

SO now my search begins. Is there a name for that little piece? does someone happen to have one? maybe someone has a busted speedo?
any leads would help. I'm really tryign to get this all fixed up by jan 3rd (when school starts up again) THANKS.

I love thesamba.
once i get a job, I'm gonna donate.

Thu Dec 22, 2005 8:23 pm

Just do what I did... replace all those old fashioned bulbs with ultra-bright LEDs. They work great! (The blue illuminating ones will be awesome when I figure out which way to wire them in series...) :) I'll post pics when I finish since I'm rewiring the rest of the bus right now. (There goes my holiday break!)
:roll:

-C

Thu Dec 22, 2005 8:34 pm

LED master wrote: Location: Orlando, FL
:roll:

grant, where are you? i have some of those pieces. pm me.

Thu Dec 22, 2005 9:27 pm

Hazetguy has got you hooked up buddy. The entire VW is grounded to the negative side (chassis) except for the generator and oil circuts. They are on hot all of the time and ground side breaks to turn off the lights (idiot) at the speedo. You need that tab installed. Might be easier to find another speedo.

Thu Dec 22, 2005 11:08 pm

everytime i spell rivet = rivet ,no one knows what im talking about. but,if i spell it rivit they catch on. i like those arrows and find them helpful,but where are screws to hold the black plastic thingie for the bulbs?