i've read up on this and am not entirely sure on how to fix this issue... i have an intermittent speedometer.. (works 70% of the time.. 30% of the time--> no speed.. no miles.. nothing) a common problem with the 1996 i believe.. but i've had the speed sensor replaced.. and.. i still get the 0104 code for the vehicle speed sensor.. and the speedometer is still intermittent... i've read on here that if this occurs you're then required to trace wires or physically get into the speedometer to check for connection issues...yikes.. now.. i DONT WANT to take the car to the dealer or so any other car place... is anyone familiar with the next most common problem other than the speed sensor that triggers the intermittent speedometer behavior..?? that can be located easily..?

 

Ahhh yesss...Finally....Someone with the same problem as me.... just to make sure... does it the speedometer go to zero when the engine is under a load???

 

or just because .. its cloudy out? or.... its raining?? ha.. no.. just.. flat out intermittent.. it's done it for 2 years... i just tack 5000 miles to the mileage that it shows now..

 

damnit so it's not like mine.... I've replaced the speedo and the cluster and still...constant intermittent... it goes to zero when the engine is underload... I'm thinking about doing the mod to where you disrupt the ECM signal to hit 2 birds with one stone... #1 no speed govenor and #2 it'll cancel out the ECM and leave the TCM as the culprit if it still acts up afterwards...

 

what did the cluster run you? and where do you get your hands on that? .. installation easy??

 

well... I have a friend who works on nothing but Nissans and Honda's he had a few laying around... Any with your type of odometer(Digital or anolog)will work... Just find one close to your mileage...so you don't have legal problems...All I did was put it in to see if the problem was still there...and it was. So I put my old one back in...

P.s. Try tightening the screws on the back of your cluster...see if it helps.

 

I'm dealing with the same problem now. It seems completely random when it happens. I tried tightening the screws and using contact cleaner, no help. I just picked up a replacement cluster on ebay, and the speedo stayed at 0, so I'm pretty sure the speedo head is good.

I found this link which might be the problem. http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl035e.htm
Mine is a 96, not a 97, but that shouldn't matter. I haven't had time to get into the harness and look at the wires, but it makes sense, especially since I keep getting the Vehiclce Speed Sensor code (which I've already replaced once).

BTW, I've looked on the web for a TSB (since the link says there is one), but haven't found anything close to the problem.

 

Hey bud...98-008B is the TSB#... It's just a generic TSB stating that if you have a MIL due to a intermittent signal to check in that area. Coinincidently the Speed Sensor wiring runs through that harness. If you feel like you have a bad connection due to a wire this would be the first place to start. So...step #1 would to check for continuity between the speed sensor and the Cluster... but... If you already have a cluster coming from Ebay then wait till it comes in and see if anything changes. Just a warning though...I hear alot of people get bad clusters off of Ebay because the sellers are selling them for the same reason you're experiencing. So...good luck with it...

 

speedometer cluster screws? where are they located? are they easy to access?

 

Once you get the instrument cluster out, there are about a dozen small screws in the back. If you're lucky, tightening them might solve the problem. Getting the cluster out isn't particluarly hard (there's proably a write-up somewhere in the forum), except there's always one harness connector that's a PITA to unclip.

 

hey Dan e Boi, how do you disrupt the ECM to get rid of that speed limit governor??

 

well.. i've looked everywhere for some decent instructions on this supposedly easy step of removing your speedometer.. anyone done it? could possibly explain it in one paragraph? much appretiated..

 

Jankerr25....http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=50617...it's there for your viewing...

Midnight0045... It's easy...remove the two scews that hold the surrounding of the cluster on...tilt the steering wheel down...disengage clips securing the rest of the surrounding by pulling the surrounding carefully away from dash...disconnect wires from switch... remove the 4 screws securing the cluster to the dash... carefully pull out cluster to where you can see the harnesses.... disconnect all harnesses by pressing tabs on connnectors...remove cluster asymblee from car...

Installation is reversal of removal...

 

Had the same problem, intermittent speedometer.. First changed the speed sensor but that didn't help, bought a new cluster on ebay and had no problems since then.