Notices
1987 - 1996 F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks 1987 - 1996 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350 and larger pickups - including the 1997 heavy-duty F250/F350+ trucks

Speedometer is off 10 mph!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Oct 26, 2002 | 03:48 PM
  #1  
jjoel's Avatar
jjoel
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 379
Likes: 0
From: Shawnee , KS
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

 
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2002 | 08:51 AM
  #2  
danpiscotty's Avatar
danpiscotty
Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

My speedometer is reading 10mph below what it should be. Why would this happen? I've heard of getting them adjusted but it's not something that is necessary to get tuned and pay for. Any ideas?

Dan
 
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2002 | 02:25 PM
  #3  
PATS2002's Avatar
PATS2002
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: S.E. PA
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

Did u change tire sizes ?? what year is it ???
 
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2002 | 02:51 PM
  #4  
danpiscotty's Avatar
danpiscotty
Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

it's a 92 f150. It's not miles per gallon it's miles per hour. The speedometer reads, for example, 50mph when I'm really doing 60!!! It's very nice if I want to get a ticket for doing 10 over. I didn't know what I could do to remedy it.
 
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2002 | 03:26 PM
  #5  
MustangGT221's Avatar
MustangGT221
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 14,947
Likes: 6
From: Topsfield, MA
Club FTE Gold Member
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

We understand it's miles per hour and not gallions. He asked you about the tires because they will throw off you're speedo if you get a tire with a different diameter than stock. There is a tech article link on the right as to how to re-program the speedo to the tire size.


Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds .

Check out my Gallery for a look-see.


Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2002 | 05:07 PM
  #6  
PATS2002's Avatar
PATS2002
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: S.E. PA
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

If you changed tire size you have to recallibrate the speedo. I belive the 92 is electronic not mechanical. If so there is an excellent article on this site on how to do it. I did mine and made a big difference !! If you drive an f-150 you know gas mileage is a moot point. If it's not any of those then you might have a bad speed sensor.
 
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2002 | 06:17 PM
  #7  
steve83's Avatar
steve83
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 9,987
Likes: 7
From: Memphis, TN
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

For more complete info, read this:
http://bbs.off-road.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=offroadfordbroncolate&Numb er=898100&page=0&view=expanded&sb=5&o=&fpart=
 
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2002 | 06:29 PM
  #8  
orange peel's Avatar
orange peel
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,098
Likes: 1
From: Raleigh, NC
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

my speedo was off by 10 or 15 when i put my 36's on, now it doesnt even work at all.
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

 Brett Foote
story-2

Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

 Brett Foote
story-6

2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026

 Brett Foote
story-9

5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time

 Joe Kucinski
Old Nov 11, 2002 | 09:33 PM
  #9  
MustangGT221's Avatar
MustangGT221
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 14,947
Likes: 6
From: Topsfield, MA
Club FTE Gold Member
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

Orange peel, yours is mechanical and requires a new plastic speedo gear in the tranny. Easy to change but a lot of times they get worn easily and wear out and stop working.

Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds .

Check out my Gallery for a look-see.


Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 
Reply
Old Nov 12, 2002 | 08:41 AM
  #10  
danpiscotty's Avatar
danpiscotty
Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

Well, that answers both of my questions I had. The other was the odometer being off. So from what I gather, the computer determines the speed from the number of revolutions of the tire. Seems quite a bit to be off since I matched the tire sizes exactly when I had them replaced. Even if they are off a slight bit would that equate to 10 mph over what it reads?
 
Reply
Old Nov 12, 2002 | 10:54 AM
  #11  
billman's Avatar
billman
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 260
Likes: 0
From: IOWA
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

I agree that this is an excellent article:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/articles/december2001/speedorecal.php

It helped me solve my problem as well. I had a bouncy speedo on a truck I was about to buy (odometer was off as well) and it turned out to be a faulty PSOM (fortunately it was replaced under an extended warranty by the seller). When I got it back from the dealer, everything was still off. It turns out the dealer never checked the tires (stock P235/75/R15) to tell the service center what to preset the constant at (9.68-9.72).

I hope it is a programming issue (easy) and not a faulty PSOM (expensive).
 
Reply
Old Nov 12, 2002 | 11:07 AM
  #12  
danpiscotty's Avatar
danpiscotty
Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

Sweet! Thanks. I'll try it out today.
 
Reply
Old Nov 12, 2002 | 11:08 AM
  #13  
MustangGT221's Avatar
MustangGT221
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 14,947
Likes: 6
From: Topsfield, MA
Club FTE Gold Member
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

The odometer reads from the speedo, so that will be fixed when you fix the speedo.


Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds .

Check out my Gallery for a look-see.


Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 
Reply
Old Nov 12, 2002 | 11:17 AM
  #14  
danpiscotty's Avatar
danpiscotty
Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

Well, I just ran out and tried the test. I have P23575R15 tires. The code is 972 and is exactly what is in the computer. The processor has the 'o' in it for overseas. How do I change this? This might be my problem?


 
Reply
Old Nov 12, 2002 | 05:19 PM
  #15  
billman's Avatar
billman
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 260
Likes: 0
From: IOWA
Speedometer is off 10 mph!

>Well, I just ran out and tried the test. I have P23575R15
>tires. The code is 972 and is exactly what is in the
>computer. The processor has the 'o' in it for overseas.
>How do I change this? This might be my problem?

Well, it seems as if (I could be wrong) your truck was set up to run in Canada for the metric (kph). Therefore, the conversion constant of 9.72 is too high and must be lower to make up for the kph to mph difference (0.621 miles per km).

P23575R15 tires are around 720 revs/mile which is the same as 447 revs/km. I am not sure if you could "trick" the speedo by putting in a dummy conversion constant to make up for the metric conversion. If so, I would see if it could accept a constant of 6.04, assuming Ford's table is linear. In other words, call the 447 revs/km actually 447 revs/mile, multiply by 0.0135 and get 6.04 as the constant. (Those would be some GIGANTIC tires).

I do not know if Ford has a different conversion constant table for metric tires, if so, that would be the proper number to put in.

The real way to know is to check what your odometer measures a kilometer as when compared to a highway mile marker.

Good luck. I have not done this before and it is pure speculation.


 
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:16 AM.

story-0
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE
story-1
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

And it might be even better than that.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-18 19:26:42


VIEW MORE
story-2
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

Slideshow: Does lowering an F-150 Lobo RUIN the ride quality?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-18 19:20:37


VIEW MORE
story-3
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

Slideshow: Ford's bizarre fishing-themed Explorer concept has resurfaced after spending decades largely forgotten.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:07:46


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

Slideshow: The 10 best Ford truck engines we miss the most.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 13:09:47


VIEW MORE
story-5
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

Slideshow: first look at the 810 hp 2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road!

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-12 12:50:07


VIEW MORE
story-6
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

Slideshow: Everything You Need to Know about the 2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-07 17:51:06


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!

Slideshow: 10 most surprising Ford truck options/features in 2026.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:17:22


VIEW MORE
story-8
Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026

Slideshow: Here are the top 10 Fords coming to Mecum Indy 2026.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:49:49


VIEW MORE
story-9
5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time

Slideshow: The 5 best and 5 worst Ford truck wheels of all time

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 16:49:01


VIEW MORE