2002 Chrysler Sebring speedometer not working after swaping

CHUCKIEB5167

MEMBER
2002 CHRYSLER SEBRING
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
91,000 MILES

Speedometer needle seems to have spun around to the backside of the resting pin. Needle sits about 1/4 in. Below the resting pin, when the key is turned to the on position the needle jumps to the resting pin that 1/4 in. And sits there it wont go past the resting pin. How do I reset the needle? Is this possible to do without taking apart the dashboard?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,871 POSTS

Hi chuckieb5167. Welcome to the forum. The pointer is not spring-loaded. It is a "stepper" motor that uses four coils to magnetically position the pointer to the desired position. It is currently trying to position itself at "0" and the closest way to get there is to go clockwise. All you have to do is drive faster than half the maximum speed on the face of the speedometer. At that point the computer will try to position the pointer at the current speed and the pointer will look for the shortest way there which will be counter-clockwise. After that, it will follow the correct speed as you slow down.

The next alternative is to connect the Chrysler DRB3 scanner to access the instrument cluster and perform the gauge test. That will run all the gauges to 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full scale, then back down. The last method is to remove the bezel and physically push the pointer back to "0".

Caradiodoc