74 Super vert speedo diagram

[edowney]

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!

[Bugs'n'Pugs]

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

_________________
1978 Super Beetle Convertible (Project)
Post a Photo in the Forums
Rescue Man's Best Friend

[mnussbau]

Three pics from my '74 vert...

_________________
Mike
Sold my sedan
Parts...

[79SuperFlyer]

Another Super speedometer question: Does a "jumpy" speedometer needle likely signify a faulty cable, or a faulty speedometer?
_________________
1979 Super Beetle Convertible

[kristopher staller]

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.
_________________
1961 Bullfight Scene Herbie, "Ocho", from Herbie goes Bananas

[79SuperFlyer]

Thank you. What type of lubrication do you suggest? Thanks...
_________________
1979 Super Beetle Convertible

[mnussbau]

I sprayed white lithium grease down the cable at the speedometer end, cured the jumpy needle on my vert.
_________________
Mike
Sold my sedan
Parts...

[kristopher staller]

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).
_________________
1961 Bullfight Scene Herbie, "Ocho", from Herbie goes Bananas

[79SuperFlyer]

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...
_________________
1979 Super Beetle Convertible

[recon|element]

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.
_________________
1974 Super Beeter
http://ronaldmcoker.googlepages.com/1974superbeetle

I have a Bentley manual.

[Rameses]

[mnussbau]

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.
_________________
Mike
Sold my sedan
Parts...

[lostinthewoods]

great post thank you this is what i needed

[vwsb74]

thank you

[Esjo]

What year is this speedo?? It is in my 1970 bug with no date stamp or VW part # my car is pretty dam stock and I got it from the original owner?

from my research it is like a 74 bug , and arm is like 74 ghia mine has no light for catalitic converter instead atf, and mine has egr.
anyone help?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=59069

Thanks,

Erik

[videoguy009]

One green and red wire is for the oil pressure switch but where is the other one coming from.It is power on always on my 74 vert and I can't get the oil light to go off.Also,I think I have a bad sender wire because there is no signal when I split the wires and hook it to the bulb by itself.If I unhook these from the bulb and run a wire direct from the switch to the bulb it works as it should.Could the bad sender wire effect the other wire it is coupled to?

[tailwaggers]

[DrMesmer]

had to replace broken speedometer on 79 super beetle. Couple of things I learned.

It is a two part system with the ERG box between the two cables. Check the lower cable first. That one usually is the broken one. No need to take the dash apart yet.

Unscrew the cable from the ERG box in the hood on the drivers side. If you can pull the cable out with a pair of needle nose pliers that is the broken cable.

REMEMBER to ask for the "C" washer/clamp. It fits into the groove of the cable that just sticks out of the dust cap on the front wheel.
Now if all goes well your done. I was not so lucky. The speedo was now all jumpy. I read on another thread to lube the head. So I took the dash apart, again, and shot the upper cable full of silicon spray and WD40. I also pulled the cluster out enough to spray into the speedo connector on the back of the instrument cluster.

Connected the battery and went for a test drive. NO more jumping. Just smooth movement. AND no shorts in the cluster. I didn't add that much wd40. AND since most of these cables have been sitting around for years I sprayed wd and some silicon lube into the cable until it dripped out the other end.
I'll see how long this fix lasts.
my 2 cents.

[boxer74]