Serenity,
Could someone have already disassembled cluster? If so, the speedometer needle may not have been reattached properly....
The speedometer needle is pressed firmly onto a round speedometer shaft, which (sadly) is not keyed in anyway. Properly set with the vehicle NOT moving, the speedometer needle does NOT sit aimed at the stop peg in the zero position. Instead, if the stop peg were removed, with the vehicle not moving, the speedometer needle would fall back somewhere below the zero position. This allows the speedometer needle to rest on stop peg with some tension. Perhaps someone has dissambled your cluster, removed the speedometer needle, then simply reinstalled the speedometer needle by pointing it directly at zero.
In this case, your speedometer needle would need to removed from the speedometer shaft and reset. There are several posts about disassembling the cluster. And there is also a helpful video on YouTube. These will show you how to get to the cluster. But after you remove your speedometer needle, the correct re-installation on the shaft will be a little more tricky...
IF the speedometer needle was installed correctly now, you could apply 12 volt current to the speedometer and note the registered speed. After removal, you could re-install the needle by reapplying 12 volt current to the speedometer, then replacing the speedometer needle in the previously noted position. But this does not work in your case, because you do not have the proper setting to begin with.
One idea would be to hook up your speedometer cluster to the truck without the clear plastic instrument cover. Get a careful driver to assist you. Using the GPS, your helper can drive 60 mph, and you can carefully reach over and press the speedometer needle onto the speedometer shaft, aiming the needle at 60 mph. To be safer, you could probably use this idea a somewhat slower speed. Be careful!!!
The second idea would be if you randomly reapply the needle by effectively aiming the needle below the zero, Then pressing the needle into position on the correct side of the stop peg. You could give that a try, then test and reset and test and reset.
The third idea would be to Just learn to live with your incorrectly set speedometer needle. (But I admit this would drive me nuts!).
Good luck with this project.
Always works; interior falling apart, but starts up everytime. And the only thing that can do my 18% driveway in snow with no problems.
