Aim for the speedometer to align the needles?

Hello.

As the title states, I need some kind of tool to adjust my speedometer (Ibiza 6K1, manufactured in 1998).
After I converted my lighting to plasma, which also required removing the needles, I now have a problem: I can't seem to accurately align the fuel gauge and temperature gauge. The tachometer and speedometer are not affected.

I seem to recall seeing a friend of mine access his car's dashboard (a Seat Arosa) via the OBD interface and software, and then adjust the readings after he had installed different LEDs.

Unfortunately, I can no longer determine which tool he used for that. Are there any tools that can do this (and if so, which ones)? And is it possible with my speedometer? Given its age, it's likely that the speedometer cannot be directly connected to the instrument cluster (part number: 6k0919881EX).

Does anyone know if a KTS 520/550 might be helpful in this situation?

Hello, yes, that is possible and it's called actuator diagnostics.
This can be done, for example, by a friendly person or even yourself using an interface and VAG-COM software.
If you don't want to buy a VAG-COM device yourself, there's also the possibility that someone nearby might be able to do it for you.

Yes, the Bosch KTS diagnostic tool should be able to do that as well. You just need to check if you can access control unit 17 (instrument cluster) and see if there's an "actuator diagnosis" function available.


Best regards,

The actuator diagnosis is not helpful in this case. The pointers are adjusted by clamping the current to move one upwards. This can be easily reproduced with a bench power supply. This process is repeated until all pointers are exactly at their zero point.

Okay, with the actuator diagnosis function, the needles are moved from zero to their maximum position and then return to a "12 o'clock" position, where they remain until you advance the actuator diagnosis further... At least, that's how I do it. So, he can simply align the needles to the "12 o'clock" position, which works well; I've done it that way before. However, I also briefly ran the function before removing the needles and precisely marked where they need to go.
After a couple of tries, you usually find the right setting.

But you can do whatever you want.

Well, with the actuator diagnosis, the needles are moved from zero to their maximum position and then go to a '12 o'clock' position, where they remain until you continue the actuator diagnosis... I do it that way at least... so he can simply align the needles to the '12 o'clock' position, which works well; I've done it that way before. However, I also briefly did this before removing the needles and precisely marked where they need to go.
After a couple of tries, you usually find the right setting.

but you can do things however you want.


The 12 o'clock position is neither informative nor does it provide a 100% accurate zero reference point. Furthermore, if you adjust the position of the pointers during diagnosis, you are working against the motors, which can lead to their complete failure.


After each power cycle, the pointers return to the 0 position. This is the most important point. The actuator test and the pseudo-12h position are solely for testing response and function, not for making adjustments.

The actuator diagnosis is likely not possible. I tried again to access the speedometer via OBD, but it didn't work. After some research, my initial suspicion was confirmed: the speedometer cannot be controlled in this way.

As mentioned before, the speedometer and mileage display are not issues; I have already manually adjusted them, and they are working correctly.
The problem lies with the fuel gauge and the temperature reading. For me, it's crucial that the temperature reads exactly at "12 o'clock" when the engine is at operating temperature, and that the fuel gauge indicates "full" precisely when the tank is full.

Therefore, the question is: what's the deal with this table adapter?

Is it important to secure the needles without using screws? Otherwise, wouldn't it be simpler just to fill them completely and then attach them properly?

It seems important to me that the fuel gauge indicates a specific amount at the reserve or quarter mark, so I know how much longer it will run before it stops.

wichtiger bei der Tankanzeige, scheint mir eine bestimmte Menge bei einer Reserve- oder 1/4 Stellung, dann weiß ich wie lange es noch geht bis er steht.

Okay, and that can be conveniently adjusted externally from the vehicle while it's in sleep mode. Unfortunately, setting it to the full position or 12 o'clock doesn't help. All of them need to be directly aligned with the line after connecting the power. Then, the fuel gauge, including the reserve level, will be relatively accurate again.

'...I've also adjusted my Ibiza speedometer several times..., especially due to modifications!'

He is definitely not diagnosable.

'I've always adjusted the temperature gauge like this: I would warm up the engine until the oil temperature reached the specified level according to the MFA (Multi-Function Display), and then, when I turned on the ignition, I would carefully position the needle exactly at the 90° mark. Then, I would turn off the ignition and adjust the fuel gauge so that its reading corresponded to the now stationary temperature gauge. So far, this has always worked well! It's important to press the needle down firmly only when it's in the exact correct position; before that, just place it gently... This allows for fine adjustments.'
Edit:

I had modified the front panel so that I could remove the glass while it was still installed! Otherwise, it's also possible, but a bit more difficult...

...I have also adjusted my Ibiza speedometer multiple times..., including due to modifications!

He is definitely not diagnosable.

'I've always adjusted the temperature gauge like this: I would warm up the engine until the oil temperature reached the specified level according to the MFA (Multi-Function Display), and then, when I turned on the ignition, I would carefully position the needle exactly at the 90° mark. Then, I would turn off the ignition and adjust the fuel gauge so that its reading corresponded to the now stationary temperature gauge. So far, this has always worked well! It's important to press the needle down firmly only when it's in the exact correct position; before that, just place it gently... This allows for fine adjustments.'
Edit:

I had modified the front panel in such a way that I could remove the glass while it was still installed! Otherwise, it's also possible, but a bit more difficult...


The problem with the ':wink:90°}' reading, in my opinion, is the smoothed display. When it shows 90, it often indicates a value that is either lower or higher. Therefore, the displayed value at the bottom or in the middle is inaccurate }.

As I said before, it has never been a problem for me! It wasn't a problem with my current TRW speedometer in my Golf 3 either! The 300,000 km issue occurred on the Ibiza speedometer . I had to replace an EL film.

Just it simply by warming it up until the oil temperature exceeds 80 degrees Celsius, then adjust it to the middle position. Even later, there were no deviations upwards or downwards; it always stayed centered when the engine was warm.

These old speedometers probably aren't that accurate!

That could certainly also be the case. The main thing is that it works.

Here's what I did: I warmed up the car (according to the VW tool, it doesn't seem to matter if the temperature is between 85 and 93 °C; the temperature gauge always stays at the 12 o'clock position). I adjusted the temperature gauge accordingly, then filled the tank completely and set the fuel gauge to full. After that, everything else was correct for me.
Thank you for the answers.