clownbaby

rcently the needle on speedometer of this civic stopped working properly and would be at 0 sometimes and working others.

i had a mechanic put in a new VSS (speed sensor). However, this didnt fix the problem, it was still doing the same issue.

I had the mechanic remove the speed gauge clusters to look and see and possibly replace. we put the old cluster back in. i went out for a drive and the car was shifting at 5000 rpm. it was really straining the engine. normally the car would shift at 3000 rpm so i am wondering, could the new speed sensor be messing up the car?

we are going to replace the whole gauge cluster with a different one. the mechanic thinks it will fix the rpm issue now.

the tranny fluid is clean and doesnt smell burnt at all.

the car is
1995 civic lx, automatic

any ideas or experience or anything would be greatly appreciated.

clownbaby

could this be that the computer needs to be reset in some way? i want to make sure before i pay the mechanic to put in a used gauge cluster with different mileage.

Former User

Is the CEL on? If so, what codes?

The ECU/PCM gets the speed signal directly from the VSS not the cluster. Does unplugging the cluster affect the shifting?

clownbaby

could it be that the computer needs a reset or something?

i just read this

http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-tr...em-379966.html

clownbaby

no check engine light.

the cluster is messed up, the cluster with 112k miles is messed up, it is the original (cluster 1)

the 152k (cluster 2)was put in, then removed and old 112k was put back in.

after the 112k (cluster 1) was put back in, i went driving and was like wow, why is this shifting so high iin rpm.

went back to mechanic. they not sure but said to put in cluster 2 to fix probs. not sure if that will fix it or not.

clownbaby

problem is, im stranded in another state trying to get this fixed. dont wanna pay for more labor if it wont fix the prob. the rpm gear shifting issue didnt start until the new vss was put in 2 days ago.

clownbaby

with the cluster 1 and the new vss, the speed reading was still messed up, but the car was shifting fine.

i then went to mechanic and he removed cluster 1, put in cluster 2. gf decided she didnt want cluster 2 in car, so cluster 1 was put back in the car still with the new speed sensor, but this is where the gear shifting issue happened immediately.

so now im kinad confused. not sure what direction to go from here. any help greatly appreciated.

clownbaby

so i been reading tons of online postings but i cant find anything else regarding the RPM and gear shifting with the transmission......

if anyone has any ideas at all that i can try please post in this thread.

Former User

Do you know how to remove the cluster? If so, remove it, unplug the rear connectors, and test drive the car (without the cluster). Is the shifting problem now gone?

clownbaby

i dont know how to remove it myself. any place i can find directions i will try that though.

id the shifting problem isnt gone what is the next step to try? the cluster is what the problem is with the speedometer issue. we tried power through it and use a drill on it to stimulate the moving part but the speedometer didnt move. but he ran power through a diff area. the 2 guys working on it said it the cluster dead.

so we gonna try the diff cluster. it is weird that this shifting problem only happened when cluster 1 was taken out, cluster 2 put in, then cluster 2 taken out and cluster 1 put back in. immediately driving from the shop.

any other suggestions? thanks for your input!!

Former User

clownbaby

thank you! will try that


the honda service center i just called for advice told me that the NEW speed sensor may be what is causing the problems with the RPM not the cluster.

said he neveard heard of the cluster affeting the rpm.


i wonder if that part that the mechanic got was not for a 1995 civic but a different year or so.

Former User

Remove the cluster and test drive the car. If that doesn't help, reinstall cluster and check the VSS.

clownbaby

picked the car back up with the old VSS in it.



problem is now, the car is shifting at higher RPM than when I went in to the guy.

it would shift around 3,000 or 3,500.

today the car is shifting over 4,000 rpm. going into the 2nd and 3rd gear is high. it is an automatic tranny. im wondering how this is possible. should i unplug the battery from the car and hopefully it resets the computer with how it transmits information to the tranny?

clownbaby

what im trying to figure out if wen missed a step and there needed to be a resetting of the computer by unplugging the battery.

clownbaby

well i MAY have found the issue!!!!
it seems to have damaged the wires coming out of the speed sensor.

the speed is working with the the new gauge cluster.

the wire harness plug has the 3 wires going in damaged.

could this be what is screwing up the transmission shifting gears? a friend of mine went driving with me and was stunned how it is not shifting right. really really straining. this car did not have transmission problems. it is shifting manually though so it seems like a communication issue.

could the TCU be getting a different signal than the rest of the car whcih is what is messing up these RPM and ability to shift correctly?

thank you again guys! i dont know what to do about these wires now though.

clownbaby

i took a picture of the wires, i will post it shortly