Fixing: E-Brake, Speedometer etc.

[SteveXs2]

I test drove that old Jetta I posted on here earlier, it's not too bad, but as expected it has it's share of problems.

a) Speedometer doesn't work. Not a major issue unless it's illegal, but I'd kinda like to know how fast I'm going.

b) No E-Brake. I think the cable might just be busted because it's basically just not connected. If I bought it it'd have to be one of the first things to fix, I'd prefer to have an E-Brake for more reasons than just parking ;)

c) I suck at standards. First time ever, I was fine once I was going but going from neutral to 1st I stalled it twice, laugh all you want :P


So anyways, are these easy fixes? It's a 1986 Jetta GLI Wolfsburg with 320,000km and when he asked "How much are you looking to pay for this beater" my dad suggested "$500" (Canadian). If I could get it for that I'd be happy, my friend's 86 Jetta Diesel was $750 with over 500,000km on it.

[Slalom]

well, u will need a working speedometer and e-brake to pass a safety... does the odometer work? cuz if the speedo doesn't, then the odo likely doesnt either and those 320,000kms could be a bit of a lie... your speedo cable likely needs to be replaced

[miamiDaveGLi]

well, u will need a working speedometer and e-brake to pass a safety... does the odometer work? cuz if the speedo doesn't, then the odo likely doesnt either and those 320,000kms could be a bit of a lie...
my spedo works but my odo is SOOOOOOO slow it barely moves.
an ideas what it might be ?

[Slalom]

well, u will need a working speedometer and e-brake to pass a safety... does the odometer work? cuz if the speedo doesn't, then the odo likely doesnt either and those 320,000kms could be a bit of a lie...
my spedo works but my odo is SOOOOOOO slow it barely moves.
an ideas what it might be ?

yup, its the little plastic gears that run the odo dying a slow death... you can pull the speedo apart and try to replace the gear(s) that stripped, or just find another entire speedo and swap it into your cluster... pretty much every older mk2 has this problem eventually... mine gave up about a month after i bought the car used, had it replaced under warranty by the dealership :D

[Optigman]

Ebay frequently has speedo's available for anywhere from $20-$80 u.s. sometimes more. I just got a spare a couple weeks ago just to have because like the others said, the odo goes out alot. Not a hard fix, as far as the ebrake, can't cost that much for the cable.

I have the same car, it's a project for mods and preservation. (86 GLI)

[burn_your_money]

Both are easy fixes. For the speedo, the first is to determine if it is the cable of the actual speedo. If the tach is working, then your speedo is busted (relativly simple swap, I can tell you how) if the tach doesn't work either it's the speedo cable or the whole cluster. Chances are it's the cable. If you pull out your cluster and push the car (when it is in nuetral) you shoudl see the end of the speedo cable move a bit. It will move very slow due to the lack of speed. The car barely has to be moving to see this and if you are on level ground you can do it yourself. Now, if the cable isn't moving it's time for a new one. If the cable spins, then you need a whole new cluster.

Now the ebrake, couple of options here. First, it may just not be adjusted corectly. Lift the boot off the e-brake cover. at the base of the ebrake you should see two nuts. These are used to adjust the cable. If there isn't 2 nuts there, you are missing a cable or two. I have heard that new ebrake cables run 50-100 CND new. The other options are the cables are missing or seized. I hear unsiezing the cables is just a temporoary fix because they will just reseize.

I have an e-brake cable, cluster and a speedo cable that I may be able to sell you (depends on if the people interested in my car actually pull through or not). At any rate, let me know.

Don't worry about not being able to drive manual. I am still pretty bad at it. Just find a somewhat long straight flat area and practice getting the car into first gear. No sence getting into 2nd etc because that stuff is pretty simple. You'll pick ip up pretty fast. The most common problem is letting the clutch out to fast, especially the very last bit of it. Just do it slow and smooth.

Now someone asked if it is easy to fix their odomter. The answer is probably. I never have done it myself but here is how to do it
http://www.4130-products.com/step/odometer/index.htm

[Optigman]

here's a link to a new cable, I've been buying parts here for some time and their super reliable and quick to ship. Don't know about shipping to or northern friends, however check it out.

http://catalog.eautopartscatalog.com/autopartsplace/wizard.jsp?PBJ=041016_174008_0090927921_APP&year=1986&make=VW&model=JET-GLI-001&category=N&part=Parking+Brake+Cable&appChassis=-J462+562

[burn_your_money]

The car he's looking at doesn't have rear disks does it? That link is for cars with disk brakes.

I should also mention that with the ebrake not working, you may just have to adjust the rear brakes or replace them all together.

[Optigman]

if it's an 86 GLI then yes it should have disk brakes, it doesn't hurt to replace it though especially at this price.

[burn_your_money]

Whats the point of replacing it if it still works? Sure buy one and keep it for a spare but there is no sence getting rid of the old one right?

I forgot it was a GLI. Thanks.

