DIY - Odometer Rebuild

[Atreus]

well i'm gonna install the moto's this week hopefully. the VDO one is just sitting around. i don't know if i'll sit on it. they measure up, and the tooth count is the same methinks. i'll recount it.

[e34john]

Those still look decent, everyone I find, feels like rubber and are all missing teeth. I will probably just cough up the money for a set after christmas and after I get a new radiator. I mean the new set should last me the life of the car.

[Atreus]

Haven't installed it yet. rough weekend+this week so far. too tired to get airbagpunched by my car. maybe this weekend. anyhoo. Lastly, it appears the smallest gear, on the VDO it has a backing to it, while the moto's dont'.

this one, the top is a motometer the bottom are VDO's.

/////////////////////////////////////////////
Motometers:


////////////////////////////////////////////
VDO:

[Atreus]

well i went to the yard today, pulled a motometer cluster and gutted it. so right now i have vdo gears and moto's. i gotta get back home and post comparison pics between the two. prolly around 1900 mtn time.

[e34john]

Is he saying the gears are interchangable or does he mean the entire speedo with odometer attached into the other cluster? Cause thats what it sounds sounds like. Well let us know if it works. Cause the VDO gears from the guy in Spain is way cheaper.

Heres airbag wheel removal instructions if you haven't figured it out already. http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=100989

[Atreus]

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=14177586&postcount=17

i have a vdo cluster in my lap right now. my morning project. run to harbor freight. find a way to NOT have the airbag own my ass when i take off the steering wheel, and see whatsup....

[e34john]

nevermind* bimmerforums had the answer. for the record, they are interchangeable.....now time for a 18" breaker bar......

You have a link to that post, or any more info. So if I change out every gear I can replace them with a VDO set and it will work?

[Atreus]

nevermind* bimmerforums had the answer. for the record, they are interchangeable.....now time for a 18" breaker bar......

[Atreus]

any problems using vdo gears as opposed to motometers? however, after you take off the face/bezel or whatever, the main cluster thing has motometer stamped right on it....

[e34john]

Do I grease the new gears? If so what should I use.

[cory58]

Replaced my odometer gears a few weeks ago with the help of this thread and another DIY that helped me get the cluster out of the dash. What a great resource! Not that difficult. Took about 5 hours total. Here is all I have to add:

1. Purchased the replacement gears from odometergears.com. Great service and I had the gears in 3 days. I bought the complete set, but it only comes with 4 gears and our cluster has a total of 5. The last gear was still ok, so I left it on.

2. If you have an airbag car, DO NOT HOOK THE BATTERY BACK UP WITH THE AIRBAG REMOVED. This will trigger the SRS light, and I still haven't figured out how to turn it off. Unfortunately, my next stop will be the stealership, but I've read posts on other threads about dealerships that couldn't even figure out how to reset it.

Cory

[cholyoke]

?

Also, the I cluster plugs right into an E, right?

Not sure about the cluster, but the speedo is the same part number in the i and e, at least for etas made after sept 1985 according to real OEM (62121377647 = post 9/85, 62121372229 = 12/84-9/85). Didn't check 318s.

[E30SPDFRK]

Can the speedometer be changed from an e cluster to an i cluster. The one in my i cluster seems to stick, and the one in my car now (e) works fine and has the right miles on it.

?

Also, the I cluster plugs right into an E, right?

[KeithV]

Well, my speedo is messed up now. The needle dropped way down below 0 so the speed is reported incorrectly.

Sucks too, I got the odo working.

[E30SPDFRK]

Can the speedometer be changed from an e cluster to an i cluster. The one in my i cluster seems to stick, and the one in my car now (e) works fine and has the right miles on it.