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Sun Jan 06, 2008 2:58 pm

Hi Folks,

I've been working on my speedo for the past several months. The odometer didn't spin - fixed that. The fuel guage didn't register so I replaced he sending unit (because it was easy). I also found someone who would sell me a vibrator for the speedo hoping that was the issue. I went and hooked up all of those funky colored wires to the back the speedo based on a diagram I drew when I removed the wires originally. Apparently I goofed 'cause when I hit the ignition I blew the far right fuse. I have the bently service manual. But how do you know where the wires plug into the speedo? Some I could figure out but others I wasn't sure. Is there a diagram listing what's what on the back of the speedo somewhere? Thanx!

Sun Jan 06, 2008 4:40 pm

Here is a diagram for a Super Beetle Speedometer from Rob and Dave's Aircooled Volkswagen Pages:

Sun Jan 06, 2008 5:40 pm

Three pics from my '74 vert...

Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:12 pm

Another Super speedometer question: Does a "jumpy" speedometer needle likely signify a faulty cable, or a faulty speedometer?

Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:46 pm

Both.

Lubricate the cables first. If the needle is still jumping around, the speedo is on the verge of failure. I had two of them dry up and fly apart when I lived in the desert southwest. Jumping needles always preceded the event.

Sun Jan 13, 2008 5:06 pm

Thank you. What type of lubrication do you suggest? Thanks...

Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:36 pm

I sprayed white lithium grease down the cable at the speedometer end, cured the jumpy needle on my vert.

Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:00 pm

Ditto.

White lithium grease in an aerosol can. Shoot it down both ends of the short cable. You may need to pull out the longer cable to fully coat it. Remove the E-clip from the wheel hub and pull the cable out from the end which mates to the EGR counter box. Spray the grease into a lint-free cloth and pull the cable through it a few times. Shoot some grease down the empty cable sleeve, then run the cable back down to the wheel hub and re-install the E-clip. If you have trouble getting the square end of the cable into the hub, remove it from the drum, manually guide the cable end into the hub opening, then tap the hub back onto the drum. In most cases, the jumpy needle will go away. Both my '64 and '78 beetle speedos somehow decided to bind up and destroy themselves from the dry heat in Phoenix (you'll hear them warbling just before they go).

Mon Jan 14, 2008 10:40 pm

Thanks. This is a relatively low-mileage car, but the speedometer cable (and its lubrication) could be nearly 30 years old I suppose (as old as the car itself)....I will give the white lithium grease a try. Thanks again...

Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:30 am

Thanks for the images mnussbau and Bugs.

I decided to fix my bad 11-tooth odometer gear last night and turn back the odometer to zero, which is taking forever! 43000 miles to go...

Anyway, I need to hook the speedo back up as soon as I'm done, so thanks for the reference material.

EDIT: I don't think the hand-drawn diagram is correct for later Super Beetles and Convertibles based on mnussbau's photos and the 1974 and later wiring diagram. I don't think the later SBs and Verts have a blue and green pair of wires coming from K3 (Oil Pressure Warning Light) like the older ones do.

I created the diagram below showing the correct (I think) wiring for a 1974 and later SB and Vert VDO Speedometer:

Please let me know if any of this is incorrect.

Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:00 am

recon|element wrote: Thanks for the images mnussbau and Bugs.

I decided to fix my bad 11-tooth odometer gear last night and turn back the odometer to zero, which is taking forever! 43000 miles to go...

Anyway, I need to hook the speedo back up as soon as I'm done, so thanks for the reference material.

EDIT: I don't think the hand-drawn diagram is correct for later Super Beetles and Convertibles based on mnussbau's photos and the 1974 and later wiring diagram. I don't think the later SBs and Verts have a blue and green pair of wires coming from K3 (Oil Pressure Warning Light) like the older ones do.

I created the diagram below showing the correct (I think) wiring for a 1974 and later SB and Vert VDO Speedometer:

Please let me know if any of this is incorrect.

this is a good pic but would be great if it had "oil" and or "gen" on the wires

Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:53 pm

Wow, nicely drawn! Some models may have additional wires for rear defrost, EGR, or whatever.

Did you ever get your odo back to 0? A quick way would have been to pull one end of the shaft out (the one holding the toggles) and then spin each number separately. Of course that risks damaging it...

K3 is oil, K2 is gen.