One day I was driving on the expressway doing 60mph and I noticed my speedometer read 0. It was actually lower than 0 if that means anything. Usually when you are doing 0 it stays at the last line where the 0 is; also when the car is off and the needles go back down its at the last line as well (all of them). So I had turned my car off that day, went into the store for a little bit, and I am on the road again and it was working again. Hmm. I notice it lags when I increase speed. Everything else is working properly except for the speedometer needle. I have asked around and some people say it's something in the transmission? Maybe something with the speed sensor? I notice that when I am driving on the expressway it tends to happen, but the last two or three weeks it has not. If I am driving normal on the road this does not happen(the needle dropping past 0; it only lags slightly), hence why I haven't fixed anything yet in case someone is thinking im crazy for not doing so yet.

I have taken it into a shop and they said I would need to replace the whole cluster---quoted me close to $500. I also called a dealership and they too quoted me around that price. Does anyone know what it really is? They say they would have to take the cluster out, read the part number and mileage and program the new one and I would be all set. Some say that I could just get a new cluster on ebay and put it in for much cheaper. I know as long as I am going w/ the flow of traffic I should be fine.


==2003 coupe
==I have 58,200miles or so
==Recently put new tires on: Definity HX700 P205/55HR16--in case that has something to do w/ this and this started to happen after the tires were put on
==and I don't drive my car crazy like some crazy people do lol

Let me know guys/gals. Thanks.

i know in my ride i was kinda having the same problem but mine was due to my tranny going... anyways i took out my VSS and cleaned of all the shavings and it was fixed but your problem may be the sensors near the wheels that tell the cluster how fast your going. check to see if they are plugged in or if a wire came loose.

Thanks for the response Robbywu. What if I just buy a whole new cluster? Can I just put it in the car and it will plug&play and read the mileage from the computer in the car? Cuz the dealer and the place I took it say they have to "program" the cluster. is this true or false? Too cold for me to do ne work on it...that is if I even know what I am doing lol.


(and thanks to The01cav too)

Robbywu wrote:i know in my ride i was kinda having the same problem but mine was due to my tranny going... anyways i took out my VSS and cleaned of all the shavings and it was fixed but your problem may be the sensors near the wheels that tell the cluster how fast your going. check to see if they are plugged in or if a wire came loose.

no. those sensors are ONLY for the abs, the sensor on the trans feeds the cluster.



JBO Stickers! Get yours today!

It's between the vehicle speed sensor "VSS" or the gauge cluster as bad as I was saying. but it's kinda hard to tell either way.



2009 Ford Mustang V6

Welcome to J bodies!! hehe


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Hahn Stage II - Mitsu TD06-20g |3" Turbo-back Exhaust | 61mm Bored TB |
HP Tuners | Innovate WB02 | Spec Stage 3 | Team Green LSD | TurboTech Upper | Full Addco Sways | Sportlines & Yellows |

Mafiosocavo wrote:Thanks for the response Robbywu. What if I just buy a whole new cluster? Can I just put it in the car and it will plug&play and read the mileage from the computer in the car? Cuz the dealer and the place I took it say they have to "program" the cluster. is this true or false? Too cold for me to do ne work on it...that is if I even know what I am doing lol.


(and thanks to The01cav too)

Also you can buy a cluster for your car for 30 bucks, and just swap it in yourself if its gone bad. You don't have to reprogram anything, the shop is either trying to rip you off or doesn't know what they are talking about. I would buy a used/working cluster and test it yourself. I have gotten many out of junkyards for 20-30 bucks. You could even swap in a 00+ Sunfire cluster if you wanted too. It takes maybe 30 min to swap a cluster if you haven't done it before.



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Hahn Stage II - Mitsu TD06-20g |3" Turbo-back Exhaust | 61mm Bored TB |
HP Tuners | Innovate WB02 | Spec Stage 3 | Team Green LSD | TurboTech Upper | Full Addco Sways | Sportlines & Yellows |

...what they said, and on the 00+ J-Bodies, the milage is not stored in the cluster, so your correct milage will show if you replace it. (Don't know if the anti-theft system needs to learn about it though. Somebody else here should know that.)

1of7627 (Mark) wrote:...what they said, and on the 00+ J-Bodies, the milage is not stored in the cluster, so your correct milage will show if you replace it. (Don't know if the anti-theft system needs to learn about it though. Somebody else here should know that.)

Nope just plug n play, everything is stored in the PCM.


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Hahn Stage II - Mitsu TD06-20g |3" Turbo-back Exhaust | 61mm Bored TB |
HP Tuners | Innovate WB02 | Spec Stage 3 | Team Green LSD | TurboTech Upper | Full Addco Sways | Sportlines & Yellows |

BlackEco wrote:

1of7627 (Mark) wrote:...what they said, and on the 00+ J-Bodies, the milage is not stored in the cluster, so your correct milage will show if you replace it. (Don't know if the anti-theft system needs to learn about it though. Somebody else here should know that.)

Nope just plug n play, everything is stored in the BCM.

Fixed


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Primer Counts as Custom Paint Right?
BTW: This is my Sig.

Yea i know, welcome to jbodies is right. Can't wait to rid of this car when I can afford to. Anything else goes bad on this thing thats it, though up til now its been annoying. I also had to replace the Right Hub Assembly. Second time since i've owned it. 300 bucks. I dont know how to fix those things so I have no choice other than pay out the rear. But this cluster thing, if I am able to wait then I will. Not going to spend 500 on it lolz! Friend of mine comes up in May so he said he'll help me. Phew. I'll just go with flow of traffic if my speedometer drops to -0 lol.

But thanks for the the advice. You guys seem to know whats goin' on. And I have heard about the sensor in the trans. Is that easy to get to/fix?

This is a common problem with H$#%$ C#@@#s - the car is always going faster than the speedometer LoL :-)

just unbolt the sensor from the trans look at it to see if it has metal shavings on it..If it does take it apart and clean it up. put it back together and reinstall.

can anyone shoot a pic up of where this sensor is located or give a good description of it? I have had the same problem for almost a year... lol wanting to start fixing up my car now and fixing what is wrong with it is what I want to do first


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