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  • Digital Dash speedometer reads "0"

    Hi All,
    I have had this issue for some time now and finally am trying to rectify it. I have inspected the cable and it is in good working order and replaced speed sensor. Still am reading "0". The only other thing that I can think of is the speedometer pinion gear? Do these fault? There is no tranny fluid on the cable at all. The seals seem to be fine. It is only around $15 to replace but is there anything else I can check before I go that route? Thanks for the help.

  • #2
    You do have a copy of the FSM from www.xenonz31.com right?

    In the EL section is a nice explanation of how to check your speed sensor for both the digital and needle type guages.
    Life's short
    Go fast
    Have a blast
    Leave a good looking corpse

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    • #3
      Mine is a digital and it will periodically read 0 then go back to w/e speed it should be.
      2009 370z sport/tour 6mt Mag black
      1989 300zx turbo 5mt Moon glow pw

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      • #4
        Originally posted by flatfoot View Post
        You do have a copy of the FSM from www.xenonz31.com right?

        In the EL section is a nice explanation of how to check your speed sensor for both the digital and needle type guages.
        Thanks for this info. I replaced the sensor already with a known working sensor. I am not great with electronics and honestly intimidated by it. I read the FSM and it seems confusing to me. It was working at one point intermittently then stopped altogether. I know the sensor itself was a fault point(hence why I replaced it. is the pinion gear a culprit commonly? I dont want to redirect but want to chase common culprits before pulling the digi dash and attempt to do those electrical checks. Thanks.

        If anyone is in the NYC area that knows how and can lend a hand I would be happy to travel and learn to do it. Just know how delicate the system is and how costly it can be to replace If i mess up more.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by phillyphressh View Post
          Thanks for this info. I replaced the sensor already with a known working sensor. I am not great with electronics and honestly intimidated by it. I read the FSM and it seems confusing to me. It was working at one point intermittently then stopped altogether. I know the sensor itself was a fault point(hence why I replaced it. is the pinion gear a culprit commonly? I dont want to redirect but want to chase common culprits before pulling the digi dash and attempt to do those electrical checks. Thanks.

          If anyone is in the NYC area that knows how and can lend a hand I would be happy to travel and learn to do it. Just know how delicate the system is and how costly it can be to replace If i mess up more.
          It's been a long day so I'm just gonna shake my head and explain it to you.

          First get a buddy and jack up the rear of the car so the rear wheels are off the ground.

          Unhook the speedometer cable from the speed sensor under the hood.

          MAKE SURE YOU ARE OUT OF THE WAY.

          Have your buddy start the car and while its IDLING put it in gear while you watch the end of the speedo cable.

          If it spins everything from the transmission to the speed sensor, including the pinion gear, is working.

          Then its time to dig out the FSM and digital multimeter.
          Life's short
          Go fast
          Have a blast
          Leave a good looking corpse

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          • #6
            I had this problem after swapping auto->5spd. Changed sensor a bunch, cables a bunch, nothing changed. Eventually I bought the pinion gear assy that goes in the transmission itself that the speedo cable hooks on to and bam, back in business. Might check that. The one that came out looked perfectly fine upon cursory inspection, but something more had to have been wrong with it. Just make sure you get the right one for the differential/transmission combo you have.

            http://www.courtesyparts.com/kb_sear...2318_2391_2404
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            • #7
              Originally posted by utjon View Post
              I had this problem after swapping auto->5spd. Changed sensor a bunch, cables a bunch, nothing changed. Eventually I bought the pinion gear assy that goes in the transmission itself that the speedo cable hooks on to and bam, back in business. Might check that. The one that came out looked perfectly fine upon cursory inspection, but something more had to have been wrong with it. Just make sure you get the right one for the differential/transmission combo you have.

              http://www.courtesyparts.com/kb_sear...2318_2391_2404
              Thanks utjon for the reply. Did you do what flatfoot recommended to see if the pinion gear rotated the speedo cable before replacing it? I just lifted the rear of the car and had someone look to see if cable was spinning by sensor and it was. How was replacing the pinion gear assembly?

              Originally posted by flatfoot View Post
              It's been a long day so I'm just gonna shake my head and explain it to you.

              First get a buddy and jack up the rear of the car so the rear wheels are off the ground.

              Unhook the speedometer cable from the speed sensor under the hood.

              MAKE SURE YOU ARE OUT OF THE WAY.

              Have your buddy start the car and while its IDLING put it in gear while you watch the end of the speedo cable.

              If it spins everything from the transmission to the speed sensor, including the pinion gear, is working.

              Then its time to dig out the FSM and digital multimeter.
              So being the the cable is spinning before going to troubleshooting electronics, is it possible to spin the part under the sensor while car is one to test if it reads? does it have to be in gear to read? Here are some pics of how to cable looks like at the sensor. any suggestions are much appreciated. thanks!

              image-1.jpg
              image-2.jpg

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              • #8
                Had similar issues. I checked the sensor by using a drill with a small "bit" to fit in the sensor and spun it at varying speeds to see if the dash followed which it did. What I found was the weight and routing of the cable was pulling the tip of the cable out from the sensor. I fixed this by using wire ties to prevent the cable sagging away from the sensor and supported the cable better right at the connection. worked perfect after that

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by visco1
                  Had similar issues. I checked the sensor by using a drill with a small "bit" to fit in the sensor and spun it at varying speeds to see if the dash followed which it did. What I found was the weight and routing of the cable was pulling the tip of the cable out from the sensor. I fixed this by using wire ties to prevent the cable sagging away from the sensor and supported the cable better right at the connection. worked perfect after that
                  thanks. ill give this a try and hopefully have some good news.

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                  • #10
                    Its finally fixed!

                    Thank you visco1 for the idea with using a square bit on a drill to test the sensor. In the past I have tried spinning it with my hands and did not know it was not fast enough to get a read. I found out the replacement sensor was not working. I plugged my original sensor in and the speedometer works. Like yours, the cable was not reaching the sensor to rotate it. I cut the protective sheathing 1/4" and it gave it the length it needed to spin the sensor.

                    Thank you all for your input

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