700 series Odometer problem:

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by bob12

Got the mower out but it's too xxxx hot to cut the grass at the moment so I will leave it for an hour or so.

Meantime, I have looked at both a VDO and a Yazaki fuel gauge to refresh my failing mind.

The VDO fuel gauge is held in with one nut screwed on to the backboard with all electrical connection solely via 3 thin pins off the fuel gauge pcb that connect to a socket attached to the back board. The pcb of the gauge I looked at seemed to have been fairly toasted at it top half with melted lacquer and I had put a note on it that it only read full!!

See attached pic. showing the nut and the back of the 3 way connector off the blue plastic circuitry. The nut has no electrical connection as it is insulated by the white backboard from the pole on the fuel gauge pcb to which it is attached.

I also looked at an old Yazaki that I had. That has a totally different way of connection. As you say Dave it is via the holding nuts that attach it to terminals on the backboard circuit.

Bob

Thanks Bob, that's stirring a dim and distant memory somewhere! I've obviously had the Yazaki too long and have become corrupted by it!

[90Wine745]

Originally Posted by bob12

Got the mower out but it's too xxxx hot to cut the grass at the moment so I will leave it for an hour or so.

Meantime, I have looked at both a VDO and a Yazaki fuel gauge to refresh my failing mind.

The VDO fuel gauge is held in with one nut screwed on to the backboard with all electrical connection solely via 3 thin pins off the fuel gauge pcb that connect to a socket attached to the back board. The pcb of the gauge I looked at seemed to have been fairly toasted at it top half with melted lacquer and I had put a note on it that it only read full!!

See attached pic. showing the nut and the back of the 3 way connector off the blue plastic circuitry. The nut has no electrical connection as it is insulated by the white backboard from the pole on the fuel gauge pcb to which it is attached.

I also looked at an old Yazaki that I had. That has a totally different way of connection. As you say Dave it is via the holding nuts that attach it to terminals on the backboard circuit.

Bob

Dave, Bob,
Thank you so much for your replies.
While I was in the garden (not too hot to cut the grass here also got weeding and general tidy up well on) I was bothered about Dave’s post above thinking it did not remind me of when I did mine. So it hit me that of course my is VDO. But I just had to have a look to see, so I whipped it out before I came in and took a couple of pics to confirm. Lo and behold, then Bob confirms it and chips in with the extra info. So here are my pics, mine is connected with the four flat tabs. I don’t know why I think that mine was built in August 90, I know it was in Belgium but anyway. I included a pic of the complete back and a close up of behind the fuel gauge. TBH, I might as well be a cow looking over a ditch as to know if the contacts to the right of the nut are OK or not, what should I look for? My gauge is quite erratic and certainly never reliable hence the importance of the odometer.
Again, many thanks to you both.
Take Care, Mike
P.S. Enjoy the grass cutting......

[bob12]

Originally Posted by 90Wine745

Dave, Bob,
Thank you so much for your replies.
While I was in the garden (not too hot to cut the grass here also got weeding and general tidy up well on) I was bothered about Dave’s post above thinking it did not remind me of when I did mine. So it hit me that of course my is VDO. But I just had to have a look to see, so I whipped it out before I came in and took a couple of pics to confirm. Lo and behold, then Bob confirms it and chips in with the extra info. So here are my pics, mine is connected with the four flat tabs. I don’t know why I think that mine was built in August 90, I know it was in Belgium but anyway. I included a pic of the complete back and a close up of behind the fuel gauge. TBH, I might as well be a cow looking over a ditch as to know if the contacts to the right of the nut are OK or not, what should I look for? My gauge is quite erratic and certainly never reliable hence the importance of the odometer.
Again, many thanks to you both.
Take Care, Mike
P.S. Enjoy the grass cutting......

Wow I certainly wouldn't have taken the cluster out just to have a look at it

I assume your car is a 1990 model? All European 740's of that era were made at the Volvo factory in Ghent, Belgium.

The clusters were made by VDO at that time a long established German company. Actually they sub-contracted the blue plastic circuity to another Germany firm whose name Rhine.... something eludes me at the moment! Eventually VDO went bankrupt like many companies of that era but the name still exists today albeit in a very different form and ownership.

There should be a paper sticker with a date stamp on it on the the cluster showing the date of manufacture.

I find it strange that your speedo if it is in a 1990 car has the 4 tags off the pcb rather than the 5 pins. VDO changed the design in about 1988. Guess it is possible it's not original.but there again that would mean that the whole cluster is not original as you can't adapt the speedo connector between the two styles.

Anyway that's all irrelevant as long as you have a working speedo. Now it's just the fuel gauge to fix.

Finally, after several interruptions got the grass done and now relaxing with a gentle glass or two of NZ Pinot Noir!

Bob

[Laird Scooby]

I'm saving my grass for tomorrow evening!

[90Wine745]

Originally Posted by bob12

Wow I certainly wouldn't have taken the cluster out just to have a look at it

I assume your car is a 1990 model? All European 740's of that era were made at the Volvo factory in Ghent, Belgium.

The clusters were made by VDO at that time a long established German company. Actually they sub-contracted the blue plastic circuity to another Germany firm whose name Rhine.... something eludes me at the moment! Eventually VDO went bankrupt like many companies of that era but the name still exists today albeit in a very different form and ownership.

There should be a paper sticker with a date stamp on it on the the cluster showing the date of manufacture.

I find it strange that your speedo if it is in a 1990 car has the 4 tags off the pcb rather than the 5 pins. VDO changed the design in about 1988. Guess it is possible it's not original.but there again that would mean that the whole cluster is not original as you can't adapt the speedo connector between the two styles.

Anyway that's all irrelevant as long as you have a working speedo. Now it's just the fuel gauge to fix.

Finally, after several interruptions got the grass done and now relaxing with a gentle glass or two of NZ Pinot Noir!

Bob

Hi Bob,
Mine was a nice South Australian Shiraz. Lovely.
Now that you say it, I think I remember a piece of paper floating about when I opened it, I must have another look around the bench. The connector is pushed in at the bottom of speedo on mine, Iknow you mentioned the side. Actually, when I took it out first, a white cover came off as well, I assumed it was from there. It would not go back so left it off. All still working well..... Except the fuel gauge.
As for original, I am the second owner, (have it for 25 years), have all the service history, odometer all makes sense and match up. The VIN indicates L in position 10 as year of manufacture, so I don't know. Perhaps, mine is a bit special, I know it often feels like it.
Mike

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by 90Wine745

The VIN indicates L in position 10 as year of manufacture, so I don't know. Perhaps, mine is a bit special, I know it often feels like it.
Mike

The letter "L" relates to 1990 MY Mike - page 5 of this pdf has more :

http://www.myvolvolibrary.info/Tech_...DataPocket.pdf