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Speedometer Not Working

C

cpacowboy

GUEST
My speedometer has suddenly stopped working . . . !! :6:

Am wondering if this has happened to anyone else and if so what the problem was. I am wondering if it has come unhooked somewhere. Does anyone know where the speedometer cable hooks up? For those who have changed their instrument clusters, I'm sure you had to unhook and then re-attach the speedometer cable. I have looked at the instrument cluster, but all looks to be intact. Am wondering if the OTHER end came loose. I have not seen this anywhere on the site, so please guide me in the correct direction please, if you know.
 
Welcome to the 21st Century. There is no speedometer cable. :eek: There is a single wiring harness that attaches at the top of the cluster, all data is electronic. You need to call the dealer - HOWEVER I would beg, borrow, steal, whine, complain and jump up and down and offer to pay the difference between the stock cluster and one of your liking with the tranny temp gauge. Good opportunity to get it done as warranty work, including the transfer and install and pay the difference. Not to mention not be stuck with a stock cluster that you have no clue what to do with! :p
 
when I was having troubles with my cluster, I borrowed a known working cluster to see if it was my cluster or deeper problems.
 
i am on my second Caddy instrument cluster.  The first Platinum cluster took a dirt nap, so i bought a second white face cluster.  These clusters have a history of the stepper motors going out on em...good luck.
 
It is a cluster, replaced 2 this week...so far..lol

There is no easy way to dia it in the field it req a scan tool....lets say out of 24352345 clusters that i have installed....all have been clusters for speedo in op...so far.

 
Mudd said:
Wish I would of kept the one I bought from Rik.....oh well... :beating:
Click to expand...
take his before he sells it!
kickass.gif
:laugh:
 
Only way to diagnois is with a Tech II tester. Give this a try. Disconnect the ground from the battery and then reconnect and see if that fixes it. I myself am having  a similar bug. In the cold weather all gauges do not work sometimes. If I disconnect the ground and reconnect the gauges work fine again. This morning was about 30 and and cranking seemed a bit weak. Tested the battery and seemed to be borderline. Just put in a new battery and see if that may resolve the cluster issue. I feel like it is a bad ground somewhere but hard to diagnois without a Tech II. Either not getting one of the ignition circuit voltages or a serial databus connection from the BCM.

Brian
 
If you are in CA, read this....

http://www.lrolaw.com/frontend;jsessionid=aLgsWGgvVrig?command=Lawsuit&task=viewLawsuitDetail&iLawsuitId=661

Hi Joe,

I just called and left a message on your phone.  I'm with the firm of Levy, Ram & Olson, and we are indeed currently investigating California cases of GM truck and SUV speedometer failures for a potential class action against GM.  We are already on file in Washington and Oregon and are currently looking for class representatives to file the California class action suit.

I'd like to talk to you in some more detail about your speedometer failure and give you more information about the case.  Please give me a call back at 415-433-4949 ext. 51.

Thanks so much,
Amy


-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 8:57 AM
To: achen@lrolaw.com
Subject: Defective GM Speedometer, 2003 Chevy Avalanche


I live in Fallbrook, California.
I own a 2003 Chevy Avalanche; (VIN# 3GNEK13T83Gxxxxxx) with 75,000 miles on it and have had a speedometer which read 10 MPH on the freeway.

I contacted the Chevy dealership and they told me that it would cost several hundred dollars to repair it, and more money to reprogram it. 

They told me that this is a common problem but since I'm "out of warranty" they could not cover it.

I went ahead and had a repair/exchange done on the entire cluster from a guy on the east coast who advertises on eBay and other places.

It cost me $200, plus a USPS shipping charge to return my "core" cluster.

I read that your firm may be part of a nationwide class action lawsuit against GM as related to this situation.

Thank you,


 
Well, it all depends on the direction one wishes to pursue.

Stepper motors MAY be available as a replacement part from a speedometer shop, IF they will sell one to you. Because they (03 stepper motors) have a problem with binding, that doesn't mean a dead speedo is the stepper motor (although quite likely). If the ODO increments and the DIC mileage, etc works normally, your VSS is connected and working at the cluster.

Note that the stepper motors are controlled by a driver "chip" (IC) that's either alone or a part of a combined chip that needs component-level servicing. Then, IF you can get one the devices require hot air and/or gas bonding/soldering unless you're damn good with de-soldering & soldering of j-lead or smc parts! 

