icepikz

hey guys, i'm having a problem with my speedometer. when im driving sometimes it will work, and sometimes i'm on the highway doing 0 mph. My question is, which is more likely to go first? the vehicle speed sensor or the gauge cluster?

How would i find out?

imported_187Chor

im having the same problem i just bought a clutser from a wrecker and the speedo doesnt work, i figure before i get my mechanic to check the vss ill try and swap the speedo out of my old cluster...

imported_meSIR

If its your speed sensor, I believe your car will throw the appropriate code. If its not throwing a code then its probably your cluster. Borrow a cluster, swap it..see if it works. If not then move on to speed sensor.
I had the same problem before, ended up being the cluster....but I did it the other way around and swapped the VSS first

icepikz

thanks MESIR, surprised i never thought of that.
Yeah my car isn't display any code i know that much. I was looking at just buying a new cluster....... hmmmm

much appreciated

imported_chris_v2

No offense, but it sounds like you shouldn't be working on your car and trying to diagnosis things.

A speed sensor and a speedometer are two COMPLETELY different sensors and different ECM's read them. (on some cars)

Anyways.. i'd check if the ECM is getting the speedo reading by using a data logger, if you dont have access to a logger their are resistance tests you can do on the actual VSS that will give you a better indication if its the vss or not.

icepikz

No offense taken. i'm just trying to do a process of elimination. The main thing that i know is that there is a short somewhere..... it's just to find out where. primarily, i'm just looking for the easy way out, 1. gauge cluster or 2. VSS? if it's more technical than that, then i wouldn't fiddle around with it.

my main issue is that, since the speedometer isnt working, then my odometer doesn't...... so i can't keep track of km's per tank

brianmcgaugh

Id had my speedo actin up on me a little while ago, but i run crome so i know if my vss was fuct i wouldnt be able to rev past my launch control

imported_187Chor

so i just swapped a speedometer/odomoter gauge into my insturment cluster and everything works fine...

so far the speedometer has not cut out and dropped to zero as it did before and the odometer is not randomly stopping either.... (though i have only driven about 10km..... knock on wood)
i guess it wasnt my VSS, and i actually did not think it was all along because my VTEC was working the entire time