speedometer stops working

is there a check engine light on?

Get the speed sensor replaced and all shoud be well.

i was trying to fix the speedometer. the old VSS would work every once in a while perfectly fine after running the car for a while. I replaced the old VSS with a brand new one but the speedometer needle does not work all the other gauges work fine its just the speedometer needle. What could be wrong?

VSS replaced -start checking for an open or shorted wire within its circuit and the speedometer head assembly.

how do i do that i checked the wires connecting to the VSS they are fine nothing looks bad with them. is there any fuses or something that could be wrong?

Hi, the speedomeyer on the above car has gone all the way around and is resting on the bottom side of the 0. when the car is stopped the hand goes straight down. when i acelerate the hand tries to work but is stopped by the peg at 0. what caused this and what can i do?? this is the only thing not working please help

thanks

Hi Ally,

If you had jump started the vehicle or caused a power surge to the meter cluster, the needle can overshoot and it would be resting at the bottom. This would cause it to run away from the correct position of its magnetic field thus the needle do not know where to go or what to do.

You need to remove the meter cluster face and turn the needle backwards till it is resting on the stopper at 0 and it should be in working condition again.

had the same problem with mine but with the RPM gauge. Definitely have to take the cluster apart. It is relatively simple, but there are a lot of little screws and the rest is held on by clips. Make sure you get all the screws before you start yanking on it to get the clips to let go.

The Haynes Auto Repair manual, available at most auto stores for $20 details this job good.

Hi thayersteraker,

Thanks for the input.

To avoid dismantling the meter cluster, another way is to jerk/filck the meter cluster to get the needle backwards.

1994 Honda Accord 4 cyl 180k miles

I took my 94 Honda EX for a clutch replacement. the next day, I picked it up and my speedometer and odometer did not work. The mechanic says he did not touch it and the cable is still connected properly. He said he would check it out. He then told me that maybe it is a speed sensor. Does this sound right? I know that whatever he did was the cause of my speedometer and odometer not working.

Hi bryanstar,

When replacing the clutch, the speed sensor has to be disconnected and if the wire connector was not reinstalled, the speedometer would not work.

There is no cable for the speedometer and what he said about the cable being intact is not correct, it uses an electrical circuit.

The speed sensor can fail anytime as it is an electronic component so it could be coincidence that it failed after work was done near it. However if it is faulty, ensure that it is not due to physical damage ( broken during removal and installation of the trans ) which would be the responsibility of the shop.

speedometer sometimes does not work.

I changed the speed sensor,still no luck.

Thank You

If VSS was already replaced and still have intermittent failure of speedo than check wiring at back of instrument cluster. If wiring looks OK then cluster gauge itself maybe failing

speedometer does not work and d4 light flashes but transmisson shifts fine

D4 light is flashing because you have a transmission related code. Scan the computer for the stored code. You may find that you need a VSS (vehicle speed sensor)

1994, Honda Accord, automatic, 135000, started my car and the green light around the D (for drive) on the dash began flashing. Shortly after that the check engine light came on and stayed on and the speedometer did not work. I am 300 miles from home and need to know if it is safe to drive home.

With the D flashing, the overdrive will not work.Sounds like it may have lost the Vehicle Speed Sensor.If the trans shifts normally, you should be able to get it home.When you do, have the PCM scanned for the code/codes and get back to me

My honda's a 1994 Accord 124,000 miles. I bought the car in January, two weeks after i got it I noticed that when I turned my headlights on, there was a delay in the internal lamp to my dash. At night sometimes I can't see my speed/odometer/ gauges until halfway into the trip, even though my headlights are on. Then I noticed that my radio started shorting out. It turns on but the speakers go in and out. This weekend my speedometer stopped working, and my odometer stopped clocking.
Is it possible that they're all related or do I have a lot of work to do? :cry:

It could also be a ground problem. Remove and clean all the under hood grunds from the battery to the frame, from the battery to the engine and from the engine to the vehicle.

If that doesn't work it is an odd problem but isolate the radio from the instrument cluster. I would remove the cluster and use a fresh pencil eraser clean all the contacts on the back of the cluster.

Let me know

I have a 94 honda accord ex automatic 4 cylinder with 89000 miles and the speedometer does not work i replaced the vss sensor and it still does the same thing which is rides at 40 mph and occasionally works. Odometer does not work either. what else could be wrong?

[quote:73ec013169="sstelly22"]I have a 94 honda accord ex automatic 4 cylinder with 89000 miles and the speedometer does not work i replaced the vss sensor and it still does the same thing which is rides at 40 mph and occasionally works. Odometer does not work either. what else could be wrong?[/quote:73ec013169]

Could be the back-up VSS on the dash, that's if it has one.

Other than a short which I doubt, you will need to replace the components. You can go online and purchase a used cluster and replace the needed pieces or buy new.

Hi. I have the car listed above LX model. My speedometer would not work on occasion when I started the vehicle for the first time of the day, after driving five miles or so it would start to work fine.

I already replaced my VSS sensor (actually I had a qualified mechanic do it), part was purchased new from NAPA.

Everything was fine for a month or so. Now it is doing the exact same thing. Will not work for the first five minutes five miles of driving per day, but after that it starts working and no problems untill next day.

Pulled codes from TCU and ECU:

TCU Code 4 - VSS open/shorted - No signal from speedometer

ECU (Check Engine Light):
12 - Exhaust Gas Recirculation/EGR Lift Valve
17 - VSS - Speed Sensor
41 - Primary Oxygen Sensor Heater

I know codes 12 and 41 (probably) have nothing to do with a working speedometer. I know what an oxygen sensor is and what it does, but just out of curiosity what is an oxygen sensor heater?

