95 Speedometer issue

[TxCamry07]

I just got my 95 Camry with the 4cyl, I am having a problem with the speedometer reading way slow...
It showed 65 and i was running 85. I was thinking maybe the cable might be loose but i dont wanna tear into the dash for no reason. I need to get this fixed asap as it is my girlfriend's car and she is tired of having to use the GPS, any ideas or am i on the right track??

Thanks Yall,
Keith

[71Corolla]

You likely have one of two problems. One, the speedo itself is failing, or the vehicle speed sensor is going bad. The speedometer moves via a tiny electric motor based on the pulse it gets from the speed sensor, your car does not have a mechanical speedometer cable.

Does the odometer read correctly? If it does, then the mechanical part of the speedo itself is bad.

[TxCamry07]

i am pretty sure the odometer reads right. So its the VSS??
But is it the one with 2 or 3 wires and where is it located??

[TxCamry07]

woah, ok never mind... i got what your saying... if the odometer reads right its the gauge not the vss and opposite

[71Corolla]

Exactly.

[TxCamry07]

which one should i start with to diagnose the problem?? and will the odometer spin slower or faster if its the speed sensor???

[71Corolla]

If you can, grab another cluster and swap it out. If it's the speed sensor (I doubt it is) then it's impossible to say if the readout will be too high or low.

[TxCamry07]

where can i find a cluster other than ebay??

[71Corolla]

You can try car-part.com but Ebay is probably cheaper.

Does the car drive properly otherwise? Especially the transmission, if the speed sensor is bad the tranny can shift erratically.

[TxCamry07]

it drives amazing just as good as my 07 does

i think some one has rolled the odometer back because i just ran a carfax on it and the car fax said 130,000 something and the odometer says 118.... could this be why the speedo is off?

[71Corolla]

Could be, they might have damaged the "clock spring" in the speedo head. I've done odo changes myself (so the numbers match) and it is challenging, easy to damage the speedo especially.

[TxCamry07]

any way to repair the speedo if it is damaged?

[71Corolla]

If the spring is damaged, no practical way to repair. But I forgot to mention, if they did change the odo, then they likely pulled the needle off, maybe they put it back in the wrong position. This can be corrected by removing the clear plastic cover from the cluster, put the cluster back in the car and put the ignition on.

Pick up the needle and carefully bend it back over the stop so it it allowed to rotate on its own. The needle should be about 1/4" below the stop. If it's not, pull it off and carefully move it. This is not an exact science, it will take a few tries to get the needle in the right place. Having a GPS to check against is great because it will be 100% accurate. Another method I used (I am not responsible if you do this!) is to drive at 60mph according to the GPS, and gently put the needle on to indicate 60 (took a few tries to get it right). I did this on my '93 and now the speedo is extremely accurate, less than 1% error.

[Stillrunning]

Originally Posted by TxCamry07

i think some one has rolled the odometer back because i just ran a carfax on it and the car fax said 130,000 something and the odometer says 118....

You might want to contact your state government as odometer tampering is illegal. You also paid the price for 118k miles not 130k. It's also possible the previous owner used a replacement wrecker multimeter, but he would be obligated to disclose this and the correct mileage.

[TxCamry07]

I might try to correct it with out buying a new speedo. The "stop" you referred to is the peg at the bottom?? or where 0 is??