WokeUpDead Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 My speedometer works properly only when the car is well warmed up, before that it works well for the first minute or so, then not at all, then it dances like a drunk trying to catch his balance between 0km/h and the actual speed, then it works fine once the engine is nice and hot. The ECU was flashing the code for the vehicle speed sensor, but the problem persists after I replaced it. What's the next step, replace the wiring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yendor Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Replace the cluster. Solved all my problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Couldn't hurt to check the wiring. Or pull the cluster, IIRC the tach has some screws that loosen up over time... you might be able to re-flow a solder joint or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhornet Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 my 95 pathy does this and when i change the cluster it will fix it as i have done it a couple of times already the 94 and 95 have known issues now my 98 does this and i changed the cluster with a known good one and it did not fix it but my old cluster was ok in the other pathy so it must be the sensor in the tcase in this instance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WokeUpDead Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 My Pathfinder is a 1995, I think it's the first year with the new dash, then the body style changed the next year. Do the 96-04 Pathfinders have the same instrument cluster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 My Pathfinder is a 1995, I think it's the first year with the new dash, then the body style changed the next year. Do the 96-04 Pathfinders have the same instrument cluster? Nope. The instrument cluster is not electrically compatible either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WokeUpDead Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Is it a simple plug and play job if I find one from exactly the same Pathfinder as mine, or is some calibration required? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 94 and 95 are the same. They plug and play, no calibration needed. But you should look for one with similar kilometer's showing on the odometer! It is a very common issue for a component to fail in the cluster in "round dash" WD21's. Sometimes tightening the brass screws on the back of it will help, but it's usually too late to fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trexterra Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 so if both the cluster and the speed sensor have been replaced and the speedo is still failing what is the next step? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WokeUpDead Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 Picked up a cluster from the wrecker, now the speedo works perfectly, while the odometer not at all, damn. The cluster came from an automatic while mine is a manual, but I don't see how that could make a difference. I suspect the wrecker sold me a bad unit, but if someone has other ideas then I'm all ears; the wrecker didn't have another one on the lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Bad unit. AFAIK the odometer is spun directly from the speedometer, so the mechanism isn't working properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WokeUpDead Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 Bad unit. AFAIK the odometer is spun directly from the speedometer, so the mechanism isn't working properly. Yes, it was the mechanism, a little white plastic thing with one gear held in by one screw. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to replace that little part without breaking something that the speedometer needs to work, which I just did, damnnnnn!!!!! Now I need another speedometer, crap. There is one with a dual trip odometer available, my cluster had just the single trip odometer (below the main odometer), will they be compatible? It's OK if the second trip odometer does not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 If it is a cluster for a 95 and it had dual trips, it will have the digital trips in the bottom left corner. I knew a guy here that swapped his single trip for a dual trip, and the dual trips worked just fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 I'm one of those guys! Yes, the digital trips work in a truck that came with the single analog trip originally. The only thing that I don't like about it, and it's really not an issue all that often, but when you disconnect the battery, it goes back to 0.0 on the trips. Really only matters if you rely on it for when you need to get gas cause you don't trust the stock fuel gauge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 And, from what I've seen, the dual trips is an extremely rare option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 I just ignore my dancing spedometer. I go as fast as the people in front of me and not so slow that I hold up traffic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Are you sure its not a cable issue? The dancing guage until the vehicle warms up plus the VSS code makes me think the speedo shaft isnt turning properly until the grease what little grease is left gets warmed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WokeUpDead Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 Are you sure its not a cable issue? The dancing guage until the vehicle warms up plus the VSS code makes me think the speedo shaft isnt turning properly until the grease what little grease is left gets warmed up. It couldn't be that, it's an electric cable. I got a new speedo and it was working fine until I decided to mess with its non- working odometer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 On a 95? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WokeUpDead Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) Yes. I think it changed in 1994? I know the symptom you're describing, I had it on a 73 VW bus, but this is definitely an electronics issue. Also, the VSS code on the ECU is very misleading, I replaced the VSS but it was the speedo all along. Edited June 14, 2012 by WokeUpDead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) Yup, the round-dash WDs (94, 95) have electronic speedos... everything earlier has a cable. Seems odd that they'd bother for a two-year thing, but then I guess it went on longer in the hardbodies. So... it popped a VSS code, you replaced the speed sensor, no change? Still sounds like a wiring issue to me... like with MAFs, seems like usually when the code comes up, it's not that the sensor's broken, it's that the plug is corroded or a wire is busted off. The computer only knows what the sensors tell it... if it gets weird/no readings, it assumes the sensor is bad. Edited June 14, 2012 by Slartibartfast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WokeUpDead Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) Hey Slartibartfast, I don't think it's a wiring issue. Like I wrote, I already replaced the speedometer a couple weeks ago and everything was just fine: the speedo worked, the ECU was not flashing any error code. The odometer unit wasn't working however (bad part from the wrecker), and then I broke the speedo when I tried fiddling with the odo. This weekend I'll get another speedometer, hopefully with a working odometer this time, and I expect everything to be OK. You may be right about the ECU (computer) assuming that the VSS (Speed Sensor) is bad when it gets weird/no readings, but in this case it was getting weird/no reading from a bad speedometer. I don't think it has a code for just the speedo, and not the VSS, right? What's a MAF? Edited June 14, 2012 by WokeUpDead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Mass air flow sensor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 My 95 had an issue where the MAF connector was making bad contact due to the wire hitting the underside of the hood. I rebuilt the connector for my MAF at a 90 degree angle and have not had any issues ever since. Might try pulling the connector off, wiggling the wire, plugging it back in and trying again. You could also remove the MAF from the side of the intake hose and give it a cleaning (see the garage section for instructions). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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