My odometer has quit working but sometimes will run a few miles. The truck has about 100,000 miles on it and the speedometer works fine.

Does anyone have an idea?

 

The gears in the odometer go to hell.

Replace them and you are golden.

My 94 truck odometer has almost 270,000 miles on it and it still runs fine.

What happened since 1994?

 

I think they went electronic after '94. Yours has a cable for the speedometer/odometer, right?

(And I've got 226+ on an electronic one, so they aren't all problematic. )

 

it could be a wire, or a fuse mabey? it is electronic im pretty sure

Matt

 

Thanks for the reply. It looks like mine is all mechanical. I would suspect the plastic gears. The speedometor works fine.

How do you get to the odo and how do you replace them?

JK Ward

 

Ironically, my 97 speedo/odo went out at 100K. Works when it feels like it. Checking all electrical connections.

 

If it's mechanical (speedo cable from transmission to instrument cluster) and the speedometer works, but the odometer doesn't.. then you have a bad instrument cluster.

If it is electronic... then there is a chance of something different. Some cars (I honestly don't remember if Ford did it this way or not) use the ENGINE computer speed readings to obtain odometer information, and TRANSMISSION and sometimes ABS computer speed readings to determine odometer operation. I would find someone with a OBDII scanner that is fully compatible and verify that all the modules are obtaining correct speed readings... if that is the case then you've got a bad instrument cluster, but if one of your modules isn't shoing any speed (MPH = 0) then that will need to be addressed first.

Good luck

 

I think the '96's are the same as my '97, and I know for certain that on my truck both the speedometer and odometer are electronic (nothing but wires going into the back of the cluster), and they are both driven by a sensor on the back of the transmission (even though there is also a speed sensor on the rear diff for the RABS).

How do I know this? I bought a rebuilt tranny for the truck, and the gear inside it that drives the gear on the sensor isn't the correct one, and both my speedometer and odometer now read about 18% over.

 

A.) Your Speedo is Electric. Drive in reverse and see what happens... the speedometer still reads. This is impossible with a mechanical unit. There is no cable going into the intrument cluster.

B.) If the speed sensor was malfuncting, you're CEL would be on, as probably would the ABS light. Since your speedo is still working and the CEL is not on I am assuming, it must be something else.

C.) It is not a loose connection at the instrument cluster, otherwise the speedometer wouldn't work.

D.) I guess I could have said this eariler, the odometer on a '96 is mechanically driven by an electric motor that gets it's signal from the speed sensor. Being driven mechanically, there are gears involved. but I haven't even witnessed any wear on these gears on the speedometers I have had apart. The gears are most likely not the problem. The electric motor that turns the odometer is plugged into the speedometer circuit board, it could be a loose connection there.

But most likely there is a bind in the gear setup that turns the odometer, or the electric motor has gone bad. The solution: buy another instrument cluster to get a speedometer. A 1996 or 1997 Ranger, Explorer, or Mountaineer intrument cluster will interchange directly with your current one. Find one with as close of mileage to your estimated current total for the easiest solution.

How recently did you buy this truck? The '95+ instrument clusters do not take well to odometer fraud... not at all. But it can be done. They will give your symptoms. Work fine for a while. Then working intermidently. Then nothing at all. This is due to the gears binding that turn the odometer. The mounting of the electric motor is extremely sensitive and the geometry of the system is screwed up easily.

I'm a little long winded, but I've had too much experince with these intrument clusters.

Get yourself a new instrument cluster from a '96 or '97 Ranger/Explorer/Mountaineer with just a little over your current mileage reading and install it. Do it carefully and you can save yourself pretty much all legal hassles associated with getting someone to set a new speedometer to your current odometer reading.

 

i have a 1995 f150 spedo and odometr do not work,theabs lite is onas well. ther is no sender in the trans(5spd manual). wher is the signal come from plus any help as to wher the problem is. thanks cliff in surrey b.c.

 

After two more years, it persists. It seems there are TWO sensors and two cables from the transmission. (Seems weird!) For years now, when the weather is cool, the odometer runs, but sporatically. Not at all when it is hot outside.
I have tried but cannot pull the apparent odometer cable from the transmission connection. I would think it might be stripped or something where the cable goes into the gear or connector.

Anybody have any more ideas?

Thanks,

John Ward

 

my 98 rangers speedo just stopped working and the abs lite came on. I replaced the speed sensor and didnt need to becuse the 2 wires leading off of it were rubbing together and wore the insulation off causing the bare copper touch. i re-spliced the wires and taped them up and it worked fine! You may need to replace the speed sensor but before you do check to see if the wires leading off of them are wearing or have cracks causing them to touch. The speed sensor is located on the rear pumpkin, on the top towards, the front of the truck Reply back to tell me what you see!!!!!!!!

 

This odometer cable is like those old-fashoned speedometer cables. It is stiff, covered with a plastic sheath and appears to have a rotating cable within a metal spiral. It fits into the rear of the manual transmission.

The speedometer connects elsewhere, forward in the transmission.

I think I had it out a couple of years ago, but it cannot be pulled out any more. It is like something has twisted and gotten jammed.

Anyway, it does turn the odometer on the dash occasionally, especially when the weather gets cold. I doubt any accuracy, because it regieters intermittantly.

Votcha t'ink?

Thanks,

John

 

If you replace the whole cluster or just the speedometer head, make note of the mileage reading on the old one and the reading on the replacement. Keep that information with your papers for the truck, in particular, the title. You can use that to deal with mileage question when you sell it or trade it in.

 

My 96 explorer has the same problem. If I reset the trip odometer both of them work for a few miles and then stop again. They worked fine when I bought the truck but when I removed the cluster to replace some bulbs and replace the broken clear gauge cover this problem popped up. I'm going to check the gears and electrical connections before I go through the trouble of putting in an odometer with the wrong mileage.

I guess when you think about it mine now has the wrong mileage.