Speedo no worko

[McSlug]

Every now and then my speedo doesn't work. It requires a flick on the plastic cover to get it working. It only happens if its been sitting overnight or longer, but still not always. I am needing to flick it harder as of late though and worried this fix is short lived.

Any fix that does not require me to remove the dash?

 

[Xplorer82]

not sure how well it will work, but you can always remove the cluster and clean the connectors and see if that changes anything.

 

[Electrohacker]

check your rear abs sensor

check your fuses

check your cluster


i'm betting it's your rear abs sensor

 

[McSlug]

Flicking the instrument cover wouldn't solve this.

 

[hworksinc]

if hitting the gauge cluster makes it work, then it sounds like a poor connection in the dash. There are three big connectors on the back of the cluster - wouldn't be a bad idea to check those out.

While you're in there, it would be worth it to pull the cluster itself apart. There are actually 3 pieces to the cluster - the gas/temp gauge, the spedo/tach, and the battery/oil gauge. The upper housing has the lens and the black cover, and the lower housing has all the bulbs for the backlights and idiot lights. Each set of gauges plugs into the lower housing with metal pins (these pins are the electrical connection for the gauges). I had a similar problem with my gas gauge, and the fault was a poor connection at one of those pins.

 

[McSlug]

if hitting the gauge cluster makes it work, then it sounds like a poor connection in the dash. There are three big connectors on the back of the cluster - wouldn't be a bad idea to check those out.

While you're in there, it would be worth it to pull the cluster itself apart. There are actually 3 pieces to the cluster - the gas/temp gauge, the spedo/tach, and the battery/oil gauge. The upper housing has the lens and the black cover, and the lower housing has all the bulbs for the backlights and idiot lights. Each set of gauges plugs into the lower housing with metal pins (these pins are the electrical connection for the gauges). I had a similar problem with my gas gauge, and the fault was a poor connection at one of those pins.

Thanks. How do I get in there. Can I get to it by removing the panel below the steering wheel, or is there more to it.

 

[hworksinc]

Here's a pretty good thread on getting at the cluster:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46290&highlight=indiglo+install

It's a bit involved, but as long as you have the right tools and take your time, it's not hard. You have to remove the trim around the cluster, the trim below the steering wheel, and the bezel around the radio/HVAC. One addition to the instructions though, I recommend removing the radio before removing the bezel - you'll need the special radio tool, but getting the radio out of the way makes removing the bezel much easier.

One other tip (this won't really make sense till you're staring at the cluster), when removing the cluster itself it's tough to remove the shift indicator (that was the hardest part for me). It's not mentioned in the instructions, but it makes it easier if you "feed" the cable for the shift indicator up toward the cluster, that way you can pull the cluster out more and get at the little tabs that hold the shift indicator in place.

 

[McSlug]

Thanks mate! Great stuff! Might leave it for now and wait till the blend door breaks. One thing though Aussie vehicle = no shift indicator

 

[hworksinc]

Ah yes... I forgot that the RHD trucks have a floor shifter! Well that makes your job that much easier!