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My speedometer pegs out to max as soon as I turn the ignition. I have tried disconnecting the battery and shorting the cables - for almost 20 minutes - and it worked, for about five minutes, then it pegs again.
Loose connector, bad circuit board? Any other ideas?
You can take the cluster out and check for loose connections and other obvious problems (corrosion due to moisture for example), but basically, if all the power and ground feeds are good, there’s a problem with the cluster.
With it otherwise driving fine (no harsh shifts, smooth acceleration, cruise control works, etc) the other systems that depend on speed (actual or calculated) are ruled out. Additionally being able to reset the speedo with a battery disconnect further indicates the cluster as the problem.
If you tell me the year, engine, trans, and if it’s 4x4 I can get you a diagram for the cluster wiring. (If it’s in your sig, my phone doesn’t display those so I can’t see it).
Here you go. Basically if you disconnect the plugs, you can use a test light between the power and ground feeds to check if they’re good - just pay attention to the position of the ignition switch so you don’t get a false result.
How old is the battery....... don't ask why, but my old 2002 did that 2 months before the battery died.. New battery and no problems after that. ........ was not just the speedo... couple other gauges would go full tilt when you turned on the key, then back to zero.
A cheap test would be to yank a cluster from the same year at a junkyard and see if the problem continues. If it doesn't, have a dealer reset the odometer and you're in business.
