CALCXX Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Anyone ever trouble shoot a Dodge Ram speedometer of 1990 vintage? The odometer quit first. Now the speedometer wildly bounces around when first moving and then settles at speed with occasional 5-10mph bounce. Never been into a speedometer. Where to look first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOXXIC Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Maybe the speedo cable leading into the transmission or transfer case, if 4WD. Hopefully Oscar chimes in. But that's where I would start. Work from there to the back of the gauge cluster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 The speedo bouncing could just be a cable problem. A tweaked cable that's spinning out of round because of wear/damage or it's just sticking, but could also be an issue at the speedo. I'd start with checking and maybe lubing the cable, maybe replace it if it's bad. With most vehicles you can pull the cable out of the sheath from the transmission/transfer case end and put it back in without a problem. If the cable is frayed then the sheath is probably also damaged and might need replacing, but a new cable will generally work pretty well for some time. The odometer dying was probably unrelated to the needle bounce that you're now seeing. I assume the gear that runs it took a dump, but have never had a Dodge speedo apart to know what to say to look for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Dodge cars of that year had already gone to electric pick up for speedo/ odo. neons were known to have cold solder joints at the base of the cluster where the connectors plugged in. I fixed a couple by running the connections with a soldering iron. The Lebaron had the same issue, and a sensor that screwed into the transmission that fails. My limited Google skills showed on guy who swapped out a sensor on his 92 to fix it. I would try cleaning connections at both ends if you don't find a cable drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CALCXX Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 Thanks for the tips. When the Ice melts, I will check it out. 1990 Ram 2WD Van. My poorboy motorhome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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