speedometer shot dead
 

not sure if something came loose and fell off from my engine, but after i ran something over on the highway, my speedometer dropped to zero and my mileage stopped working.. can anyone point me in the right direction on what to look for that would cause this problem? tks for the advises

I'd check the connection of your speedometer cable at the back of the instrument cluster and/or the transmission.

where would the instrument cluster be at to check the speedo cable?

the instrument cluster is what holds your speedometer/tach/fuel level, etc. gauges...take it out, look behind it and make sure the cable is still connected.

make sure the cable is still in 1 piece.

make sure the cable is still attached to the transmission.

I'll bet the cable got disconnected from the sending unit on the transmission.
Maybe ripped off, maybe just undone, but that's where I'd look first.

Cluster that 87 t-66 and I are talking about
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gtg710x...nt_cluster.jpg

Other end of the speedometer cable connecting to the transmission.
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gtg710x...ansmission.jpg

Look under the car Dude..simple as that.,I'll bet ya a donut that your cable fell out of your Transmission.

ill bet a cookie that his cable is ripped apart...lol

Even though all the other gauges work (rpm, oil level, gas, temp), if the cable came off, shouldnt all the gauge be dead as well?

Um, no.
The speedo is the only mechanical gauge in the cluster, the rest are electrically actuated.

Now seriously, get under the car and check the cable...it's probably hanging free, chewed up by whatever you ran over.
In the time you've spent asking about this, you could have determined the cause.

Tks for all the advises...

you don't even have an FC and from what it sounds like no mechanical knowledge whatsoever.

the speedo cable connects from the back of the gauge cluster, to the transmission. so if the speedometer doesnt work its either...

not connected at the gauge cluster.
not connected at the transmission.
the cable is broken.
the drive gear inside the transmission is broken.
the speeometer is broken.

the most common problem is that it comes disconnected from the back of the gauge cluster. it takes all of 5 minutes to look. rip out the dash? again, you have no idea what you are talking about. it is more likely to become disconnected from the gauge cluster than the transmission as it simply clips onto the gauge cluster where it screws onto the transmission. its very possible the cable got caught on something and pulled out of the back of the speedometer.

i would like to hear your suggestions oh knowledgeable one.

again. go troll elsewhere.

Think about it for a moment, the Oil pressure sensor is below the filter. The wire tracks totally different than the speedo/odometer cable. Look at JPKs diagram, the cable hooks up at the back of the tranny near the drive shaft. Flying debris can go up there and snag that cable easily. Our cars are so low debris has no where to go.

Just put your jack under the driver side and lift it up, you'll see it.

Taking the dash apart is retarded, especially once you state clearly that no other damage with the cluster is exhibited.

jack the car up and look=10 minutes
Take the cluster out to look=all afternoon.

So i checked under the car...no wires or anything that looked unplugged...anyother info?

Did you actually check the speedo cable connection to the transmission?

Checked it...all intacted under the car...

Holy crap that took a while :)

Did you just peek under, or actually jack it up and crawl under? The cable *has* to be there if it worked before. But if you ran something over it may have tore it (the cable from the speedo cable head) off completely, thus you won't see anything dangling there from a quick peek. Look again.

EDIT: If its still there, unbolt the head and make sure that the *cable itself* (ie the thign that spins inside the cable sheath) is still there. it'll have a gear on the end that fits into the tranny............PS, when you pull it out you're going to lose some tranny fluid if you have any in there :lol:

Take 87 t-66's advice and check the connection behind the instrument cluster.

t-66 = Winner

Took it to a shop, lifted it up, guy showed me the cable to the tranny. Seemed to be ok. If you or anyone can show me an acual picture that would be great.

its your speedometer cable, and just hope that your cable itself didnt fall out on the road like mine did. it takes about 1 minute to fix as long as you can get your car on a lift or get under it somehow.

To the OP:

Remove your instrument surround. This is simple, as there are a only a couple screws holding it in.
Pull it towards you a few inches, and reach behind and unplug the harnesses for the switches. Remove the surround and set aside.
Unscrew the the actual gauge cluster. There are four screws holding it in.
Pull it towards you and reach behind it. Besides the two plugs, each with a bundle of wires attached to them, you should feel the speedo cable running into the cluster. If it is attached, press it into the cluster and make sure the clip catches. If not, you need to find the cable and reattach it.

So i found the problem, anyone know if i can use any 2nd gen speedo cable? Or does it has to be the same year?

all manual transmission throttle cables are the same. same with auto.

do you drive an S4 or an S5? because the only thing that i am questioning is can you use an S4 speedo cable on an S5, or an S5 cable on an S4? not too sure on that one. i would think you would have to get one for an S4 or S5, depending on what you drive, since S4 and S5 gauges look different.

Tks
s5 n/a is what i have...anyone else can comment on this?