Tachi

[96 CD5 MT sedan]
My speedometer and odometer went out yesterday. The seller noted that it sometimes went out for a few seconds and it did with me in the week of owning it but yesterday it went dead and never rose back-up. It never stayed stuck at 15/20mph, it would just drop to zero, and then pick-back up less than 30 seconds later. And now it won't pick-up at all.

I'm not getting a CEL, but then its a OBD2 car with an OBD1 adapter harness running a chipped P06 to control a H22A. Does this change anything regarding it being the VSS over the speedometer itself? Or am I right in thinking I need to hope the salvage yard has another OBD2 CD5 MT accord in the lot?

[EDIT @ 1/15/2015] It happened again. On errands this morning and to work (ten minute drive to work) the speedometer worked fine, and that was getting a bit spirited though nothing above 4000rpm. Leaving work tonight I decide to have some fun and after shifting into 2nd the speedometer dies again. At the next stoplight, I get onto another 55mph road and punch it as soon as second is reached. Right before vtec engages the speedometer needle jumps back-up and works normally for the rest of my sojourn home.

I almost want to think its a wiring issue now. Changing the sensor seemed to have fixed the problem, and it did come from Amazon but it wouldn't be having issues already, I mean, its not MasterPro... This is a spliced harness that I've found six orphaned connectors on so far and there seems to be a fine coating of gear oil and road grime on everything in the vicinity of the shifter linkage boots, and if the injector wire splices aren't soldered I'll bet nothing else is. I want to think now that moving the harness around allowed bad connections to temporarially re-affirm before settling back into place. Or is it the speedometer cluster and the two days it wasn't being used it 'rested' enough to seem like the sensor fixed it?

[EDIT 1/22/2015] Fixed. Check Post #17

holmesnmanny

Sounds like you just need a new VSS off ebay or amazon for $15 or so.

Tachi

Why are they less than $10 on ebay but $80 from the auto parts store? I'm hesitant to buy hard parts from ebay, especially for that little, and if I'm going to spend $80 on fixing it I want that to fix it. Doing some research it seemed that the vss was only the issue when the ECU threw a CEL as well. Granted if it is the easily replaced VSS and not the cluster I'd be delighted, just making sure I know where to go.

holmesnmanny

The vss inputs both the speedometer and the odometer. Im running one from amazon for over two years with no issues since.

When the speedomter isnt working, try to use your cruise control. If it doesnt work then the issue is the vss and not the cluster.

Tachi

It doesn't have cruise, the cruise control actuator was one of the things not put back in after the H22A.

[EDIT] Bought a vss off amazon, paid the extra bit for next day. I found it, and I have other business in that area of the engine bay anyway so the intake pipe is coming off.

holmesnmanny

You can also check if its going into vtec after warming the car up.

Tachi

Its going into vtec. I went into vtec last night on the way home from work.

Tachi

Holmes, it was the VSS. The speedometer needle lives again, thanks.

GhostAccord

OP, do you know if the tune has VTEC checks disabled on the ECU or not? On a chipped ECU checking for VTEC engagement doesn't always mean that the VSS is working. Some tuners will disable the speed/RPM check for VTEC engagement.

Tachi

I spoke with the tuner and didn't think to ask about that, its entirely plausible but he said he just did a base tune and used Chrome. I'm going to take this thing to the closest Honda tuner relatively soon for other reasons so I'll be able to check then. But like I said, VSS replaced and the speedometer and odometer work again so I'm happy for now.

GhostAccord

OK when I posted my response I didn't see the post where you said that the issue was resolved. strange that I missed that. I didn't think that it took me 15 minutes to type that response...lol! Oh well......Glad to hear you got it resolved.

Good luck with the tune!

Tachi

Thanks

Tachi

Update in the OP

GhostAccord

Sounds like fixing the wiring is going to be something you have to tackle.

Not sure that we're going to be much help for you on that one! Grab your voltmeter and start moving wires around while probing them. See if you can find a short.

Best of luck with those electrical issues.

Tachi

Well, that's assuming the VSS is one of the plugs that needed to be extended for the swap. Actually its the F22 transmission so it should have been untouched The latch on the connector is broken so it might be that but it seemed tight on when I removed the original VSS. Its hard to tell what's the Accord harness and what's the H22 harness but I think I'll end-up buying spare Accord and H22A harnesses and splice them together outside the car, and when I install a M2B4 in the spring the new harness will go in as well. But that's getting away from the point. The VSS doesn't generate a signal when the car is stationary, does it-ohhhh you meant continuity testing.

Tachi

Well, now I think its the speedometer cluster. The needle wouldn't rise when I pulled out of the driveway tonight. In frustration I slapped the dashboard and on the third strike the needle popped-up.

Plus the harness from the connector to the main trunk is intact.

Tachi

/Thread

I removed the cluster and then the speedo, and then the PCB on the back and retouched the solder points. Got the iron hot and tinned, dabbed flux on each joint and reflowed each joint, making sure to drag the tip up the leg of each component to ensure the leg got hot too. Put it all back together...broke a couple tabs...lost a couple screws... -_- took her on a test drive...

FIXED!

At least I think so. We'll have to see in the morning but on the test drive I thumped the dash three times and the speedo did not fail.

So yeah, if you have a soldering iron and are halfway decent with it, try reflowing the solder joints on the pcb.