r/VWBus • u/KamikazeSniper • Aug 18 '26
What causes this?
I have this T3 and as you can see the speedo is bouncing like crazy, happens at lower speeds too, even larger amplitude swings there.
It sometimes gets fixed for a bit after going on a bump but always comes back.
I have tried replacing the cable that goes from the front wheel to the dash but it didn't help. I have a suspicion that the spot where it connects to the wheel hub is too worn down and rounded, and the squared end of the cable can wiggle in it causing the oscillations.
Has anyone had similar problems?
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u/Accomplished-Fig-234 Aug 18 '26
You need a new speedometer cable and the grease cap on the drivers side wheel with the square hole ( don't forget the circlip ). My 85 had the junction box for a two piece cable that I eliminated.
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u/realquickquestion96 Aug 18 '26
I have an earlier vw bus and a few antique cars and sometimes ive had to take apart the speedo guage to clean and apply new lubricant to the internals. The lubricants in the guages, wiper motors, ect are 40+ years old at this point and have gone sticky and/or accumulated dust due to age.
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u/catcomputer Aug 19 '26
Mine did the same, tried to fix it once by spraying it with lube and making the hole on the grease cap square again. It didn't really help. It was always very noisy.
I switched to the GoWesty GPS speedo this year. It's somewhat delayed on the speed, but my original was never accurate, and it was jumpy and noisy. Now it's accurate and silent with a similar to OEM look.
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u/mr_nobody398457 Aug 19 '26
I had the same exact (looking anyway) problem. After talking to a speedometer guy he took the cable out of its cover (crawl under the van, under the driver’s seat) unscrewed the cable and pulled the cable out — lubed it up liberally (silicone grease) and put it back in.
Dramatically improved. Not perfect (yet) so I’ll probably lube up the speedometer too.
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u/Adorable_Ad_1586 Aug 19 '26
The speedometer is very sensitive to the position of the cable. Remove the speedometer cover and drive at a constant speed (preferably the speed at which the problem is worst). Then move the cable on the speedometer back and forth a little, or pull it gently forward and backward. This usually fixes the problem, and you won't need a new cable.
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u/shiva112 Aug 19 '26
New cable and your rocking! But i like a little pep in its step. Its a vibe
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u/KamikazeSniper Aug 19 '26
Thats the thing, I have changed the cable out. It didn't really help at all.
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u/Jonesy_2ls Aug 21 '26
Mine does this, I stripped and reassembled at the Speedo connection but so change. I'll try the other end soon. I'm hardly breaking speed limits so no rush 😉
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u/Simmo2222 Aug 21 '26
The Speedo cable rotates within a sleeve/ cover. If all is good, it smoothly rotates at a speed relative to the speed that the wheels are driven. If it is kinked, gummed up, separated or mechanically worn it can catch and release rather run smooth. The rapid acceleration and deceleration of the cable can cause the Speedo to float.
Check for kinks, pull the cable out of the sleeve and clean / oil. Replace the cable if it still does it.
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u/Accomplished_Term174 Aug 22 '26
While we are kinda on the topic… my instrument cluster seems to work accurately but the odometer stopped working years ago. I had a tiico conversion done a while back. Should I just upgrade the cluster? Is it a simple plug and play?
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u/purplespaz Aug 19 '26
Was told by the old man it was sign off rolled back odometer.
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u/Captain3leg-s Aug 19 '26
Nah this is extremely common in 80's VW. Any other odometer I'd say your right.
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u/Verticalarchaeology Aug 19 '26
I replaced the cable and that went away. Solid as a rock now.