david2450

Bought a 93 civic dx the other day, the first day of driving it the speedo worked. Second day i went to go to work and speedo didnt work til about 5 mins or 10 mins of driving. Then will quit later if i hit a bump. Installed a new speed sensor today, still doing the same thing. Just wondering if anyone had any ideas.

Former User

Does the CEL work?

Is code 17 thrown?

david2450

No check engine lights, i looked at the fuse box but there wasnt a digram showing which one was what

Former User

Does the CEL work? See the codes sticky.

platinumg2

I just went through this whole ordeal. I ended having a bad harness that goes to the VSS. Mine was corroded and ended up replacing it. Good luck.

david2450

lll have to check in the morning and see if the cel comes on before i start the car. An i looked at tge wiring harness going to the vss it looked black where it plugs in ay, but didnt notice any corrision

94preludeguy

You need a new speedometer. I was having the same issues, wouldn't work, would sometimes work if I pounded on the dash, hit a bump, etc. I had an old DX cluster with mileage almost matching my shell so I swapped the speedometer out of that into my EX cluster and it's been working perfectly since.

Typically if your speedometer isn't working and you throw a CEL for the VSS sensor, you need a new sensor or need to check out the wiring. If there is no CEL it is more than likely the speedometer. Replacement is very easy. You have to pop the clear plastic cover off the cluster, remove the thing on the trip odometer reset, flip the cluster over and unscrew the 4 screws holding the speedometer in. Many people end up replacing the entire cluster, this is not always necessary.

david2450

Thanks, ill swing by a junkyard and probably just get the whole cluster.

Former User

Check the CEL first. Otherwise, you may retrieve the wrong part.

EsotericImage

iTrader: (8)

or you can try this

http://techauto.awardspace.com/vss.html

david2450

I read that link you sent and it reminded of a few things i notcied on the civic. 1.car starts without using clutch, dont know if that has anything to do with it. 2. I read from another thread that fuse 12 was the fuse for vss, there wasnt one there. I put a fuse there still didnt help. 3. Behind the fuse box under dash there was two plugs hanging loose. They didnt plug into each other. One of the plugs had one wire that went from one side to the other, took the wire out and car wouldnt try to start, put the wire back in and it fired right up. Hopefully this might help some.

Former User

Clutch - somebody unplugged the switch at the top of clutch pedal and shorted the connector.

VSS is fuse 15 for your car.

CEL work?

94preludeguy

He already said there are no CELs.

RonJ was asking if your check engine light indicator is working. You can tell by turning the key and your CEL should flash. If it doesn't flash then the bulb is dead/missing. If it is working on the key turn and you indeed have no check engine lights on the car then like I said, speedo. Like Ron said check the stickys for CELs you can manually jump the service connector just to be sure.

Edit - Also if you do not want to buy the entire cluster at the junkyard, you can just pull off the speedometer itself. $5 part.

david2450

CEL works, but after i start it, then it goes away. I read from the other thread that fuse for the vss was a 15 and it had a 10. So i had a spare 15 put it in, drove it down the road and it done great then pulled off to side of the road to turn around and it quit again.

94preludeguy

It is supposed to do that, it will only stay illuminated if you are indeed throwing a CEL code.

I would try a different speedometer next and see if that does it.

Former User

Yes, he stated that without knowing whether the CEL worked or not. If the CEL didn't work, of course the CEL would not be on and he would retrieve no CEL codes even if some were stored in the ECU. That's why I inquired whether he knew that the CEL worked. He has now shown that it does, so the point is moot. As you said, it's now most likely a cluster or speedometer problem.

EsotericImage

iTrader: (8)

I guess people didnt read the link I posted...


Author's note: The speedo is reliable device. A dead speedo or a dead rpm meter is most likely caused by the speedo bumping itself out of calibration or had jarred and cracked its circuit board solder joints (probably from an odometer tampering.) To attempt to calibrate the speedo to circuit board screw pressure, screw the three or four screws on the back of the circuit board to the correct screw torque then drive the car. Do this every mile until all the screws are at the correct point. For example. All three screws torque to 0.1 ft-lb in a crisscross manner at first attempt. Increase the torque on all screws at the next attempt in the same manner until the speedo works. This is an unconventional method but it works all the time for us but there is no guarantee for you.

david2450

I called a junkyard today about the gauge cluster and asked if they had one. They said they had one for a automatic, that it wouldnt work for mine cause it was 5 speed. Does that make any sense? It seems like i could use any speedometer as long as its from 92-95

Former User

Should be the same except the odometer reading.

david2450

Is the gauge cluster repairable?

Former User

How do you mean?

david2450

If the speedometer doesnt work on the cluster, is it possible to fix it without buying another speedometer

Former User

See post #17. You could try what's posted there. If it doesn't work, buy a new cluster or speedometer.