Speedo Problems
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Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jun 2009
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From: Elyria, Ohio
Speedo Problems
i have a 95 civic dx and about 4 months ago i purchased a cluster out of a 95 ex for RPM...just recently my speedo starts to jump allover the place when im driving...rpm gas and temp all work but speedo doesnt ...any suggestions on what i should do? is it the whole cluster its self or a sensor...any input would help
I'm not Rick!
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,940
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From: under a prayer shawl
Re: Speedo Problems
your speed sensor on the tranny. try swithcing that out. you should get a new one anyway. i hav a dx and my speedo workd at times and times it did...so i went to the junk yard and got another, worked fine since. you prolly got a bad cluster or speed sensor
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 631
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From: Ohio
Re: Speedo Problems
Most likely the speedo went bad. Mine did the same thing with the speedometer bouncing around but the rpms and eveyr other gauge worked, purchased a new one and boom problem fixed.
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Joined: Jul 2008
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From: regina, sk, canada
Re: Speedo Problems
i got the same problem but i did a an engine swap and still having the same issue. so its wasnt the speed sensor? what else could it be. what if its the wire. where does it go through?
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 257
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From: Austin, TX, USA
Re: Speedo Problems
cometid:
If your speedometer isn't functioning properly then it is likely the VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor.) You can get a new one for about $40 from RockAuto or Autozone. If you replace it with one from a junk yard you can't be sure that that one worked before the car was junked. So, get a new one. They aren't too expensive. Some responders will say that you can't be sure that a new one will work...and although that may be true 99% of the time with a brand new part it works...only rarely do they come DOA. With junk yard parts the working rate of a VSS is at best 50/50.
luispizarro25:
Just because you swapped the motor does not mean that the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) isn't the problem. The speed sensor is connected to the transmission not the engine. As such it wouldn't be fixed by replacing the engine. What you need to do is the same thing that the OP needs to do...get a new VSS. More than 95% of the time a faulty speedometer/odometer is the VSS. The only other possibility is faulty wiring from the VSS to the ECU or cluster. There are two wires that go from the VSS to the ECU and if either of those is damaged then the speedometer won't show the correct speed.
It is also possible that the speedometer/odometer gauge is broken. If you have replaced your VSS with a brand new one, checked the wiring for correct voltage at the ECU, and the speedometer/odometer still doesn't work then your gauge could be bad.
The thing is that if all of your gauges work properly: fuel, temp, tachometer, CEL, oil...then it isn't likely that the ECU is bad or the speedometer is bad. It is almost always the VSS.
Swapping motors will not fix a faulty VSS.
If your speedometer isn't functioning properly then it is likely the VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor.) You can get a new one for about $40 from RockAuto or Autozone. If you replace it with one from a junk yard you can't be sure that that one worked before the car was junked. So, get a new one. They aren't too expensive. Some responders will say that you can't be sure that a new one will work...and although that may be true 99% of the time with a brand new part it works...only rarely do they come DOA. With junk yard parts the working rate of a VSS is at best 50/50.
luispizarro25:
Just because you swapped the motor does not mean that the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) isn't the problem. The speed sensor is connected to the transmission not the engine. As such it wouldn't be fixed by replacing the engine. What you need to do is the same thing that the OP needs to do...get a new VSS. More than 95% of the time a faulty speedometer/odometer is the VSS. The only other possibility is faulty wiring from the VSS to the ECU or cluster. There are two wires that go from the VSS to the ECU and if either of those is damaged then the speedometer won't show the correct speed.
It is also possible that the speedometer/odometer gauge is broken. If you have replaced your VSS with a brand new one, checked the wiring for correct voltage at the ECU, and the speedometer/odometer still doesn't work then your gauge could be bad.
The thing is that if all of your gauges work properly: fuel, temp, tachometer, CEL, oil...then it isn't likely that the ECU is bad or the speedometer is bad. It is almost always the VSS.
Swapping motors will not fix a faulty VSS.
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From: regina, sk, canada
Re: Speedo Problems
cometid:
If your speedometer isn't functioning properly then it is likely the VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor.) You can get a new one for about $40 from RockAuto or Autozone. If you replace it with one from a junk yard you can't be sure that that one worked before the car was junked. So, get a new one. They aren't too expensive. Some responders will say that you can't be sure that a new one will work...and although that may be true 99% of the time with a brand new part it works...only rarely do they come DOA. With junk yard parts the working rate of a VSS is at best 50/50.
luispizarro25:
Just because you swapped the motor does not mean that the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) isn't the problem. The speed sensor is connected to the transmission not the engine. As such it wouldn't be fixed by replacing the engine. What you need to do is the same thing that the OP needs to do...get a new VSS. More than 95% of the time a faulty speedometer/odometer is the VSS. The only other possibility is faulty wiring from the VSS to the ECU or cluster. There are two wires that go from the VSS to the ECU and if either of those is damaged then the speedometer won't show the correct speed.
It is also possible that the speedometer/odometer gauge is broken. If you have replaced your VSS with a brand new one, checked the wiring for correct voltage at the ECU, and the speedometer/odometer still doesn't work then your gauge could be bad.
The thing is that if all of your gauges work properly: fuel, temp, tachometer, CEL, oil...then it isn't likely that the ECU is bad or the speedometer is bad. It is almost always the VSS.
Swapping motors will not fix a faulty VSS.
If your speedometer isn't functioning properly then it is likely the VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor.) You can get a new one for about $40 from RockAuto or Autozone. If you replace it with one from a junk yard you can't be sure that that one worked before the car was junked. So, get a new one. They aren't too expensive. Some responders will say that you can't be sure that a new one will work...and although that may be true 99% of the time with a brand new part it works...only rarely do they come DOA. With junk yard parts the working rate of a VSS is at best 50/50.
luispizarro25:
Just because you swapped the motor does not mean that the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) isn't the problem. The speed sensor is connected to the transmission not the engine. As such it wouldn't be fixed by replacing the engine. What you need to do is the same thing that the OP needs to do...get a new VSS. More than 95% of the time a faulty speedometer/odometer is the VSS. The only other possibility is faulty wiring from the VSS to the ECU or cluster. There are two wires that go from the VSS to the ECU and if either of those is damaged then the speedometer won't show the correct speed.
It is also possible that the speedometer/odometer gauge is broken. If you have replaced your VSS with a brand new one, checked the wiring for correct voltage at the ECU, and the speedometer/odometer still doesn't work then your gauge could be bad.
The thing is that if all of your gauges work properly: fuel, temp, tachometer, CEL, oil...then it isn't likely that the ECU is bad or the speedometer is bad. It is almost always the VSS.
Swapping motors will not fix a faulty VSS.
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