I have a 97 gxe auto, 75kish miles. I have been having a problem intermittently with the speedometer of late. While on a road trip, after stopping at a rest area, and turning the car off, the speedometer, odometer and cruise would not work. I turned the car off, and back on. The 'o/d' light blinked several times, which I later thought may have been some type of msg, and still these items didn't work. I drove (cautiously, yeah, right...) down the interstate for about 10 miles, and suddenly they started working.

Phoned my mechanics upon returning home. They said, as they always do, if it ain't broke right now, we don't know what to fix.

Twice more, this happened. Once, while traveling down the road, the speedo suddenly decided my car was going 86 mph, even when stopped at a stop light. Then, just as mysteriously as before, it returned to normal. The next time, when the speedo started working again, the check engine light came on (finally a msg???). My mechanics were able to read the diags from the computer, which stated the speed sensor needed replaced. They ordered the part, which took almost a week to get, and replaced it.

When replacing the part, they noticed my battery was new. They found a service alert that stated low voltage starts will cause the speed sensor to go bad. They replaced the part on Thursday morning.

Friday night, while cruising down the interstate with cruise set at appx 65 mph, the speedo once again decided i should be doing 86. I know this wasn't accurate because in the lane next to me was one of our local law enforcement specialists, and i was not pulled over.

My mechanics are thinking the odds of a oem nissan speed sensor going bad that soon is not likely, and researching other possible causes.

Anyone else ever heard of this problem???

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Sorry I can't help. Just keep an eye on your fuel gauge!
Good Luck.

Erik

 

I was having some weird electrical problems also. My ABS brake light would come on and some of my radio buttons would sometimes not work. It turns out that I had a loose ground connection at the battery cable.

 

Ok, happened again today. Showing '0', and odometer not moving. Pulled over, turned car off, and back on. For the second time, when I restarted the car, the 'o/d' light blinked 16 times. I can't believe this doesn't mean anything... anyone???

 

Have you spilled any liquids on the center console lately?

 

That would be a negative on the spill. Also verified the battery cables were not loose.

Going back to mechanics on Friday. maybe then...

 

I would suggest that you remove the gauge cluster and clean the electrical connections with CRC Electronics Cleaner. It is available in an aerosol at NAPA.

 

You may be familiar with the method for reading Diagnostic Trouble Codes from the Engine Control Module. The four-number Codes are represented by flashes of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp. The Transmission Control Unit has a similar diagnostic capability and it uses the O/D OFF light rather than the MIL.

If and when this display recurs, watch the flashes carefully. The first flash is distinctly longer than the others. Subsequent flashes are very short, and are called Judgement Flickers. Count those flickers and watch for one which is twice as long as the others. If the second Judgement Flicker is the long one, the TCM is telling you that the Vehicle Speed Sensor or its wiring is bad (short- or open-circuit). This would be consistent with your observation of misbehaving speedometer and odometer.

 

not familiar with these codes, but figured since the o/d light doesn't always blink like that that it had to mean something to someone. As I stated before it blinks 16 times, and all 16 times appear to be short blinks, i.e. none are apparently longer than others.

I've already replaced the speed sensor once with genuine nissan part. I know it is possible that i got a bad one, so...