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Speedo/ Odometer help- Tried everything . Please help! 200 1990

Hello, I need help. My speedo quit working and I could slap the dash and it would work. Then it stopped. So did the odometer. I checked the gears and they were fine. Here is what I have done not in this order. I checked gears and sender first.

- Bought a replacement on Ebay
- Put new gears in it, it turns by hand so it is not the gears.
- Checked Speedo Sensor with the 9V test that I found online and there are readings at the L shaped plug. But speedo is dead.
- All other lights and gauges work fine.
- I pinched the three wire connectors to make sure there is contact.

What else can it be? Could it be a fluke that my old one and my replacement have bad circuit boards or something. I am at wit's end. I don't want to buy anther one just to see. Am I missing anything?

Car is idling high and I don't want a ticket!








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    Speedo/ Odometer help- Tried everything . Please help! 200 1990

    "Checked Speedo Sensor with the 9V test that I found online and there are readings at the L shaped plug. But speedo is dead."

    Describe in wordy detail what you did here and what you observed. With good communication we can get you back running again.
    --
    Art Benstein near Baltimore

    Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them. -Ancient Chinese Proverb








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      Speedo/ Odometer help- Tried everything . Please help! 200 1990

      Art- you are a godsend.

      So I saw online where you can take a common household charger under 12V. I had a 7.2 V charger. I spliced clips on it and clipped them to the leads in the little black box in the trunk from the speedo sensor. I then checked the L plug and had continuity. I checked the blue wire for power with the ignition on. I hooked up the L plug to the speedo and there was no movement of the needle. The Speedo was in the cluster with the key on.










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        Speedo/ Odometer help- Tried everything . Please help! 200 1990

        If your charger is a DC charger, it is possible there is not enough signal from it to substitute for the pickup on the differential. The purpose of that connection is to make it easy to troubleshoot an intermittent connection without jacking up the car and running the wheels. You don't say the charger was an AC transformer, which is getting kinda rare these days.

        Did you measure resistance toward the differential sender from that black junction box? That's in the writeup too.

        http://cleanflametrap.com/speedoDiag.html

        --
        Art Benstein near Baltimore

        Money is the root of all wealth.








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          Speedo/ Odometer help- Tried everything . Please help! 200 1990

          Well, I don't know if it is an AC charger. I will have to look. I visually inspected the wires from the box to the sender and taped up some bare wire. So if it isn't an AC charger it won't pick up anything? I will have to confirm what it is when I get home. It was enough to power a test light. I saw your right up about testing the speedo out of the car with the 12V leads. Would 12V is also connected to where the AC clips go cause a movement in the needle? In other words would a 12V battery make the needle jump? I have a small 12V battery out of a kid's ride on toy that I use to test things.








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            Speedo/ Odometer help- Tried everything . Please help! 200 1990

            OK, so my first question you answer "I don't know" and my second question about the resistance check draws a blank. The wall charger will have its output listed on its label.

            I suggest you double check the sender using the ohmmeter before trying to play with the unit on your desk. You can check it from the L-plug at the dash, or back in the junction box, whichever is easier for you at this time. Get familiar with your multimeter. Do you have a service manual?
            --
            Art Benstein near Baltimore

            Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let her sleep.








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              Speedo/ Odometer help- Tried everything . Please help! 200 1990

              So it says, AC/DC Adaptor Output- 7.2 V . 250MA

              Will that work? I am not good with the multimeter. I did confirm the power going through with a test light at the L shaped plug from the AC/DC adaptor.








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                Speedo/ Odometer help- Tried everything . Please help! 200 1990

                "So it says, AC/DC Adaptor Output- 7.2 V . 250MA"

                Sorry, Robert, that description of what it says is inconclusive. Can you snap a picture of the label please?

                DC will light up a test light. You need AC output for the speedometer to count.
                --
                Art Benstein near Baltimore

                Women sometimes make fools of men, but most guys are the do-it-yourself type.








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                  Speedo/ Odometer help- Tried everything . Please help! 200 1990

                  This is it exactly...

                  https://www.ebay.com/itm/ZY-4103-AC-DC-Power-Supply-6V-Switching-Adapter-Battery-Charger-200mA-/142980807058








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                    Speedo/ Odometer help- Tried everything . Please help! 200 1990

                    Excellent! I can assure you that's a DC output, thanks to the picture.

                    Although it doesn't say "DC" in English, it does in symbol.
                    ____
                    -------

                    That means you can't be sure there is enough pulse on its output to reliably trigger the speedo/odo circuit counter. You need one with an AC output.

                    Back to my previous suggestion. Check out youtube for help using your multimeter to measure resistance and again, let me know if you have a service manual, which would describe measuring the resistance of the differential sender.
                    --
                    Art Benstein near Baltimore

                    Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.








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                      Speedo/ Odometer help- Tried everything . Please help! 200 1990

                      hi sages and troubleshooters- a few years ago spent days working on and fixing the system in my 92 245 speedometer. the problem was needle always worked but odometer didn't. replaced odometer gears, shook out fragments and debris from speedo and got odometer to work. occasionally it will still still stall but a few taps on cluster plus a few f sharps and it starts working again. my theory is the little clock magnet motor may be worn and turning too slowly to actuate the gears/ odometer. haven't seen anything about this motor . besides it appears to be unavailable. any thoughts? the older system with the cable and mechanical speedo/odo worked well for 100 years. thinking of going back to college to major in reverse engineering . can think of many things in so called modern improvements that are more of a pain in the uvula than they are worth. all you had to do with the old system was lubricate or replace the cable. now you may have to go to a shyster dealer and get soaked. sometimes one is up that famous creek(stinking..) without a paddle. I know, I know my attitude needs a pep talk or a tall snort of thunderbird. thanks tons oldduke







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