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Vehicle Speedometer Questions

Question: 2002 Honda Accord mileage: 61,000.  Hello Bob & Ken, My Accord has developed a problem.  At a constant speed, the speedometer will start fluctuating.  It will drop to zero.  Then the transmission sensor light starts flashing and the speedometer go back to normal.  The car seems to run fine.  I took it to my mechanic within the first week, but he could not identify the problem.  I hope you can give me some insight and estimated costs of repair.

Answer: A faulty signal generator in the transmission may be the cause of your problem.

Question: 1999 Toyota Camry mileage: 80,000.  Dear Bob and Ken, Recently my car went down so fast.  A few weeks ago, I had my radiator, alternator and starter replaced to keep me from being stuck in the snow.  Last week, I smelled a strong smell in my car and I found some kind of oil leaking from somewhere behind the dashboard down to my brake pedal.  I took the car to garage and they said the oil is from gearbox via speedometer cable.  They replaced the o-ring and seal and charged me $210.00 bucks.   Now here comes the worst: It starts leaking again!  Before I go back to the garage, I am wondering if you could help me out by answering the following questions at your earliest convenience?  This car is the only one my wife and I are using for everyday living, so PLEASE.  1. Is the oil really from gearbox, have the garage guys really made the correct judgment and done the right thing?  2. According to your experiences, what will be the next thing that will go down most likely or what things I should specially keep an eye on as for preventive maintenance?

Answer:   If gear oil is being forced up the speedometer cable, there is a good chance that the small air vent in the top of the transmission has somehow gotten plugged.  As for your second question, a good thing to check, as preventive maintenance, would be the battery; have it load tested.

Question: 2001 Ford Taurus mileage: 89,000.  Approx. 4 weeks ago I noticed that it sounded as if it was struggling slightly when I was going less than 45 mph.  A Friend assured me it was my imagination.  3 weeks ago, speedometer begins sputtering 5 mph over or under my speed.  Last week, car is DEFINITELY struggling.... repairman charges me 180.90 for fuel filter, new plugs and wires, and a new fuel filter.  Now, speedometer works when it wants and engine sounds like it is going faster than the car is...once I get the car going over 50, it acts normal, but when under 50 (most noticeable when I first start driving...) it struggles.  Have noticed a strange 'card shuffling' noise while driving behind the dash.  Occasionally smell gas inside the car.  Transmission fluid full and red, no smell of burning.

Answer:  It sounds like you are having a problem with your speed signal sensor. Replace it with new to recheck problem.

Question: 1998 Toyota 4Runner mileage: 120,000.  Is there a way to repair a speedometer? My speedometer makes a whirring noise, which is linked to the actual speed of the car.  This occurs mostly when it's cold, but the speedometer sometimes reads normal speeds, and sometimes it shoots up to and stays about 1.5 to 2 times actual speed, and varies.  It appears to still be sort of working other times, and does not always make noise.  Note: the odometer works correctly and seems to still be accurate.  Is it possible to replace or repair just the speedometer?  How would I go about this?  Or do I just replace the whole instrument panel containing the speedometer?

Answer:  The problem that you are having is with the speedometer.   We are almost sure that you can buy the speedometer head separately.

Question: 1999 Ford Focus mileage: 87,620.  I recently had a control module put in my car.  I was having problems with losing pressure.  The diagnostic machine showed it was my control module that needed to be replaced.  I was informed my transmission was ok. Tonight upon returning home the speedometer drop to 40 when I was going 55 miles an hour, it would not go pass 40, then it drop to 35, but the speed was higher.  Finally it dropped to 25, 15 and 10 miles which at that time I did loose my speed.  I made it home by prayer but I will have to have it towed.  I checked my oil and I do have oil in the car.  Wouldn't the module have solved this problem, or could it be something else?  Would the diagnostic machine have pick up on any other problem?

Answer: From what you have told us it appears you may have a faulty speedometer sensor.

Question: 1998 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer, miles:78,000.  Where is the VSS, vehicle speed sensor, located?  Speedometer is jumpy.  Electrical short dash, tail and marker lights.  Check engine light comes on periodically.

Answer:   The VSS is located on the transmission tail housing.  The “check engine” light will “light” when there is a malfunction in the engine management system.  The fault code is then stored in the computer.  The computer must be scanned to retrieve these stored faults to pinpoint the malfunctioning component.  Check the rear lights for wiring damage.

Question: 1999 Ford Taurus mileage: 55,000.  My Speedometer on my Ford Taurus is erratic. It maxes out at 120 mph when I am traveling normal speeds.  Is the speedometer for the 1996 Ford Taurus LX a cable-based system or a sensor based system.  Is there any way for a novice like me to fix this problem or do I need to take it to a dealer?  Can I do something like: replace a fuse, clean the sensor, and replace some other part?

Answer:  Try replacing the vehicle speed sensor in the transmission. It may be faulty.

Question: 1999 Honda Accord, miles: 121,000.  My speedometer is not working right.  It sometimes works but when it does it jumps around.  I think the speed sensor is bad.  What is the Best way of checking without spending $120.00 on a new one?

Answer:   The speed sensor is a small generator sending electricity to the speedometer.  You can test the speed sensor with a voltmeter and an electric drill.  The output will vary with speed of the drill.

Answer:  Check the speed sensor in the transmission, it may have failed. If not check wiring harness, if ok your speedometer is bad.

Question: 1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera mileage: 87,000.  My speedometer is "out of whack".  While driving down the road, the gauge bounces around between 0 to 110, stays on 0, or very rarely gives an accurate reading.  The odometer is not affected.  I have had a mechanic put in a new sensor and change the instrument panel "cluster", but the speedometer is not still fixed.

Answer:  The only thing we can think of is a wiring problem - may be a damaged wiring loom.  You have replaced the obvious.

Question: 1998 Mercury Cougar mileage: 100,000. The speedometer & odometer do not work.  It is a digital unit and it lights up and shows the mileage, but does not register anything. The transmission was changed before I bought it. I can see 2 senders on the tail of the transmission, but only 1 has a plug attached to it. Could there be a plug missing?

Answer: Yes, your car requires a sensor for the speedometer to work, it is located in the rear of the transmission, if you are concerned about the right sensor location just purchase the sensor and match it up.

Question: 2002 Acura RL 3.5 mileage: 105,000. My car's speedometer has been acting strangely lately. The needle would vibrate, as I get moving. The faster I go the faster the needle would vibrate. Around 60 miles per hour it would bounce back and forth around one dash. The funny thing is that it only happens sometimes. This is driving me crazy. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: The speedometer is driven by a transmission sensor, replace the senor with new to correct the problem.

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Repair Topics / Speedometer-1 / Speedometer-2