My speedometer has been running erratic. Lately it has not gone to zero when I turn off the car. It then operates with the offset [Yes I have reached 110mph in town]. Sometimes the needle stops until I restart the car. The shift light, odometer and tach all work fine. Is this a bad sensor or cluster? Is there a way to check? If it is the sensor, how many and where are they located?
Thanks
Jeff
2004 Cavalier
2.2L 5spd
Time for a new Cluster. Same thing happened to mine, went and got a replacement unit, all was well, and since the mielage is stored in the BCM, no "odometer is not Correct" on my title...
could be a bad vss. get the wires around it and pull the plug. if theres alot of shavings on the plug, well time to start saving for a new tranny
the cluster is bad, both my 04 cavi's and my sisters 04 cavi had that exact same thing happen, all 3 got the cluster fixed under warranty
Bad cluster.
A bad VSS would make the speedometer drop out to 0. Not make the needle stick somewhere. Especially when the key is off.
I would think that if the vss were bad then the check engine light would come on, If the engine light and shift light work then the cluster is junk, like already stated.
01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e
Yeah, i would agree with the cluster scenario the speedos in the J's are garbage anyway since they are not a true stepper motor they are susceptible to all sorts of stuff dust dirt changes in temperature. It's really just an air core is all it is.
as stated in the other speedo thread on page 2 of the maintenance forum, a guy named too rew 2b true says the j body speedos are not true stepper motors go there and read it for yourself. He even says they are air cores.
Most manufactures use stepper motors in this case.
Also what mileage are you at?
My 04 has 35,000 and has been a perfect car.
- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new
Air core motor? associates degree in electronics and several years in the auto repair industry. I've never heard of that one.
I would just be happy with acnowledging that gm puts crappy speedo's in the J's not making up a new name for a stepper motor. After all they are economy cars and the speedo operation isnt necessarily a safety issue, and it still goes.
01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e
I wish I had your luck. 38,000 miles and have already relplaced the clutch master and slave cylinders.
i'm sure there are a ton of things you've never heard of Joe, yet go to the maintenance forum page 3 and look under a thread called stuck speedo a guy named too rew 2 b true says that that's what the J body speedos are air core motors. Yes come to pass later on that he was wrong when he posted that but none the less. As for the speedo not being a safety issue actually yeah it is if your speedo doesn't work your more likely to get speeding tickets since you don't know exactly how fast your going.
Niteowl wrote:i'm sure there are a ton of things you've never heard of Joe, yet go to the maintenance forum page 3 and look under a thread called stuck speedo a guy named too rew 2 b true says that that's what the J body speedos are air core motors. Yes come to pass later on that he was wrong when he posted that but none the less. As for the speedo not being a safety issue actually yeah it is if your speedo doesn't work your more likely to get speeding tickets since you don't know exactly how fast your going.
Thats not really a safety issue, your first clue your going to fast should be your passing everyone else.
- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new
it should be yes is that a guarantee it will be no , i mean we had someone out here not long ago get stopped for doing 150 on one of our freeways. Imagine if your speedo was broken the only way you could ever tell how fast you were going would be by how long it took you to pass someone else no thanks i'd rather have a working speedometer.
joe malechowski wrote:Air core motor? associates degree in electronics and several years in the auto repair industry. I've never heard of that one.
I would just be happy with acnowledging that gm puts crappy speedo's in the J's not making up a new name for a stepper motor. After all they are economy cars and the speedo operation isnt necessarily a safety issue, and it still goes.
well if you haven't heard of it then it must not exist
http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/diy_aircore_instruments.htm
(its funny how stupid 2 seconds on google.com can make someone look)
as for whats in a cavi.... one way or another the clusters suck
yup.... its the cluster... i actually just got done resolving this EXACT problem on my cavy, my speedo would get stuck or not move at all... or just keep going and going and going until it would peg... and i'd have to turn the key hundreds of times to get it back to 0 only to have it do it again.... so I swapped an 03 sunfire cluster in just a few days ago.... no problems since... so yea... the cluster is just crap... lol
http://www.motortopia.com/cavyfreak442/cars
Best ET to Date: 14.251 @ 98.51 mph. 13's or Bust Baby!
Thank you darkstars for helping me out ,i knew there was such a thing as an air core motor Hey Joe maybe you should take a look at the link on his post eh then come back and say they don't exist.
well it appears unamimous, the cluster. Is there somewhere where I can get instructions on how to remove it from a 2004?
search for directions for how to remove the top dash pad, if you can't find that search for a how to to swap the radio (which requires pulling the top dash, but there is a few screws under the center defroster vent, up in the glovbox, on both ends/sides of the dash under the platic covers then the cover pops up, then theres a couple more in the top of the bezzle around the gauges and radio and that comes out, the 2 to remove the cluster. It shouldn't take more then 1/2 hour at the most.
