Speedometer doesnt seem right.
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New User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 17
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Speedometer doesnt seem right.
I picked up my new (used) 97 XLT yesterday. I get the distinct feeling that the speedometer reads high. I know how I drive, and my usual relation to other traffic, and I swear I am doing 60 and it reads 70... Anyone ever seen this... ?
BTW Day 1: bought plugs and wires for tomorrow...
replaced air filter /fuel filter/PVC valve
cleaned Idle cold air
Air box and filter were a mess, ICA was pretty dirty...
MAF cleaning tomorrow as well... Thanks to this forum for the great tips.
BTW Day 1: bought plugs and wires for tomorrow...
replaced air filter /fuel filter/PVC valve
cleaned Idle cold air
Air box and filter were a mess, ICA was pretty dirty...
MAF cleaning tomorrow as well... Thanks to this forum for the great tips.
New User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Detroit
Speedometer doesnt seem right.
I just picked up an 02 Eddie Bauer Explorer (used) two weeks ago, and noticed the same thing. I feel like I'm going 70 and even with traffic, and the speedo reads 80.
So I clocked the mileage to work, to see if it was the same as my old car. It was, so traffic was just moving fast.
One thing, if your coming from a car, to an Explorer, the speed can be decieving. Sitting up higher makes you feel like your going slower than you actually are.
So I clocked the mileage to work, to see if it was the same as my old car. It was, so traffic was just moving fast.
One thing, if your coming from a car, to an Explorer, the speed can be decieving. Sitting up higher makes you feel like your going slower than you actually are.
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New User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 17
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Speedometer doesnt seem right.
I am coming from a 97 Expedition that I owned for 6 years to an Explorer... I would have expected to feel like I was going faster than indicated, not the reverse. Thanks for replying.
Junior User
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 84
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Speedometer doesnt seem right.
Here's a simple way to see if your speedo is close. Make sure you do this with a buddy---
Find a fairly level section of interstate or highway that has mile markers. While you keep the speed as constant as possible, have your buddy run the stopwatch and time a measured mile.
The actual speed can be calculated this way: 3600 / elapsed time.
So if your elapsed time is 60 seconds, your speed is 60 MPH; for 50 seconds, your speed is 72 MPH.
Your time should be pretty close to those listed below for a mile.
55 MPH = 65.5 seconds
60 MPH = 60 seconds
65 MPH = 55.4 seconds
70 MPH = 51+ seconds
75 MPH = 48 seconds
Find a fairly level section of interstate or highway that has mile markers. While you keep the speed as constant as possible, have your buddy run the stopwatch and time a measured mile.
The actual speed can be calculated this way: 3600 / elapsed time.
So if your elapsed time is 60 seconds, your speed is 60 MPH; for 50 seconds, your speed is 72 MPH.
Your time should be pretty close to those listed below for a mile.
55 MPH = 65.5 seconds
60 MPH = 60 seconds
65 MPH = 55.4 seconds
70 MPH = 51+ seconds
75 MPH = 48 seconds
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 812
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From: New Canaan, CT
Speedometer doesnt seem right.
Check the size of the rims. If they were replaced with a differant size it will throw your readings off. Also maybe the <a href="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=37919709&siteid=39251846">tires </a>are the wrong size. If they are smaller then recommened your wheels are spinning faster there for giving you an inaccurate reading.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 812
Likes: 0
From: New Canaan, CT
Speedometer doesnt seem right.
I would still double check the door jam for tire info and see if they match. If it's used who knows maybe the previous owner replaced the wheels for other ford wheels and didnt notice the differance. Other than that I would say matbe the previous owner tamperd with the odometer and messed up the speedometer in doing so.
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 886
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From: Cincinnati
Speedometer doesnt seem right.
About 11 mph fast at 25 mph and 8 mph fast at 65. It is as if the needle was pulled off the speedo and not put back on at the right position. Odometer is exact and speed was checked with GPS. I've been told there is a 20 tooth gear for the senderthat can be bought to replace the 19 tooth to give a little correction. Pulling the dash is a pain.
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 886
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From: Cincinnati
Speedometer doesnt seem right.
till you take a little bend in the road. Then it goes a little crazy, sometimes about 10 mph change faster ot slower. I just learn to read the tach or be fast at math. Then you start correcting in a car that reads correctly. Reading the GPS when driving is a worse distraction than a cell phone. I use it mostly for a compas.
Thread Starter
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New User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 17
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Speedometer doesnt seem right.
I took Opera House Works' suggestion and checked it out going straight down the highway at varying speeds... Matched pretty closely, accounting for a slight lag in GPS calcs...
Maybe the Expedition always read low and I didnt know it? Thanks for the tips.
M.R.
Maybe the Expedition always read low and I didnt know it? Thanks for the tips.
M.R.