[Optigman]

maybe it's just me, but I've had ebrake cables break from corrosion. Moisture will trap inside an old cracked protective sleeve that will cause the cable to freeze rendering it either stuck on or off. I had this happen to me most severly on my 90 Corrado. The cable became frozen several times, once I had an emergency and had to drive the car, after 5 minutes of driving (the tension on the rear brakes was slight, the tires weren't completely locked up) the disks glowed hot enough to cook with. Anytime an ounce of prevention can be taken - I take it to prevent more severe problems down the road, ie warped rotors or worse an accident. It's possible to lub the cable to help prevent this from happening, but that requires removing the cables and while there out, I'd prefer to replace them all together. Would you agree for safety?

[jettadude]

yea most def. if they glowed they warped, and i would bet the pads are shot 2.

[burn_your_money]

maybe it's just me, but I've had ebrake cables break from corrosion. Moisture will trap inside an old cracked protective sleeve that will cause the cable to freeze rendering it either stuck on or off. I had this happen to me most severly on my 90 Corrado. The cable became frozen several times, once I had an emergency and had to drive the car, after 5 minutes of driving (the tension on the rear brakes was slight, the tires weren't completely locked up) the disks glowed hot enough to cook with. Anytime an ounce of prevention can be taken - I take it to prevent more severe problems down the road, ie warped rotors or worse an accident. It's possible to lub the cable to help prevent this from happening, but that requires removing the cables and while there out, I'd prefer to replace them all together. Would you agree for safety?

OH, we are talking about 2 different things. I was talking about the speedo cable. Yeah if the ebrake cables are messed up I wouldn't try and fix them (unless they just need an adjustment). Defintly buy new ones rather then trying to fix them.

I just realized this whole thing is my fault. I got confused up there. Sorry for the confusion guys.

[Optigman]

Heres a test to check your speedo out of the car for speed and odo operation.

If you haven't ever taken the gauge cluster out of the car, read up on the subject from your Bentley and proceed to the next step.

Once the cluster is out of the car, you can do a check on any workbech with a reversable electric drill. I fabricated an adaptor from a garden variety framing nail. cuck the nail in the drill and make sure the drill is set for REVERSE. you could also use an old speedo cable if you like. With the drill running in reverse, you can see if your speedo and odo are working. I've also read where you can roughly check your speedo calibration by running the drill at 60mph for 1 minute, watching the odo to turn one mile. I've used this test for salvaged clusters to see if they work before shelving them or installing them into the car.

[SteveXs2]

I bought the car

I got such a good deal, props to my dad on that one. The original price I was told was $1,000... when the salesman asked us "How much would you pay for this?" my dad said "$500". On the phone today the salesman said that the car won't sell for a while and that it's just gonna get dumped if it sits there over the winter, so we offered them $300... they took it. I'm so stoked, $300 for the car and:

4 summer tires, fairly nice rims, not much tread
toothbrush
Lots of floor mats
2 air fresheners
2 light bulbs
4L of 10W-30
A sock

And some other garbage, it's got a stereo and a cassette deck that doesn't work right now, sunroof, gotta fix the doors.

I'm gonna post it under the projects section once I start fixing it up. First up is lubin up the doors. Second will be the speedometer. Third up is the E Brake. Next up after that I'm going to sand & repaint the hood, and then I'll see what else there is after that.

This thing is going through oil pretty bad but I'm hoping there aren't too many other problems with the engine, it's loud in 1st but it's still got a good deal of power to it and sounds nice up in 3/4th.

[MKIIVR6]

If you are interested in extremely rare a2 parts and want to get rid of the mechanical speedo, check these out. European spec Digifiz instrument cluster that fits into the a2 dash. Even with km's per hour for you Canadians! These are hard to find and moderately difficult to install, but they look awesome.

http://www.scirocco2.de/digifizz.jpg

http://www.scirocco2.de/digif004.jpg

[burn_your_money]

Right on man. I'm happy for you. That's an awesome deal on that car. You are definitly going to have to keep us updated on the car progress. Make some DIYs where ever you can.

[miamiDaveGLi]

definatly man i have seen those clusters before and they look killer.
A DIY woudl ROCK man im actually thinking about one of those instead of my 2000 cluster since id have to do less fabrication.\
im gonna start looking for one ! what cars did they come on and what years?

so if my tach and my spedo both work and the odo dosent its the guage ?

[burn_your_money]

Those are really sweet clusters....
Yeah if your speedo and tach work then it is the little white gear inside the odometer. That link I posted explains it all

[SteveXs2]

Alrighty, fixed the stereo today (just a blown fuse & some messed wires). That's better. Temporarily fixed the brake, it will pull up and stop but doesn't lock in place... that's basically the problem here. We secured it with an elastic band :P For now I'm just leaving it in 1st for parking.

But yeah, odometer doesn't work either but the tachometer does. So... I'm assuming the car has quite a bit more than 320,000km on it. Bummer, but anyways, I'm going to be bringing it to a friend of the family who's a mechanic just to have him take a look at it.