speedometer acting up......need help!!

[KevGuillot]

Today is the first time this happened. Ill be going about 45 mph and then the speedometer just goes to 0. Then it will fly up to 20 mph and then back to zero and then just stay at 0 mph.

Im about to reset the ECU and see if that solves anything but i was going to see if anyone on here knew something about it.

any help would be much appreciated.

thanks
kevin

 

[Mongoose 03]

Sounds like you need to go to the dealer. Instrument cluster will have to be ordered and installed by the dealer.

 

[KevGuillot]

does it have to be a certified svt dealer or can any ford dealer do it? the closest svt deal to me is like 45 minutes away.

so you think its the actual cluster messing up? or could it be the ecu??

has anyone else ever had this problem?

thanks
kevin

 

[KevGuillot]

ttt for the morning folks...........

 

[03gobluecobra]

could be the ecu or the cluster. I don't think it would need to be an SVT dealer. Either way if it's the cluster, they would have to order a new one, and they aren't hard to replace.

 

[JB]

could be either one or it could be a wiring problem

as Jason said, you can have any Ford dealer take care of it

even a Lincoln/Mercury dealer could probably do it

 

[KevGuillot]

well heres what happened.......i reset the ecu. Then i went for a 10 minute drive. The speedometer worked perfectly. I thought i had the problem fixed. Well i get home, then about 30 minutes later i get back in my car to run another errand and the speedometer starts acting up again. All the other gauges are working fine. I have no mods done to my car. How could just that one gauge be messing up out of the whole cluster?

thanks
kevin

 

[Mongoose 03]

well heres what happened.......i reset the ecu. Then i went for a 10 minute drive. The speedometer worked perfectly. I thought i had the problem fixed. Well i get home, then about 30 minutes later i get back in my car to run another errand and the speedometer starts acting up again. All the other gauges are working fine. I have no mods done to my car. How could just that one gauge be messing up out of the whole cluster?

thanks
kevin

Happened to me. One guage messed up. Boost guage. Took about 3 days to get a new cluster in. Because of the PATS system your keys will have to be reshot also or the car will not start. Hopefully you are still under warranty..

 

[KevGuillot]

Happened to me. One guage messed up. Boost guage. Took about 3 days to get a new cluster in. Because of the PATS system your keys will have to be reshot also or the car will not start. Hopefully you are still under warranty..

yes i am still under waranty. So when you got the new cluster did it just show zero miles or can they somehow program it to the miles on your car?

kevin

 

[wuplash]

it sounds like you will need to get a new cluster installed.i had to get a new one installed last year due to the backlighting going out,but all the gauges worked fine.a cluster is easy to do and it can be done in 10 min.hopefully your still under warranty,if not a cluster goes for $300+ if i remember correctly.

 

[SnakeBit]

yes i am still under waranty. So when you got the new cluster did it just show zero miles or can they somehow program it to the miles on your car?

kevin

The odometer is on a chip. That chip is transferred to the new set of gagues.

It could be a problem with the VSS unit in your transmission making it act up.

 

[FireRed04Vert]

I thought about the VSS too. Any other issues when this happens? You should get a light and code if it's the VSS...and I guess you would have noticed that. Probably the guage.

 

[KevGuillot]

No when it happens there are no lights that come on. And it happens randomly too. I could go a couple of days without it happening or it could not work for a full day. Kinda wierd but its gonna make it hard for me to show the dealer when i go there.

what is the vss unit?

thanks guys
kevin

 

[Mongoose 03]

yes i am still under waranty. So when you got the new cluster did it just show zero miles or can they somehow program it to the miles on your car?

kevin

They will program to the miles on your Cobra

 

[FireRed04Vert]

what is the vss unit?

thanks guys
kevin

Vehicle Speed Sensor. Your car uses it for many things...one of which is the speedometer.

 

[Fast Willy]

Yup, you should be able to take it to any ford dealer. Worst comes to worst they will tell you it has to be taken to the an svt dealer.

 

[KevGuillot]

just took it to the dealer. all they had time to do was hook it up to the computer and see if it was throwing a code. The tech said that there definetly something wrong with the cluster. ill keep yall posted.

kevin

 

[KevGuillot]

Well the car sat at the dealer all day. They said they are ordering an OSS unit (output speed sensor). He said that it is located on the tranny. I guess it is shorting out. I asked him if it was a VSS unit and he said no but it did basically the same thing.

They also reflashed the computer for my car stalling. So i pull out of the dealership and it drives like a new car (speedo still acting up though). So im all happy because im thinking the thing wont stall again and it didnt until i almost got home. The mileage on my odometer went to all slashes and the car stalled. So i called him and asked if they did infact reflash the computer and says they did. He said that since all the electronics communicate together that mabey the OSS unit is making it all act up.

So has anyone heard of the OSS unit? Or are they feeding me a load or crap?

thanks
kevin

 

[JB]

just another name for it...it is a Hall-effect sensor that measures the speed of the transmission's output shaft

 

[astig00]

Kevin, did you take your Cobra to Tyler Ford?? I would have taken it to Brinson Ford. I don't have ay problems dealing with the dealership in Athens!! I can refer you to my service advisor(Laura), she takes care of things!!