Speedo stopped working then started again 92D350 Auto 101K miles

[RColeman]

So I notice my speedometer and odometer are not working the other day. In addition, the trans didn't shift past second and I didn't feel comfortable going over about 35 mph. I turned around and parked it. I already had an appointment at a local trans shop for fluid/filter change as I recently acquired the truck and not sure when last changed. I'd do it myself, if I didn't have to roll around on the ground. I called the trans shop guy and advised him of this development. He suggested "speed sensor" might be the culprit. So, this evening I get in the truck and everything seems to work fine. Speedo, odometer, trans seems to shift ok etc... I told the trans guy about this. He mentioned that in the event there is an issue with the gauge up behind the dash causing it to not work, it can also affect the transmission performance. . Is this true? Being a mechanical speedo, not sure how it not working could affect the transmission not shifting correctly. Thanks for taking the time to read all that! Roger

 

[cerberusiam]

Are you sure it was 2nd it didn't shift past? Might it have been drive? Even with everything diconnected form that transmission it should shift 1-2 and 2-3 without a problem, thats all hydraulic controlled. If it is truly hanging in 2nd gear there is a mechanical issue.

The speedometer and odometer are both driven by an electronic motor on the back of the instrument cluster. Failure could be the cluster itself or the signal from the VSS, sometimes it is hard to tell. The VSS's are problematic and sometimes require cleaning connections to keep working. If you slam the door and the speedo starts working, that migh mean a bad cluster.

 

[Wayne M.]

My 'ol 92 did that. It wound up being the VSS on the trans. The speedo would stop working and when that happened I lost OD. It would stay in 3rd. I remember the new VSS came with a different plug and had to be spliced.

 

[RColeman]

thanks for the tips I really appreciate it

thanks for the tips I really appreciate it, Roger

My 'ol 92 did that. It wound up being the VSS on the trans. The speedo would stop working and when that happened I lost OD. It would stay in 3rd. I remember the new VSS came with a different plug and had to be spliced.

 

[RColeman]

Thanks for the response on my speedo failure. After going to the trans shop, the guy tested the VSS and they were ok. He changed the fluid/filter and told me everything looked fine. The speedo had resumed working prior to taking it over there. So, after the trans fluid filter change I drove the truck around town, speedo working. Then on Sunday the speedo's not working, then after about four miles it started working again and continued working the rest of the day. I see that the fuse box is loose, and there's been some prior owner splicing going on so could be down there. Other than that, do you know how to troubleshoot the speedo cluster itself? Any suggestions always appreciated, thanks Roger

 

[TRichmond]

Sounds simple when I say it, but my 90 speedometer was on again off again. Finally I ordered a new VSS. While waiting for it to arrive I checked under the truck, the VSS was loose, grabed my trusty cresent wrench and snugged it up. Now speedometer works every time. Course I had to replace the Odometer gears so the od would work. Haveing a spare speedo helped as I removed the indicator needle on one which won't got back together! So took other one and removed and replaced gears without pulling speedo needle out.
Hope this helps.

 

[BKneeland]

I have a 2004. 5 with manual transmission. My odometer and trip would some times work and not for the last several months.
A friend suggested that Dodges have problems if the grounds are corroded and/or loose.
I removed both ground cables at the underside of the engine block from each battery, they showed no problems but I cleaned them any way.
I had checked the terminals on the battery and they were clean but the battery on the drivers side had a loose positive so I tightened it.
Odometer and trip dash light worked for several days and quite.
So I am still trying to figure out what the primary issue is... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .

 

[cerberusiam]

The odometer drives are totally different from the gen1 to the gen3. The gen1's have a motro that is driven by a signal form the VSS that run the odometer, the 3rd gen cluster is just a display component. All the mileage and functionality is the ECU on a 3rd gen and is just outputted for the cluster to display. Usually the problem is a broken solder joint or failed component in the cluster. See my post in the 3rd gen section, I lost all lights on the cluster but the funtionality still works fine. Probably will need a cluster replacement to fix it.

The VSS has been a huge pain on all the trucks that used it, the sensor goes bad or the VSS drive deteriorates to where it is not driving correctly. Starting in 1997 all the functionality for wheel speed was moved to the ABS sensor in the rear diff and the clusters are just display components.