Don't Use The Odometer, Fact Or Myth?

[bob12]

Originally Posted by baggy798

I've been zeroing the trip whilst moving for the last 7 years, at all speeds.

940 trip mechanism feels robust. 740 trip feels fragile in comparison.

That's because it's likely the 740 had a VDO speedo which, when you press the reset on the trip odo, the disengagement reset is entirely mechanical by a tilting mechanism which, whilst the drive to the odo is still turning can cause the gears to drag when separating.

[Stephen Edwin]

Thank you Bob.

When I bought a 740 (before my present 240) the trip odometer was already not working. Now I know why.

[bob12]

Stephen you will probably find the 240 also has a VDO cluster. The cheapest price I have so far found in the UK for speedo gears is:

https://www.partsmonster.co.uk/volvo...ter-9066-p.asp

These gears will also fit a 700 Series with a VDO cluster. Most later VDO's have a 25 tooth small gear wheel which is the one that strips. I have never had to replace the larger wheel.

[Delta66]

I too reset it whilst stationary after refuelling. I would not think to reset it on the move.

[tofufi]

I've reset mine on the move plenty of times - usually after forgetting to do it while stationary.

'90 740 with yazaki cluster

[Laird Scooby]

Yazaki speedos are fragile too Jim - if you reset the tripmeter too often while moving, you will eventually TARFU it.

I'm glad someone finally called it the trip meter, the odometer records total mileage from day1 of the cars life.

I remember on a lot of Vauxhalls that also had VDO gauges at the time, sometimes pressing the trip reset button would cause the trip meter digits to not quite line up. They'd be at something silly like 898.7 and wouldn't move, even while driving but every so often would jump a bit.
Only solution was to come to a complete stop and then reset the trip. Never knew one of those to pack up completely though but they were mechanical rather than electronic as the Volvo ones are.

[Prufrock]

Deleted.

[Stephen Edwin]

So far as I can see Baggy was first to say trip Dave. I could of course be wrong. Let's credit his name.

I've no idea if trip is "right". I just picked the expression up when Dad got his Austin Somerset. Now those are great cars. 1200cc I think and every cc did its job. And I reckon that fold out boot lid would carry perhaps more than a Volvo estate! You should have seen the load that was took on holidays!

I digress.

[john.wigley]

For information - have just checked the handbook for an 88MY 740 and all it says regarding the trip meter is 'push button to reset'. It does not say anything about doing so only when stationary, but as Jon pointed out in post # 7 above, common sense dictates not zeroing the odo (sic) while on the move, as these cars are now all very old and plastic does indeed become brittle with age.

On account of having an unreliable fuel gauge, in common with many 740 owners, we latterly always reset the trip on replenishing the tank, knowing that we then had a comfortable range of 250 -300 miles. No fuel computers on a 740, of course; sometimes I think that one can have too much information - with more to go wrong! A 5L can in the boot served as braces to the belt, and enabled us to assist other motorists on more than one occasion.

Regards, John.

P.S. It is 'trip' Stephen; it used that term in the handbook ..... J.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Stephen Edwin

So far as I can see Baggy was first to say trip Dave. I could of course be wrong. Let's credit his name.

I've no idea if trip is "right". I just picked the expression up when Dad got his Austin Somerset. Now those are great cars. 1200cc I think and every cc did its job. And I reckon that fold out boot lid would carry perhaps more than a Volvo estate! You should have seen the load that was took on holidays!

I digress.

Sounds like a plan Steve - Baggy it is then!

It was late last night when i replied, my eyes were getting blurry, by the time i'd finished reading the rest before commenting i couldn't remember who said it first and to be honest, didn't feel like straining my eyes again reading through to find out!

Anyway, looking in the index page of my 760 manual, it lists "Tripmeter" and refers me to Pg8 where there is a photo of the instruments and annotation lines to various parts of it.

Looking at the line coming from the mileage recorder that is resettable, it gives a number - in the list of items this number corresponds to "Tripmeter".

The other mileage recorder (non-resettable) is termed "Odometer".

This might seem a trivial thing but imagine someone going to hospital with appendicitis and the surgeon performs a penectomy instead of an appendectomy.