96 Honda Civic EX Owner

Hi - I have a stock 1996 Honda Civic EX 5 speed. I've searched this site extensively and found some good information, but still would really appreciate additional advice.

My speedometer started jumping around a little over a year ago. Then the speedometer began always hovering at 20 mph even at a stop, while only randomly (and inaccurately) working again. It now rests at 0 mph most of the time, only "coming back to life" very occasionally. Checked all fuses and tried a new speed sensor (VSS), but that did not fix the problem.

The odometer is also not registering all mileage. It works much less often than it sticks, but it is not completely dead. The trip odometer behaves in the same way.

The SRS light has now come on and stays on at all times, but all other gauges in the cluster (tach, gas, oil, etc) work fine, as do all lights, signals and horn.

I bought a new gauge cluster on Ebay for about $100, which is from a 1999 Civic EX 5-speed. The seller claimed to have a technician who could set the mileage to any number requested, so I asked to have it set at 89,000. (My current odometer reads about 86,900, but I'm trying to be honest.) Anyway, the odometer showed up with only about 50,000 miles on it. The guy says it was an accident, and that he'll have it set to the correct mileage if I send it back. He took forever to even get the item to me, so I'm very reluctant to send it back. Also, a mechanic friend of mine is warning me that any rolling of the odometer, whether backward or forward, will be detectable, so that's another concern.

1) I read on this site that loose screws on the gauge cluster could cause problems. Does that sound likely in my case?

2) Is it possible to advance the mileage on the odometer without being detectable? And if so, if I pull the back off the new gauge cluster, is it going to be relatively obvious how to do this?

3) Am I on the right track with replacing the gauge cluster?

I would appreciate any help and advice offered. Thanks!


Modified by 96 Honda Civic EX Owner at 1:05 PM 4/6/2008

96 Honda Civic EX Owner

bump

sky7

Don't sweat the mileage. I replaced the cluster in my Toyota truck and I took pictures of both new and old clusters, and documented the swap and the mileage difference. I put a little sticker in the door jam noting the change. I will just pass along that info to the next buyer so its all legit. Odometer fraud is a big deal and even though you are doing your best to be honest, its still bad juju to be adjusting the odometer.

BlueIntegraBoy

iTrader: (5)

1. Loose screws behind the speedo can cause this, but it isnt 100%.
2. Yes, rolling the odometer is easy.
3. If you are uncomfortable with rolling the odometer or if tightening the screws doesn't work, then replacing the cluster is an option.

96 Honda Civic EX Owner

Thanks. If the mileage on the odometer were to be advanced, it would only be because the entire gauge cluster was replaced. I read in another thread only moving mileage back is illegal, and not moving it forward.

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1882730

Can anyone confirm?

BlueIntegraBoy: you did not say whether changing an odometer reading is detectable. Do you know?

Regarding any bad juju, I fully plan to let the next owner know that the gauge cluster went out and needed to be replaced. Not only does fixing the mileage prevent issues with my title, but I can only control my actions, and not adjusting the odometer to reflect the true mileage actually opens the situation for dishonesty down the line. Something to consider.





Modified by 96 Honda Civic EX Owner at 5:00 AM 4/7/2008

96 Honda Civic EX Owner

Bump

sky7

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 96 Honda Civic EX Owner &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks. If the mileage on the odometer were to be advanced, it would only be because the entire gauge cluster was replaced. I read in another thread only moving mileage back is illegal, and not moving it forward.

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1882730

Can anyone confirm?

BlueIntegraBoy: you did not say whether changing an odometer reading is detectable. Do you know?

Regarding any bad juju, I fully plan to let the next owner know that the gauge cluster went out and needed to be replaced. Not only does fixing the mileage prevent issues with my title, but I can only control my actions, and not adjusting the odometer to reflect the true mileage actually opens the situation for dishonesty down the line. Something to consider.

Modified by 96 Honda Civic EX Owner at 5:00 AM 4/7/2008</TD></TR></TABLE>


I didin't mean to sound like I was telling you what to do. It's cool that your being honest with the issue. I have had guys ask me to roll theirs back and that's the kind of crap that sucks but I know that's not what your after.

As far as being detectable: the next buyer will most likely not take out the cluster and inspect for tampering. If they do, they have way too much time on thier hands and a serious paranoia issue. Just document the change, have it set as close to actual as possible and you'll be cool.