Odometer Gear is finished. A few available
02-04-2003, 06:26 PM
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Odometer Gear is finished. A few available
Finally the odometer gear is done. If anyone wants one, I have a few I can mail out now. I will be making them as fast as I can.
<a href="http://members.ispwest.com/jkcaplan/gearwebpage/gear.html" target="_blank">http://members.ispwest.com/jkcaplan/gearwebpage/gear.html</a>
Thanks for letting me post and I hope this helps you out.
Jeff Caplan
<a href="http://members.ispwest.com/jkcaplan/gearwebpage/gear.html" target="_blank">http://members.ispwest.com/jkcaplan/gearwebpage/gear.html</a>
Thanks for letting me post and I hope this helps you out.
Jeff Caplan
02-04-2003, 06:45 PM
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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by Jeff Caplan:
<strong>Finally the odometer gear is done. If anyone wants one, I have a few I can mail out now. I will be making them as fast as I can.
<a href="http://members.ispwest.com/jkcaplan/gearwebpage/gear.html" target="_blank">http://members.ispwest.com/jkcaplan/gearwebpage/gear.html</a>
Thanks for letting me post and I hope this helps you out.
Jeff Caplan</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Excellent. I always like to see aftermarket parts become available for NLA items or items that Porsche/VDO just won't sell to individuals even if they are available. Are you the guy that 928 Spec. was working with to create these?
Also, have you thought about other parts, non-speedo related. One part that I think needs to be made is the hatch lock actuator arm which breaks. It seems to be a cast aluminum part. but it is not very big. Is there a high tensil plastic that can be used for fmall parts like this?
<strong>Finally the odometer gear is done. If anyone wants one, I have a few I can mail out now. I will be making them as fast as I can.
<a href="http://members.ispwest.com/jkcaplan/gearwebpage/gear.html" target="_blank">http://members.ispwest.com/jkcaplan/gearwebpage/gear.html</a>
Thanks for letting me post and I hope this helps you out.
Jeff Caplan</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Excellent. I always like to see aftermarket parts become available for NLA items or items that Porsche/VDO just won't sell to individuals even if they are available. Are you the guy that 928 Spec. was working with to create these?
Also, have you thought about other parts, non-speedo related. One part that I think needs to be made is the hatch lock actuator arm which breaks. It seems to be a cast aluminum part. but it is not very big. Is there a high tensil plastic that can be used for fmall parts like this?
02-05-2003, 12:50 PM
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Jeff,
You got your gear done. I’m the designer of the KLA Industries gear. From looking at your gear it appears that you went down the same path we did 2 years ago by making a cured resin gear. We found that the resin gears had an unacceptable high failure rate. Heat was the issue even when we used resins that were rated to 500 degrees F. That is why we are using an extruded polycarbonate material. It is more expensive but our customers do not have to live with replacing gears 2 or 3 times.
I don’t mind the competition but please remove your link to our instructions. I don’t mind the competition but linking to my instructions is over the top.
Good luck with your gears
Ken
You got your gear done. I’m the designer of the KLA Industries gear. From looking at your gear it appears that you went down the same path we did 2 years ago by making a cured resin gear. We found that the resin gears had an unacceptable high failure rate. Heat was the issue even when we used resins that were rated to 500 degrees F. That is why we are using an extruded polycarbonate material. It is more expensive but our customers do not have to live with replacing gears 2 or 3 times.
I don’t mind the competition but please remove your link to our instructions. I don’t mind the competition but linking to my instructions is over the top.
Good luck with your gears
Ken
02-05-2003, 01:52 PM
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I agree that linking to the KLA gear replacement instructions represents a breach of business ethics.
Ken, the gear I purchased from Scott last year apparently has failed already. How about a replacement?
Ken, the gear I purchased from Scott last year apparently has failed already. How about a replacement?
02-05-2003, 02:07 PM
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I'm wondering why the replacement gears are being made out of plastic again. I have a brass gear in my odometer that a local speedometer/gauge repair place made. That's what they've been using to replace many broken plastic gears for years.
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02-05-2003, 02:28 PM
#8
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Hey Randy,
The gear I put in from Scott is still functioning normally. One thing is that I have not touched my trip reset button since I changed the gear. Maybe this has helped keep it alive longer.
BTW - I work with an extremely intelligent engineer and he has come to the conclusion that the trip gear "should" break!!!
He took a look at mine when I had it apart and posed the question - "what breaks if this gear doesn't"? If the speedo were to bind up for whatever reason, that gear is the first failure point - Kind of like a mechanical fuse for the rest of the gears. If that gear is stronger than the rest of the assembly, that stress goes elsewhere to look for the next weakest link. This weak link could spell the end of your speedo altogether if the wrong thing breaks and or twists. We both mulled over why this gear is so fragile. Obviously, VDO could have made this gear out of any material they wanted to but they chose this compound.
Not sure if we are correct in our assumption but it is definately something worthy of consideration before putting in a stainless steel gear or something......????????
.2
The gear I put in from Scott is still functioning normally. One thing is that I have not touched my trip reset button since I changed the gear. Maybe this has helped keep it alive longer.
BTW - I work with an extremely intelligent engineer and he has come to the conclusion that the trip gear "should" break!!!
