Speedometer Issues - '90 SE 5spd.
04-30-2005, 10:16 AM
#1
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 155
Speedometer Issues - '90 SE 5spd.
Hey Guys -
I'm about at my wits end with my speedometer. This has been a problem that carried over from my last car, and I'm not sure exactly what the root cause is. The only thing left that I haven't checked really is the actual gear in the transmission.
The speedometer is intermittent, mostly not working and then every once in a while it works for a few minutes/miles...then drops out again. I have had this problem on 2 different clusters, in 2 different cars, replaced speed sensor and pinion, and it still does the same stuff. The one thing that has always been in common is the tranny. Has anyone ever had this problem??? I talked to my guy at the Nissan dealership, and he says he's never heard of the drive gear in the tranny going bad - but I don't know what else is left. It would be nice to have a working speedometer, if for nothing more than the cruise control to work. Any help would be appreciated.
I'm about at my wits end with my speedometer. This has been a problem that carried over from my last car, and I'm not sure exactly what the root cause is. The only thing left that I haven't checked really is the actual gear in the transmission.
The speedometer is intermittent, mostly not working and then every once in a while it works for a few minutes/miles...then drops out again. I have had this problem on 2 different clusters, in 2 different cars, replaced speed sensor and pinion, and it still does the same stuff. The one thing that has always been in common is the tranny. Has anyone ever had this problem??? I talked to my guy at the Nissan dealership, and he says he's never heard of the drive gear in the tranny going bad - but I don't know what else is left. It would be nice to have a working speedometer, if for nothing more than the cruise control to work. Any help would be appreciated.
04-30-2005, 10:45 AM
#2
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: BFE, UT
Posts: 3,194
.... it is very uncommon for the drive gears to go out. Well I'm assuming since you wrote that it drops off, that the needle is dropping back to zero.Wiring problem maybe... check all the connections. If that doesn't do it... it just might be the drive gear for the sensor.... if ours even have one. Not sure if it would be a magnetic pickup sensor.
04-30-2005, 11:20 AM
#3
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Join Date: Dec 2004
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This problem has carried for one car to the next - I stripped out one to build the other. I had checked the wiring harness initially on the old car - no problems - and I doubt that there is an issue with the wiring in the new car (symptoms are identical to what was happening in the old car). As I stated, I replaced the speed sensor and pinion (the gear on the speed sensor). Our speed sensors work like a little generator - a gear in the tranny turns the sensor and produces a current. The faster it turns, the higher current it produces, the high speed it registers....
90% of the time the needle just sits on zero, 10% of the time it twitches to life and registers correctly for a few minutes. A couple years ago a replaced the cluster, thinking that was my problem (seemed like when I got frustrated and smacked the dash it would work more often). The new cluster worked great for about the first 500-600 miles before it started acting up again - I had replaced it just before taking a 2200 mile road trip. Also, on longer trips, it seems to work for longer periods of time (say after and hour or two of driving, it just starts working for a while). My biggest complaint is that that cruise doesn't work when the speedo doesn't work (it gets a signal from the cluster). It would be nice to see the speed but I know how fast I'm going by the tach, and I don't really mind that the odometer doesn't roll over - but I'd really like to be able to put it on auto-pilot on the interstates, etc.
90% of the time the needle just sits on zero, 10% of the time it twitches to life and registers correctly for a few minutes. A couple years ago a replaced the cluster, thinking that was my problem (seemed like when I got frustrated and smacked the dash it would work more often). The new cluster worked great for about the first 500-600 miles before it started acting up again - I had replaced it just before taking a 2200 mile road trip. Also, on longer trips, it seems to work for longer periods of time (say after and hour or two of driving, it just starts working for a while). My biggest complaint is that that cruise doesn't work when the speedo doesn't work (it gets a signal from the cluster). It would be nice to see the speed but I know how fast I'm going by the tach, and I don't really mind that the odometer doesn't roll over - but I'd really like to be able to put it on auto-pilot on the interstates, etc.
04-30-2005, 11:24 AM
#4
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: BFE, UT
Posts: 3,194
Hmmm.... I think Wiking would be able to help you the most. I'm lost in a world of Ford, Dodge, Chevy, Case, and other junk right now. And I guess I forgot exactly what type of setup our Max's work on... let me see if I can find his cardomain site... there's a lot of useful info on there.
04-30-2005, 11:38 AM
#5
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: BFE, UT
Posts: 3,194
Ok... I searched through his site really quick, he doesn't have anything exactly on your problem.
But from symptons listed, and the fact that you already changed the sending unit. I would have to lean toward a bad connection. Pull the dash apart, check the connections... clean them. Especially the wiring in between, every connector down the line.
Wiking does list something for the cruise control on his site. But I don't think the signal runs through the controller for the cruise. Could be wrong though. And if that's the case, and your controller is bad, it'll stop the signal for the speedo.
Here's his page http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/748507/1
But from symptons listed, and the fact that you already changed the sending unit. I would have to lean toward a bad connection. Pull the dash apart, check the connections... clean them. Especially the wiring in between, every connector down the line.
