Hi everyone,
I recently bought a 1996 Honda Civic Hatchback (manual) and am having problems with the speedometer. Lots of the time the speedometer simply does not work, and when the speedometer doesnt work the odometer isnt working either. When I first got the car (early September) it worked most of the time, but lately it has not been working more often than working. I get the feeling it works less when the weather is very cold, or when it is very wet, but this might just be a coincidence. Other than that there doesn't seem to be a pattern to when it works...I can start driving and it will work fine then suddenly stop working randomly. I know of someone else who has the same model year civic with the same problem (they have not found a solution either) so I get the feeling it is a common issue with this car. Anyone have any idea what the problem could be?
Thanks
Dan

 

1) Possible issue with the vehicle speed sensor (VSS) circuit. Start by inspecting fuse #15 in the under-dash fuse/relay box.

2) Does the Check Engine Light (CEL) remain ON or, if you have an automatic transmission, does the D4 light blink?

3) If fuse #15 is fine, the pictures below and in the next post show how to troubleshoot the VSS circuit. The test requires two different test harnesses (obtained from Honda Dealership?) and a multimeter.

[IMG]local://upfiles/25538/CD8FDCB0B9854648B6EE53CF61FF009F.jpg[/IMG]

 

Lat picture...

[IMG]local://upfiles/25538/0EE451D517B04CAC81FA7AD62CA2F02F.jpg[/IMG]

 

I have a 93 Si hband had a problem like that. Ended up being my gauge cluster. When I took it out, the traces on the back were all corroded. You might want to pull it out and have a look. I just replaced mine.

When I bought the car, I noticed the little screws on the speedo face were rusty. I never thought much about it again until the speedo/odo went erratic. I think someone must have sprayed some windex in there while cleaning the dash, because it was the only rust on the entire car.