He took a look at mine when I had it apart and posed the question - "what breaks if this gear doesn't"? If the speedo were to bind up for whatever reason, that gear is the first failure point - Kind of like a mechanical fuse for the rest of the gears. If that gear is stronger than the rest of the assembly, that stress goes elsewhere to look for the next weakest link. This weak link could spell the end of your speedo altogether if the wrong thing breaks and or twists. We both mulled over why this gear is so fragile. Obviously, VDO could have made this gear out of any material they wanted to but they chose this compound.
Not sure if we are correct in our assumption but it is definately something worthy of consideration before putting in a stainless steel gear or something......????????
.2
02-05-2003, 02:49 PM
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Ken,
I have removed the link. I didn't realize that page and KLA were the same. It appeared to me it was part of a general FAQ post to help people. Please excuse me for this mistake.
I also must admit that with your method, you can clearly get a harder gear, there for the higher cost because of the equipment. I do such a small amount of gears for people that I can't justify the $2-$5k per mold that you spend, not counting the cost for your equipment.
Again sorry for continuing a semi off topic post but i have to defend myself a little.
As for hardness, how hard do you want it? The original gear lasted well over 10 years and dissolved because of petrolium based oil was sprayed on them at VDO. What we both offer is really a different material that won't do that. I have been making gears for other cars for a while now and none have come back. If they ever do have a problem, I will gladly send out a new one. I checked with the company I buy my resin from and also model makers that have been in the business for 30 years. It sounds like there are many variations of resin out there, temperature not being the only factor. I spec'd out my resin very carefully before I began making any gear, not just Porsche. I first started this service, not to make money, but to help other backyard mechanics have an option to VDO. We all know that story. I still try and keep it at a hobby level.
As you say, It's good to have options and people can make their choice. As I told Randy awhile back, if I get any significant business from any posts, I will gladly donate money back to the site or become a sponser.
Thanks for listening and GL to you too.
Jeff Caplan
I have removed the link. I didn't realize that page and KLA were the same. It appeared to me it was part of a general FAQ post to help people. Please excuse me for this mistake.
I also must admit that with your method, you can clearly get a harder gear, there for the higher cost because of the equipment. I do such a small amount of gears for people that I can't justify the $2-$5k per mold that you spend, not counting the cost for your equipment.
Again sorry for continuing a semi off topic post but i have to defend myself a little.
As for hardness, how hard do you want it? The original gear lasted well over 10 years and dissolved because of petrolium based oil was sprayed on them at VDO. What we both offer is really a different material that won't do that. I have been making gears for other cars for a while now and none have come back. If they ever do have a problem, I will gladly send out a new one. I checked with the company I buy my resin from and also model makers that have been in the business for 30 years. It sounds like there are many variations of resin out there, temperature not being the only factor. I spec'd out my resin very carefully before I began making any gear, not just Porsche. I first started this service, not to make money, but to help other backyard mechanics have an option to VDO. We all know that story. I still try and keep it at a hobby level.
As you say, It's good to have options and people can make their choice. As I told Randy awhile back, if I get any significant business from any posts, I will gladly donate money back to the site or become a sponser.
Thanks for listening and GL to you too.
Jeff Caplan
02-05-2003, 04:00 PM
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I would agree with Bernie that this gear is designed to be a weak link. The other gears that are associated with this "rubber like" gear appear to be nylon and are much stronger.
I have not been resetting my odometer while in motion and my gear failed anyway.
I have not been resetting my odometer while in motion and my gear failed anyway.
02-05-2003, 05:41 PM
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FWIW, I have *always* reset my 81's trip meter in motion, usually after every fillup, for the last 75K miles... without incident. YMMV <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />
02-05-2003, 06:01 PM
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With the research that I have done in talking to speedometer repair people and other engineers, VDO uses a rubber gear to absorb the sound of the motor driving it. They also spray a petrolium based oil on the gear that over time will break the material down. Pushing your reset button only contributes to what will happen regardless. Of course, heating and cooling play into it also. Why they put the lubricant on them, I don't know. Economics maybe? Just my theory.
Jeff Caplan
Jeff Caplan
02-05-2003, 06:34 PM
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When got the brass gear for my odometer, I was also told that the relatively soft gear which fails was made that way due to noise. There have been who knows how many millions of odometer, gauge, clock, instrument, and other gears made for similar applications from various kinds of metal. Some of these have been operating for well over 100 years without failure. There are more than a few odometers out there in other cars that have plastic gears with no designed in weak link, and no regular failures either. I really find it hard to believe that VDO purposely built in a weak link to prevent a problem that almost never happens in any of these types of applications. If the intention actually was to make a kind of mechanical fuse, why aren't the gears more available? Regardless of which gear or part might end up failing, Porsche's answer is to replace the whole gauge with a new one, and that they don't repair gauges. If instead of replacement, a broken gauge was taken to a VDO repair shop, do you really think that they're concerned with how much some more expensive part, that would fail instead, is going to cost you? If they were concerned with saving you money they'd make the replacement gears easily available and at a reasonable cost. That gear may be the weakest link, and break before some other part, but I find the explanation that it was designed that way to save anything else hard to believe.