A speedo shop may be able to replace a stepper motor but the other level of service I doubt is within even their capability.  I've done that level of service on 2-way radios and it's best left to the mfg. process alone. It's just more practical in most cases to do a "board swap". The reason I did that servicing level on the 2-way radio was because the replacement board alone was over $1000.00!

Tech2 tests will cover/test the electronics and up to a correct SOH (State of Health) report. If you have a properly working VSS "signal"/ connection at the cluster, another compatible cluster swapped in temporarily is an easier test for most folks who do not have easy access to that Tech2.

So, If in my case, I would just bite the bullet and pop for a cluster upgrade as many mentioned.
Unless you have a stepper motor handy to try...

Or, join with others and wait for legal action / resolve without a working speedometer while waiting for the wheels of justice to rotate.  :cautious: Hmmmm, six years maybe?
 
I think you should all read this:

http://www.kcby.com/news/consumertips/6511202.html

My local GM dealer sucks - anyone have what the fix is? I'll fix it myself. If's it's just the vehicle speed sensor which sends the info to the cluster, it's only $20ish bucks. This is the sensor that tells your computer and speedometer cluster how fast your going. :E: Anyone here can replace that. No need to fuss with the dealerships and thier minimum wage parts changers.....or...a.....I mean"techs".
 
You may be in for a surprise with that conclusion.

The VSS is present for other modules/systems and as I mentioned prior, if your odometer is incrementing and other systems are operating normally, the VSS is OK.

No VSS will cause an ABS & Brake warning - (not just front wheel sensors.)

It's not just "a module", but a system where yes, the sensor can become inoperable. If that occurs, as I mentioned many problems will show.

The VSS from the rear wheel sensor is processed by the PCM, then encoded on the class II data bus and a dedicated VSS circuit. (GMT800). Similar on the GM-LAN vehicles but fewer systems use the direct VSS because of the faster GM-LAN bus.
 
Ok check this out, I was driving people going 65-70 on the freeway and my speedometer read 30 then it went down to 0 in about 2 min. I went into work, parked my AV (04 Z66 with 30K miles) then worked my normal 9 hour shift.
When My shift was over I went out to my AV, started her up and drove home with no speedometer problem.
Has anyone else experienced a intermittent problem like this?  :help:

Thanks In advance, Rob
 
diegorob said:
Ok check this out, I was driving people going 65-70 on the freeway and my speedometer read 30 then it went down to 0 in about 2 min. I went into work, parked my AV (04 Z66 with 30K miles) then worked my normal 9 hour shift.
When My shift was over I went out to my AV, started her up and drove home with no speedometer problem.
Has anyone else experienced a intermittent problem like this? :help:

Thanks In advance, Rob
Click to expand...

Faulty stepper motor or ignition switch.
 
I am seeing this problem in my 04 Avalanche.  It started about 48,000 miles and I have had 3 bouts of the problem which lasts for a few hours and so far has corrected itself.  People are correct there is no cable and I am 99% sure it is the stepper motor.  I did remove the cluster and put some WD 40 on it but the problem showed up 3 weeks later for an hour or so. 

My dealer connection suggests I wait until it breaks for good as they are likely to say it is working now and so it will not get fixed.

One time it was registering about 40 when I was doing 60 and two other times it showed 80+ when I was doing say 45.  When it malfunctions it does not read 0 when I am stopped.

I do not see a lot of problems posted here but I do see it as a frequent complaint in other places.
 
dhrivnak said:
I am seeing this problem in my 04 Avalanche.? It started about 48,000 miles and I have had 3 bouts of the problem which lasts for a few hours and so far has corrected itself.? People are correct there is no cable and I am 99% sure it is the stepper motor.? I did remove the cluster and put some WD 40 on it but the problem showed up 3 weeks later for an hour or so.?

My dealer connection suggests I wait until it breaks for good as they are likely to say it is working now and so it will not get fixed.

One time it was registering about 40 when I was doing 60 and two other times it showed 80+ when I was doing say 45.? When it malfunctions it does not read 0 when I am stopped.

I do not see a lot of problems posted here but I do see it as a frequent complaint in other places.
Click to expand...

I had to have the whole cluster replaced on my '03.  Sometimes the needle would stay at 0 when I was going about 30 mph.  I would also drive and the needle would tick like the second hand of a clock instead of a nice fluid motion, and then like you once I was behind my brother-in-laws f*rd coming home from a wedding, and my speedo showed 62mph and when I called his cell, he said we were doing 80 mph.
 
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