Wiking does list something for the cruise control on his site. But I don't think the signal runs through the controller for the cruise. Could be wrong though. And if that's the case, and your controller is bad, it'll stop the signal for the speedo.
Here's his page http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/748507/1
05-06-2005, 01:30 PM
#6
I had the exact same problem with an intermittant working speedometer. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Sometimes when it wasn't working, I could tap the accel pedel a couple times and the speedometer would start working for awhile, but would stop working soon afterwards. There is a very simple fix that cost NOTHING. Try it, it was something I picked up here on the .org.
These are instructions for the VG engine, your VE may be set-up differently:
The VSS is located in the bottom of the engine compartment, near the rear of the engine. It is small, black shaped cylinder with the top being a little larger than a quarter, with a wire coming off of it. It is just below the oil filter on the VG engine.
The VSS over time (12 years?) has shifted upward, partially out of it's housing, and is gradually losing electrical contact internally. You can verify this by feeling the top of the VSS with your fingers. There should be no gap between the top of the VSS and the rest of the housing body. If you're having speedometer problems, the top of the VSS is about 1/16th of an inch higher than the housing (or even less). HERE'S THE SOLUTION: Just tap down on the the top of the VSS with a hammar to push it back in. There's not a lot of room for maneuvering behind the engine, so I used a socket extender (or any solid bar) to tap down on the VSS with the hammar. Just a SOFT TAP or two with the hammar will push it back into place. Now your done! Just drive it to confirm that it's working again. If not, then you can pursue what these other guys said. Takes about five minutes, including finding the hammar.
It seems so simple (and free!) that I was amazed that it worked. But it's been nine months now, and my speedometer (and odometer) continue to work fine. Really amazing tip, which I can't take credit for. But it worked!
These are instructions for the VG engine, your VE may be set-up differently:
The VSS is located in the bottom of the engine compartment, near the rear of the engine. It is small, black shaped cylinder with the top being a little larger than a quarter, with a wire coming off of it. It is just below the oil filter on the VG engine.
The VSS over time (12 years?) has shifted upward, partially out of it's housing, and is gradually losing electrical contact internally. You can verify this by feeling the top of the VSS with your fingers. There should be no gap between the top of the VSS and the rest of the housing body. If you're having speedometer problems, the top of the VSS is about 1/16th of an inch higher than the housing (or even less). HERE'S THE SOLUTION: Just tap down on the the top of the VSS with a hammar to push it back in. There's not a lot of room for maneuvering behind the engine, so I used a socket extender (or any solid bar) to tap down on the VSS with the hammar. Just a SOFT TAP or two with the hammar will push it back into place. Now your done! Just drive it to confirm that it's working again. If not, then you can pursue what these other guys said. Takes about five minutes, including finding the hammar.
It seems so simple (and free!) that I was amazed that it worked. But it's been nine months now, and my speedometer (and odometer) continue to work fine. Really amazing tip, which I can't take credit for. But it worked!
05-11-2005, 02:48 PM
#7
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 155
Well, you got my hopes all up that I might get this thing fixed - then I realized that the VSS you were talking about was the speed sensor itself. I have already replaced it with a new one, and the problem still persists. I've ruled out the tranny drive gear however. Jacked the car up, and with the speed sensor out I turned the tire and felt the gear turn (just stuck my finger in the hole). To verify, I replaced the speed sensor, disconnected it from the harness, ran some test wires to the plug, started the car up and let it idle in 2nd with the wheel off the ground. Checked the voltage w/ a multimeter and it was putting out consistent voltage.
Here's a theory - say the old speed sensor was bad (and had been bad for a while). Maybe by it acting so sporatically, it fried something in the cluster. I replaced the cluster and it worked fine for the first 500-600 miles and then started doing the same stuff....maybe it fried my second cluster?? I have one more max to pick parts off of, so I went ahead and pulled the cluster out of the parts car yesterday after work. If I'm feeling motivated, I'll try to swap out the cluster in my car this evening to see what happens......
Here's a theory - say the old speed sensor was bad (and had been bad for a while). Maybe by it acting so sporatically, it fried something in the cluster. I replaced the cluster and it worked fine for the first 500-600 miles and then started doing the same stuff....maybe it fried my second cluster?? I have one more max to pick parts off of, so I went ahead and pulled the cluster out of the parts car yesterday after work. If I'm feeling motivated, I'll try to swap out the cluster in my car this evening to see what happens......
05-11-2005, 06:40 PM
#8
For a while, my speedo/odo didn't work either. It was a combination of my speedo gear in the tranny (which was messed up) and my harness. I eventually replaced the tranny for another reason. What seemed to fix the speedo problem was a direct wire connection between the VSS and the cluster. I ran wires through the wheelwell grommet to the back of the cluster. My speedo and odo work fine now, so does the cruise. However if I drive for a long time (or other reasons unknown to me), the speedo will stop working, but the odo keeps going. It's very frustrating, but try to isolate problems if possible. I'd recommend wiring from the VSS to the cluster just to give it a shot since nothing else has seemed to work.
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