I wanted to post this so if anyone else runs into the same problem they will know how to fix this issue. A friend of mine had a 97' Honda Accord LX 4 cyl that kept blowing the #1 fuse. This fuse controls many things including the dashboard gauge cluster. Most importantly, it controls the shift lock that actuates when you press the brake pedal (cannot get it out of park with a #1 fuse blown!) You have to use your key to manually release the shifter. Anyhow, he took it to a repair shop and they spent hours trying to figure out the problem. Turns out they could have just plugged into the OBD port and found a code for the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS). The short was in the VSS the whole time. I ended up buying the car and fixing the problem myself. I bought the new VSS at Orielly Auto for $93, but I found out after the fact that you can get some cheap ones on eBay for less than $15. All things considered, it was an easy fix. A little hard to get to, but if you have patience and socket extensions and swivels, it is not too hard to do. On a side note, what a horrible design flaw! I could not believe that a sensor would short out the entire dashboard!! Good luck fixing yours!

 

Thanks for this. My friends speedometer and gauges went out. Seems she had a hose leak water onto the VSS sensor and it went haywire on the gauges at some point then stopped. No gauges were working. Picked up a VSS sensor from the pull-a-part for 10 bucks and she was on her way.

 

People love asking fixit questions but rarely post answers, so thanks for posting the fix.

Honda sensors & wiring don't fail nearly as often as other makes, which is why there are so many good-condition used Honda parts around.

BTW If they had a fuse for every item and sensor, you'd have no leg room from the fuse box being larger than a household fuse box! The car would also be 300lb heavier from all that copper wiring. The VSS on every car is always cruicial, and has only gained importance. ABS, traction control, newer cars with yaw control/etc, all need VSS.

 

After investing many hours chasing down issues I found this to be true.

One day my VSS throws a code and I start testing it as best as possible with my multimeter to ensure it's possibly not a bad wire. Come back to work on it the next day to test it with a new VSS I had laying around and driving my car home my gauges started going out and coming back on for a couple miles until they went out 100% besides the battery light. Also my power windows and odometer stopped working. I thought it was a bad ground and because it was intermittent at first, checked all my grounds until I thought what the heck, check the all the related fuses. Come to find out the #1 fuse was toast! Now I have a new issue with an erratic/fluctuating idle which I believe is either a vacuum or need to bleed the coolant. Only time and a few beers will tell. Happy wrenching!

 

So I fixed the bouncing/erratic idle last night, turns out it was the coolant. I did a lousy job topping off the coolant. What happens as soon as the engine begins to warm up the water temp sensor senses cold then warm, cold then warm, cold then warm, and so on as coolant warms up and air then passes by because of insufficient amount of coolant.

 

Running into same issue. Just bought 97 Accord and thought, let me check and see if Honda Tech is still up and running. Hell's yeah hahaha....I got a new VSS and ton of fuses so let's see what happens lol.