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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

Crazy Speedo..

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Old Feb 27, 2007 | 07:43 PM
  #1  
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Crazy Speedo..

Ok all. 1990 F150 XLT Lariat,AT,5.0L 153,000 mi.. I bought this truck for $1200 3 weeks ago and aside from replacing the battery and the alternator she is STRONG !!! My problem is when it is cold the speedo will start out telling me I'm running like 80+ mph when I know by tach I'm only running 65. Set the cruise at 70(using tach)and as the truck gets warm the speedo slowly falls to close to the speed I'm running. Oh BTW it has 215's instead of 235's on it but its still nowhere close to accurate. Also(as if this wasn't enough)my cruise will gradually increase rpm's over the course of 10 to 15 miles by about 50 to 100 rpm.

Thank You for your time and Talents !!!!

Troy with his new Toy
 
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Old Feb 27, 2007 | 08:42 PM
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speed sensor in the rear differential located on the top is going bad and will need to be replaced.
 
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Old Feb 28, 2007 | 01:14 AM
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^ yes. It's about 30 bucks, and not difficult at all to change.
 
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Old Feb 28, 2007 | 06:03 AM
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Yes. did my son's and cost $20. for the sensor. Also had the abs light on checked the brakes and they were good. Repaced the sensor and speedo is fixed and abs light went out. Took 5 minutes to do. Only 1 bolt and the 2 wire plug. It's right on top of the pumkin, you can't miss it!
 
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Old Feb 28, 2007 | 06:49 AM
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Except...if he has an AOD (likely), the speedo is a cable and runs off a plastic gear in the rear of the tranny, not the differential.

Jason
 
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Old Feb 28, 2007 | 12:24 PM
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a 90 model should still be a mechanical speedo, i thought. the cruise problem is a result of the speedo not working properly as that is how the computer knows when to give it more or less gas to maintain certain speed. first thing to figure out is whether you have mech. or electric speedo.
 
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Old Feb 28, 2007 | 01:57 PM
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Originally Posted by dslmechanic
speed sensor in the rear differential located on the top is going bad and will need to be replaced.
What's the deal in this forum lately with people posting wrong information and bad advice??

A 1990 doesn't have a VSS. It uses a mechanical speedo - regardless of what transmission he has.

To the OP: are you sure your tranny isn't slipping? The cruise slowly speeding up usually means a vacuum leak - I *think* the 90 F-150 has a mechanical cruise control, not electronic.
 
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Old Feb 28, 2007 | 02:04 PM
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i know an 89 model has electronic sensor on the speedometer going into transmission for the cruise control.
 
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Old Feb 28, 2007 | 02:08 PM
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My '89 F-150 has cruise control - where is this sensor?
 
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Old Feb 28, 2007 | 02:12 PM
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two wires connecting to the speedo at the transmission, where the cable screws onto the transmission there is a a two prong electrical connection, was on mine anyway. i was told it was for the cruise control.
 
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Old Feb 28, 2007 | 06:11 PM
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My '90 had a mechanical speedo and cruise control, and there were no wires to the tranny other than the neutral safety switch. The speedo cable was all by its lonesome, no wires with it.

Jason
 
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Old Feb 28, 2007 | 06:22 PM
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92 and up uses the vss for the spedometer. Older than that reguardless of tranny its a mechanical speedo. Find a gauge cluster on ebay or one a junk yard and that should fix the problem. U can find them pretty cheap. Good Luck.
 
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