e1ght4vii

my two cars have cable drivin speedos and i have never had a problem with them but my gf just got a 94 civic DX with a d16z6 swap in it and the speedo doesn't work.i tested the VSS and it is working correctly so i pulled another speedo out of a junk yard but it has 190k miles on it and after a week or so the problem happened again. i have read online that this is a common problem and that you can re solder the connections on the back. does anyone know or have a DIY on which connections i should re solder? is it just the board on the back of the cluster or do i need to take the printed board off and is it something under that?

e1ght4vii

i forgot to subscribe

fleabag

what exactly is the issue? Maybe you have a bad ground or weak wiring harness...

TwoFaced

^ yeah it seems highly unlikely that two of these would just "go bad" like that...it seems that there's a grounding issue or something that's causing a short.

If you're unfamiliar with hondas ANY problem can be pulled up as google and it will seem like a "common problem" lol.

e1ght4vii

if its a ground problem what wire should i have B+ and where is the ground for the speedo? the speedo and odometer work when they want too i tested the VSS the way my hayne manual told me and it is fine so i swapped out the cluster it worked fine for a week or so then just stopped working all together

fleabag

get the electrical service manual and try to figure it out. that's really the only way because we're mostly going by off of our memory. You never told us exactly what happens and when it happens.

TwoFaced

Yep...was there any crazy popping noises when it stopped...bad smells...like burning plastic? Are there any melted wires anywhere? Any spots on the harness or the cluster that look black like something might have grounded out where it wasn't supposed to? Did it stop working when you hit a bump or something?

Not 100% sure obviously but I'm guessing something in the wiring is loose or something and it worked when you put in the new one and after about a week you might have hit a bump and some wires shorted out or something.

Get a digital voltmeter and the electric manual and have a crack at it when you get some spare time.

e1ght4vii

its actually my gfs car i just do all the work on it she said it seems to work when u drive the car a bit and that one day it just didnt work when she turned the car on and randomly it works no difference when u hit bumps im gonna do some more trouble shooting tomorrow

generallee

I have the exact same problem. I can't fix it too! My VSS is fine which i tested like you did. I swapped 3-4 speedos from Pick n' Pull. It works when it wants to, and doesn't when it doesn't.

fleabag

You'll want to get out that cluster and some of the dash components and not only check the grounds, but check the harness as well. Electrical issues are a pain but hopefully it's just a bad ground. The electrical wiring diagram manual will have a list of all the grounds.. Btw, does the whole entire cluster go out or just the speedometer? If the whole cluster dies, it could be a fuse/relay, or weak connections to it.

HondaPartsHero

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

e1ght4vii

its only the speedo and the odometer that doesnt work everything else works fine thats y originally i thought it was the VSS

hondacivc

I have the same problem, its just the speedometer and odometer. Does your gas light also not work? or is this a seperate issue?

fleabag

gas light is definitely a separate issue and the only way it will light is if your gas tank requires a fillup of 10.5 gallons or more.. Have you ever filled as much as 11.5 gallons yet the gas light never came on?

Tmklim

IMHO I wouldn't say it's the cluster.try the speeds sensor unit on the tranny.unplug it and spray it with eletrical cleaner.mine started to bounce on me and that was what the problem was

hondacivc

I have filled it up the gas tank and the light doesn't turn on after the needle is on E. I do not want it to stop on me so i have not tested if it does not work. Do you know if I have to replace my cluster for the speedo, and would that help this light situation.

raidacaipo

Check fuse #15 in the interior. It relates to alternator/speedo. If its blown, check all grounding wires and then replace fuse

fleabag

did you not read my post? Do exactly what I say if you want to test the light. The Low fuel light, if it doesn't work, requires replacement of the fuel pump and or repair of it, at least in most cases. Fuel light not working is a typical problem.

e1ght4vii

its defiantly a short somewhere im just terrible with electrical problems. my accord and crx both have cable speedos havnt had a problem with any of them in the 6 years of having them lol it will work sometimes but if u hit a big enough bump it stops.