Odometer not working but speedometer is working

Tiny
BSAIDE1
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 FORD MUSTANG
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 1,480,000 MILES
Have a 1995 Ford Mustang. The original 6 cylinder 3.8L engine was replaced with a rebuilt engine of the same type. Afterwards the speedometer and tachometer worked fine, but the odometer stopped revolving and the trip meter was at 0. I went to my Ford dealer to check if it was connected, (the odometer, and trip meter). I was told likely the Electronic Vehicle Speed Sensor needs to be replaced. He's guesstimating a cost of at least $600.00. Thing is, the speedometer and tachometer work fine and have been without incident. Further research online has indicated its a gear with a worm screw that is inserted between the two meters behind the instrument panel cluster. Before I pay a dealer $129.00 to look at the speed sensor could you please advise? I went to "Ask a ford mechanic, " and he told me a speedohead or speedometer is bad. Please advise as to what my correct option is? Thank you.
Tuesday, August 16th, 2011 AT 10:15 PM

14 Replies

Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,796 POSTS
The odometer has a small motor in it that fails often. The problem is finding one. Ford does not make it anymore. We find them on e bay and use them.
If the speed sensor was bad, your speedometer would not work.I am assuming from your post that the speedometer is working.

Roy
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Tuesday, August 16th, 2011 AT 10:19 PM
Tiny
BSAIDE1
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Yes Roy that is correct. Are you in the NYC area or could you recommmend some one who can do this for me without the astronimical cost.
Thank you,
Brian
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Tuesday, August 16th, 2011 AT 10:28 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,796 POSTS
Sorry, I am in PA. Any shop can do this as it is a simple repair. It takes me about an hour from start to finish.
The last one I did last week ran the guy about $280.00 with the part from e bay, shipping and labor. It took 3 days to get the part. That was the only bad part.

Roy
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Tuesday, August 16th, 2011 AT 10:40 PM
Tiny
GARYCASSIUS2015
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
I have a 1995 Mustang GT 5.0 I rebuilt my speedometer with new gears but the mph is still way off when I use my GPS mph app. Can anyone tell me what is wrong?
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Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 AT 8:16 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
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Good morning,

Is the transmission the same?

Has any modifications been done on the car such as bigger tires or different differential gears?

All those play a key factor in the reading. A speedometer shop and make the necessary adjustments to get it correct.

Roy
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Monday, March 23rd, 2020 AT 5:20 AM
Tiny
GARYCASSIUS2015
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
No, all stock nothing done to it.
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Monday, March 23rd, 2020 AT 7:28 AM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,796 POSTS
Okay, is the vehicle speed sensor on the end of the transmission electronic or is it gear driven?

Do you have a scan tool that can read live data to see what speed is being sent to the ECM?

Roy
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Monday, March 23rd, 2020 AT 7:34 AM
Tiny
GARYCASSIUS2015
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
It's gear driven and all of that is in good condition.
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Monday, March 23rd, 2020 AT 8:07 AM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
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Okay, back to the scan tool to monitor what is being sent from the sensor?

Can you get a scan tool to monitor this reading?

Roy
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Monday, March 23rd, 2020 AT 8:08 AM
Tiny
GARYCASSIUS2015
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Yes, I have a snap on scanner. I Know how to use it a little bit but haven't got use to doing all the functions on it.
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Monday, March 23rd, 2020 AT 8:18 AM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
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Okay, when you get it hooked up and running, go to live data and see what vehicle speed it is showing and compare it to the cluster reading.

Roy
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Monday, March 23rd, 2020 AT 8:20 AM
Tiny
GARYCASSIUS2015
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
1995 Mustang GT speedometer way off when I have my GPS app on it says I'm going 70 but on the gauge cluster it's pegged all the way to the stop pin. It's been like this since I got the car. So I tore the cluster apart and the worm gear and the odometer gears where busted up so I replaced them and still have the same problem. Well I figure out today my car was factory automatic and somewhere down the road it got 5 speed swapped to tremac t-5. I do not know if the gear ratio is stock if so it is 2.73 ratio. An I don't think they changed the computer from the automatic computer to manual computer because it sometimes backfires like I have read up on on here. Please help.
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Tuesday, April 14th, 2020 AT 9:38 PM
Tiny
GARYCASSIUS2015
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Could the automatic computer be causing all of my problems? Because I did read the codes I did all 3 test key on, car running, and then the cylinder test. All cylinders are running good. I got a side code first and second shift problems something like that.
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Tuesday, April 14th, 2020 AT 9:44 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
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The ECM will not cause this. The gear in the transmission is what is doing this. There is a gear that has a number of teeth for the engagement of the speed sensor to send a signal to the ECM.

When the number of teeth is different than original, this is what happens.

The answer is to take it to a speedometer shop that will put an adapter on the transmission that will change the speed of the speed sensor to match the speed of the car.

Roy
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Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 AT 4:00 AM

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