Tachometer and speedometer are bouncing

Tiny
WINTERHAWK
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 SATURN SL1
  • 99,144 MILES
What could cause the speedometer & Rpm needles to vibrate then drop to zero and the emergency brake light to come on then go back to normal? While driving the car the speedometer and RPM's will fluctuate rapidly then drop to zero, the emergency brake light comes on then goes off and both needles return to normal. The other night was extremely cold and it happened three times while my wife drove home from work.

She said the lights dash and headlights seem to flicker slightly but she isn't sure if the headlights dim or other indicator needles drop when it happens. The battery, starter and alternator have been tested and are good. Happens on the highway or on the town streets, there are apparently no patterns. Drove around town myself yesterday; hit bumps, traffic lights stop and go traffic and there were no problems.
Thursday, January 5th, 2012 AT 4:47 PM

6 Replies

Tiny
WINTERHAWK
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Sorry the car is an SL2 not an SL1.
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Thursday, January 5th, 2012 AT 4:49 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,869 POSTS
Do you have any codes in the computer?ALso did you make sure the battery cables are clean and tight?Do you have a multimeter to do some testing?Also you may have a loose connector on the back side of the cluster.
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Thursday, January 5th, 2012 AT 6:37 PM
Tiny
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I don't have any codes to my knowledge. I had the battery, alternator and starter tested at Autozone. I can borrow a multimeter from a friend. I checked the cables and made sure they were clean and tight before I took the car out and topped the battery off as a precaution, didn't look like it needed it but I did it anyway. How do I get any error codes?
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Thursday, January 5th, 2012 AT 6:49 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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To get the codes you need to take it to auto zone to have them scan it for codes. Even though the light isnt on doesnt mean you dont have codes. Have them scan it and if you have codes write them down.
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Thursday, January 5th, 2012 AT 6:57 PM
Tiny
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Just got back from autozone and according to them there are no codes. A frtiend of mine is coming by to show me and check the connector you mentioned in an earlier message. Any other checks and test needing to be done just let me know. Appreciate all the help so far thanx.
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Thursday, January 5th, 2012 AT 8:27 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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Also once you have the dash top off you will see a ground splice pack on the left side of dash. Make sure that has a 2 ohm or less reading to ground. Also take the ground splice pack apart look for corroded terminals and open terminals.
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Thursday, January 5th, 2012 AT 10:10 PM

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