0
There are three common reasons for this in cars equiped with electronic speedo gauges.
#1- A dirty or faulty ground connection on the instument cluster harness. Finding the harness and a wire that grounds to the firewall is a starting point. You may have to improvise a new ground from a point where the ground wire is accessible for troubleshooting purposes if the actual firewall connection is behind the dash or console.
#2- A dirty speed sensor or connector. This is usually mounted on the transmission or 4WD transfer case. Try removing and cleaning the sensor and/or connector. This part is usually cheaper to replace than a gauge cluster
#3- Poor gauge cluster connections or gauge failure: Try just removing the cluster and cleaning the contacts at the back of the cluster with contact cleaner making sure no cleaner gets on the plastic or in the gauge(s). If this doesn't fix the issue, replacing the cluster may be necessary. To save money, You can sometimes use an old working cluster's parts to just fix yours if you are handy with electronics. Replacing the entire cluster means your odometer mileage will be different and this would need to be reported to the local DMV or DOL before doing the swap. It may actually be illegal to swap clusters in some jurisdictions. especially if the odo mileage is lower in the new cluster)
Hope this helps !
*** On much older cars equipped with mechanical cables the cable often got bent and the wire broke or froze in the cable sheath.
The cable can be possibly be lubricated to fix the problem.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What causes speedometer needle to bounce back and forth?
A bouncing speedometer needle could be caused by a loose or damaged speed sensor cable, a faulty speed sensor or a problem with the instrument cluster. It is best to have a mechanic diagnose and repair the issue.
How does one fix the speedometer in there 1991 Mitsubishi magna?
If the speedometer doesn't work at all then there could be two causes. The first thing is to check the needle it may be loose on the spindle, secondly there is a relay from the fuse box to the speedometer.
Why does your speedometer bounce up and down?
Your speedometer bounces up and down because the speedometer cable is about to break.
Why is your speedometer on a Kia Rio bouncing?
why is a nonelectronic speedometer needle bouncing
What would cause the speedometer needle not to work when the headlights are on?
If it's an electronic (analog) speedometer needle, you probably have a problem with the dasboard grounding.
Where can you get the needle for your speedometer?
The only place you could get just the needle is a salvage yard.
Why speedometer needle is not moving in focus?
You are not moving!
Why is the speedometer needle not moving?
it's asleep
What could cause the ABS light to come on and the speedometer needle to bounce intermittantly on a 1996 E350 7.5L gas?
I would suspect a faulty VSS. Try replacing the vehicle speed sensor in the transmission.
The spring right in front of the needle on your speedometer is unwound how do you fix it?
Send to a speedometer repair shop or replace speedometer head
What causes the speedometer to still go haywire and bounce all over the place on a 1998 Chevy Cavalier Z24 after replacing the speed sensor?
i had a ford car that did that and it was the alternater
What is a good sentence for speedometer?
I didn't know my car was going 72 mph because the speedometer broke. The needle on the speedometer bounced whenever I hit a pothole. The speedometer's needle was stuck at 15mph. Before I could glance at the speedometer, the policeman's radar gun clocked me going over the speed limit.
