Speedometer

[ChristineL]

Does one have to replace the entire instrument cluster if the speedometer breaks?

Friend's civic - originally the needle wouldn't go below 30 but would rise accordingly with acceleration. He took it to mechanic, their fiddling broke it completely. He told them not to replace cluster after hearing the quote....

[TomL]

The speedometer can be replaced separately, but you still have to take the whole cluster out. Finding one shouldn't be a problem. Is it definitely the speedometer and not the vehicle speed sensor?

[ChristineL]

Have no idea....how could one tell the difference?

[engsr]

When the VSS died on my Civic, it threw a code.

[HBomb]

Brian nailed it - code = VSS, no code = speedo (or wiring from ECU to Speedo).

It's a pain to remove the cluster, but once it's out, it's only two screws to replace the speedo.

[ChristineL]

Thanks everybody. :) I will pass the message along.

[LeeW]

Hi Christine,

Someone may have a speedo (or three) sitting around -- what model & year?

thanks!

[BrianL]

Brian nailed it - code = VSS, no code = speedo (or wiring from ECU to Speedo).

It's a pain to remove the cluster, but once it's out, it's only two screws to replace the speedo.

Plus one more thing that I found a couple of weeks ago.

I hit a big puddle with my civic one night. A few days later, my speedo began to fail intermitently. Then, check engine would come up and no VTEC. Tried unplugging and replugging in the speed sensor and it would sometimes come back. Basically, the problem was water had gotten inside the connector and was causing it to short out every once and a while.

The easy solution, a small dollup of dielectric tune up grease and it hasn't happened since.

[ChristineL]

Hi Christine,

Someone may have a speedo (or three) sitting around -- what model & year?

thanks!

Thank you Lee!

Car is a 01 Civic LX standard