Taurus Speedometer/Odometer Change
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 275
Likes: 1
From: Warner Robins, GA
Taurus Speedometer/Odometer Change
Got a 95 Taurus SE with a bad speedometer. It's good up to about 50 MPH...anything after that the needle bounces all over the place. You can kind of hear some soft grinding while it's bouncing so it sure sounds like something has gone bad in the unit itself. The speedo cable was replaced just because it was easy...didn't fix it. So, i have some questions:
1. Is replacing the speedo unit something a DIY guy can handle?
2. Is the unit very expensive?
3. How do you get the odometer mileage on a new unit to match the old one?
4. Are there any legalities to be concerned about with this swap?
I've R&R'd a lot of stuff on vehicles before but this is the first time for a speedo unit. Appreciate an help or guidance.
RWT
1. Is replacing the speedo unit something a DIY guy can handle?
2. Is the unit very expensive?
3. How do you get the odometer mileage on a new unit to match the old one?
4. Are there any legalities to be concerned about with this swap?
I've R&R'd a lot of stuff on vehicles before but this is the first time for a speedo unit. Appreciate an help or guidance.
RWT
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 325
Likes: 0
From: Manassas Park, VA
I replaced the one in my 94 Ranger b/c of the same problem.
At least in the Ranger it wasn't all that hard to do, just had to remove the trim that goes around the instrument cluster , undo a couple screws that hold the speedo in and disconnect the speedo cable, took less than an hour to remove and install as I recall.
As far as cost I seem to remember that it was less than 200.00, with exchange, to get a rebuilt one, but I could be wrong on this as I did this back in 01.
The place I used to had me fill out a mileage form and have it notorized and the rebuilt unit came back with the mileage that was on the form I had to send them, actually the truck probally has about 40 miles more than the new speedo as I drove it for a couple days before the rebuild unit arrived, nothing worse than if you had a broken speedo cable and waited a couple days to get it replaced.
The shop I used was if I recall correctly Southern Electronic's, they are in Richmond VA. Have had the rebuilt one in for a little over 3 years and haven't had any problems with it since.
Hope this helps some
At least in the Ranger it wasn't all that hard to do, just had to remove the trim that goes around the instrument cluster , undo a couple screws that hold the speedo in and disconnect the speedo cable, took less than an hour to remove and install as I recall.
As far as cost I seem to remember that it was less than 200.00, with exchange, to get a rebuilt one, but I could be wrong on this as I did this back in 01.
The place I used to had me fill out a mileage form and have it notorized and the rebuilt unit came back with the mileage that was on the form I had to send them, actually the truck probally has about 40 miles more than the new speedo as I drove it for a couple days before the rebuild unit arrived, nothing worse than if you had a broken speedo cable and waited a couple days to get it replaced.
The shop I used was if I recall correctly Southern Electronic's, they are in Richmond VA. Have had the rebuilt one in for a little over 3 years and haven't had any problems with it since.
Hope this helps some
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 275
Likes: 1
From: Warner Robins, GA
Seadoo
Oh, so i don't have to go to Ford for an OEM unit? I can get rebuilt one? How'd you find out about that? I asked at Autozone but they said they didn't carry it (figures) and said I had to go to Ford Direct. I never thought of doing a google search on this...maybe worth a shot. Thanks.
RWT
Oh, so i don't have to go to Ford for an OEM unit? I can get rebuilt one? How'd you find out about that? I asked at Autozone but they said they didn't carry it (figures) and said I had to go to Ford Direct. I never thought of doing a google search on this...maybe worth a shot. Thanks.
RWT
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 325
Likes: 0
From: Manassas Park, VA
No you don't have to go to Ford directly to get this done, when I did this I did a search and went with the shop that was the most local to me. Saved me a fair amount of money over what the dealer would have charged to do the work
New User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 275
Likes: 1
From: Warner Robins, GA
Thanks all....already replaced the cable with a new one. Had no effect, good or bad. It's a pretty straight shot through the firewall so no, it's not kinked. You can hear a distinct buzzing/grinding sound coming from the speedo in the dash as the needle bounces. Needle stops bouncing, so does the sound. So I'm fairly certain the problem is in the unit itself. I stopped by another of the chain autoparts stores on the way home and they reffered me to a place in Atlanta that would "repair" my unit if I took it (without the car wrapped around it) to them. I googled rebuilt speedo units and came up with a few possibilities so I'll do a little more research on obtaining a rebuilt one. I'd rather just R&R it versus dragging the process out for days...I don't have that kind of time. I'll keep ya'll posted on what I come up with.
RWT
RWT
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026
Brett Foote
5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time
Joe Kucinski
Ford Super Duty: 5 Things Owners LOVE, 5 Things They LOATHE!
Joe Kucinski
Every 2026 Ford Truck Engine RANKED from WORST to FIRST!
Michael S. Palmer
The Best F-150 Deal of Every Trim Level (XL through Raptor)
Joe Kucinski
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,978
Likes: 1
From: Alvin, Texas.
Have you check the gear in the tranny?
That speedo gear doesn't last forever and a bad tranny input shaft can wreak havoc as well.
As for mileage IF you get a new speedo unit, my 94 Ranger has the cluster set up to where you can pop the speedo /odo out and transfer to a different cluster....like what I am doing with the tach cluster I bought 2 weeks ago. 95 is probably OBD2 for the Taurii, so it might not be that easy.
That speedo gear doesn't last forever and a bad tranny input shaft can wreak havoc as well.
As for mileage IF you get a new speedo unit, my 94 Ranger has the cluster set up to where you can pop the speedo /odo out and transfer to a different cluster....like what I am doing with the tach cluster I bought 2 weeks ago. 95 is probably OBD2 for the Taurii, so it might not be that easy.
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 275
Likes: 1
From: Warner Robins, GA
AlfredB1979
The previous owner (a good friend and a pretty good wrench) checked the speedo gear...it was good. I'm really leaning towards the problem being a bad speedo unit because of the distinct noise I can hear when the needle bounces. It's a grinding noise like two gears aren't synced up and they're slipping. Of course it's hard to tell if that noise is just being transferred from somewhere else since you have be doing 50 MPH to duplicate the problem. Thanks for the input though.
RWT
The previous owner (a good friend and a pretty good wrench) checked the speedo gear...it was good. I'm really leaning towards the problem being a bad speedo unit because of the distinct noise I can hear when the needle bounces. It's a grinding noise like two gears aren't synced up and they're slipping. Of course it's hard to tell if that noise is just being transferred from somewhere else since you have be doing 50 MPH to duplicate the problem. Thanks for the input though.
RWT