My primary concern is the speedometer. Having a faulty EGR and o2 sensor will not get me a ticket.

I cannot check my cruise control because it never worked since I purchased the car five years/70,000 miles ago, so I assume that has nothing to do with it.

Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hello,

The oxygen sensor has a heater which helps the sensor read when it is cold. The speedometer issue sounds like the Napa sensor went bad or the have a instrument cluster that is bad. Try a new sensor first and then get a used cluster and plug it in.

Please let us know what happens.

Cheers, Ken

I have already replaced the speed sensor (VSS), the Transmission computer (TCU), and the speedometer cluster gauge and my speedometer still won't work. I swapped these parts from working vehicles so I know they are functional. What would be my next step?

Thanks in advance for any possible help.

Sounds like you either have a problem with the wiring to or from the VSS or maybe even a problem with the speedometer gauge itself.

See if the following is of any help.

I have already replaced twice the speed sensor, the speedometer still does not work. well, that is not correct, when it rains hard, and there is alot of water all over the road, the speedometer starts working for about 30 to 40 miles, but for the most part it just doesn't work. what is the next step that i need to be checked out?

You will need to use these steps to diagnose the faulty speedometer.

my battery started to act up. The car started then when i went to start it again the car wouldn't start. The all the gauges were going up and down. I clean the terminals off and the car started again but the speedometer went all the way around. Now its pointed like on a clock 6. it doesn't move much from there. how can i fix this? its does move when you start the car but not right and only maybe an 1/4 inch or less.

Hi greenchevymalibu,

Power surging under conditions of replacing battery, jump starting and bad alternaotrs can cause the speedometer to spike and overshoot 1 cycle and staying at the 6 o'clock condition.

You would need to remove the meter cluster, remove the cover and turn the needle back ( anticlockwise) to sit at zero and meter should work again.

I have a 1992 Honda accord my problem on it is that i think my electrical system where the steering wheel is at is screwed up. First the windshield wipers don't seem to work when i flick on the switch, they don't turn on or sometimes they just turn on randomly and don't turn off even when i flick the switch on/off untill i turn the car off. Second thing is when i turn on my lights the speedometer doesn't work. When I'm driving it doesn't read how fast I'm going but when i flick the lights off it right away it reads the speed. Third is also with the speedometer and the light switch. when i flick on my turn signal to go left the speedometer needle drops and when the blinker goes off it returns to the normal reading. What do you guys suggest is wrong?

Multiple problems when unrelated circuits are involved are usually caused by a bad ground wire that is common to all the circuits. Often multiple ground wires are crimped into one terminal that is bolted to the body under the dash or behind a side kick panel. If that terminal is rusty or loose, current from one circuit can find an alternate path to ground through another one, commonly a lighting circuit, then when that light is activated, that circuit doesn't act like a ground for the rest of them.

Check those ground terminals and look for connectors that could have a stretched, corroded, or burned terminal.

thank you for replying to my question now another question where can I find the ground wire for the dash instruments and would it be safe for me to rewire the ground wire?

That's top secret and I can't tell you! Translation: I don't know. At least not specifically for your car. Most commonly ground terminals are bolted to the inside of the "A" pillar, behind the kick panel on each side. On some cars you'll find them bolted to a metal brace that runs from left to right, between the two doors, under the dash. You might even find them bolted to the firewall, although that is less common.

Most manufacturers use multiple ground terminals for two, three, or four different circuits or wire harnesses, and bolt them all to the body with the same screw. Some others, Ford in particular, put all of their ground wires into a single terminal, then bolt that to the body. That way guarantees if there's a bad connection, one circuit will back-feed into the others and cause weird problems, but the symptoms will be consistent. The first way can allow one loose terminal to make its circuit dead without regard to interacting with the other circuits. What that means is you might have intermittent dash lights, intermittent interior lights, and an intermittent heater fan, but any one or all of them could stop and start working at any time. When just one common terminal is used for all the circuits, a bad connection will always cause the same circuits to act up at the same time.

That's just "nice to know" information but it doesn't help with the diagnosis. If you find a loose ground screw, first just try to tighten it. If it is stripped, you can stick a piece of solid copper wire in the hole first, then run the screw in. The wire will make the hole hold the screw better. You can also drill a new hole.

If any of the wires are corroded, you might be able to see it or you might be able to pull the wire out of the terminal. The outer insulation is crimped to the terminal too, but it will stretch like a rubber band if the wire is corroded apart inside that insulation. Cut the insulation back until you find clean and shiny copper, then crimp on a new terminal. I always solder them too for a foolproof connection. You can put multiple wires in one terminal, you can use a separate terminal for each wire, or any combination. All you're after is each wire is in a terminal that is bolted to the body.

recently my speedometer does not work when car first starts and drives, after 3-8 minutes it begins to jump around and finally works properly with no excess movement. does not happen every time as sometimes there is no issue and it works as it should. Looking for some quick checks or elimination tests to determine a possible source. weather has begun to get cooler, could this have any affect?

Thanks

have your speed sensor checked

Thank you, is this something i can test at home? how? or an autoparts shop? I can't get all four wheels off the ground to complete a running test with vehicle on and in drive

Thanks again.

it's on the transaxle and it hs to pulse between 0-5 volts when turning. it could be a wiring issue as well unless there is a speedo cable if there is lube it