Date:         Sun, 30 Apr 2000 16:33:35 EDT
Reply-To:     Oxroad@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey R <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Tach Installation?? more questions(longish)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 4/30/2000 3:29:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
jhlauterbach@EMAIL.MSN.COM writes:

<<  a new instrument cluster in my '84 >>

I have some instrument pod upgrade issues and questions for those of us with
84 or earlier busses.

I recently upgraded my dash with a combination of a new KPH cluster with Tach
from the Bus Depot and a used cluster from an 85? with no oil buzzer. Here's
why:

The circuit board (blue plastic) on the new cluster was set up for an oil
buzzer and had a kilometer speedo. Those who have examined the cluster know
the oil buzzer is in the speedo assembly. So since I opted to use my original
MPH speedo I had no buzzer set up (and obviously my 83.5 does not have the
correct sender to accommodate the oil buzzer set up). Now, without plugging
the connector on the circuit board into the back of the speedo no power gets
to the oil idiot light--so there would be no warning of low oil pressure. I
thought I might jump the connector plug that has no place to plug in on the
older style speedo to get power to the oil light BUT when I traced the power
path through the original (83.5) blue circuit board I saw a resistor soldered
into the path the power flows through on the circuit board itself on it's way
to the oil light.

So with the "jump" set up (that is if I jumped the plug that goes to the now
nonexistent buzzer) I would not have this resistor or transistor in the line.
And I'm not educated enough in this area to understand what that transistor
or resistor does.

To solve this I used the circuit board from the 85 used cluster I had which
accommodated the tach and all the other gauges and digital clock. (I also
used the middle plastic "frame" from the 85 that holds the LED and high beam
indicator lights since the European unit from Bus Depot did not have an OXY
sensor warning light. I realize the OXY light is mostly incidental, but I
like having it. And I changed the digital clocks so my new cluster would not
read military time-math not being my strong suit.)

I'm curious what others have done to avoid this problem when installing an
instrument cluster with a buzzer into a bus built before the buzzers were
installed. It seems to me you'd be playing with fire if you just run the bus
without an oil warning light--unless of course you've installed a pressure
gauge. So that begs the question can an 84 or earlier bus only accept an 85
cluster? Or can the later clusters be wired to work without swapping the
circuit board?

And then I've heard the sending units for the gas gauge are different in the
83.5 and 84 verses the later model busses with the tach instrument cluster
including the 85. And what about the temp gauge? Are the sending units the
same or at least compatible or should they be upgraded with the new cluster?
A listee who I can't remember suggested the wiring diagram in Bentley shows a
different resistance for the senders on the later busses--although I haven't
verified this since my Bentley only covers up to 83 water-cooled.)

I guess what I'm questioning is the idea that clusters can be upgraded in any
of the pre-tachometer Vanagons (84 or earlier) with any later model cluster.
And my contention is without a fair amount of work including an 85 circuit
board, this upgrade isn't as easy as it might seem with an 86 or later
cluster. Am I wrong?

Any info. on this subject would be appreciated. And I should add I'm not
claiming to be an expert on this upgrade--just a guy with a bunch of
questions about it.

(NOTE: For those considering the upgrade to a cluster with a tach the wires
in the 14 pin connector have to be rearranged-not difficult BTW. The set up
is somewhere in the archives)

TIA
Jeff
83.5 Westy
NYC