How safe is it to reset the Odometer counter every time when getting fuel,
and do I really risk breaking the little gear that seems to fail so often?
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Ah, another 928 urban myth to bust. Like the 16 valve engine bending valves when
the timing belt breaks, the odometer reset is the same thing - a myth,
superstition and false.
To understand this you need only take a speedometer apart. The switch triggers a
solenoid that resets the mileage. That the gear on the odometer would break at
the same time is purely coincidental.
The odometer gear rots over time. There is no other way to put it. The plastic
turns brown and simply falls apart. It will fall apart if you touch
it. But the thing is the odometer reset has no connection to the odometer gear.
They are in different places. Now if one had a rotten odometer gear and pressed
the reset button the vibration might be enough to shatter the gear, but it does
not cause an extra load or stain on the gear itself.
One of the things that will cause a new gear to die is rust on the shafts that
hold the two odometers in place. Even a little rust and the gear works binds up
and will cause a gear to strip. When replacing the odometer gear the entire unit
should be broken down and the shafts cleaned and lubricated with a little light
oil.
Once this is done you can wail away at the odometer reset button all you while
cruising at 100 MPH and the only thing that will happen is the trip odometer
will be reset.
Dan the Pod Guy