I've posted before that my odometer is intermittent but I wanted to run this by someone who may have a better understanding of how this whole system works. When I start the car, the odometer works for 5-10 minutes then goes blank and I get a check engine light. The cruise control works until the odometer goes blank and I get the light - after that it will not engage. My speedometer works perfectly.

So far, I have replaced the speed sensor and the 1000mA capacitor in the cluster. The capacitor I took out looked rough and I think one of the leads had almost deteriorated from the base of the capacitor. Regardless - the situation has not changed after doing these "repairs". I looked @ the body electrical section and besides a few connections - the speed sensor seems to go run straight to the cluster w/ no electronics "in between".

The previous owner of my car said the check engine light fault code was for the speed sensor - I plan to verify this to see if I indeed have code 6.

If that is the case the only thing I know to do is take the cluster back out and replace all electronics related to the odometer?

I guess I could also check all the connections but with it being so consistent/predictable I find it hard to believe there is a loose connection.

Thanks for any help/suggestions...

 

Might be a bad ground. The cluster grounds itself on the engine under the UIM.

 

If your speedometer is working properly...you do not have a speedo sensor problem. The sensor can not/does not send out multiple signals...just one to the speedo. The signal goes in series from there to the odo and then cruise control. This is why your C.C. goes **** up after the odo blanks. So if the speedo is spitting out the proper reading/speed...the sensor is o.k.. If you can keep the odo alive long enough there is a troubleshooting procedure in the Body Electrical service manual for the C.C. system that validates whether the speedo sensor is working or not (section Q-10 & 11 I think).

Your odo is going blank after the other bad cap heats up and craps out...maybe...especially if it seems to happen about the same time. You could toss the dice and replace the 10uF 50v cap just below the 1000uf 6.3v you already replace and see if that fixes the trouble. Or just shoot the whole works and replace them all. Electrolytic caps live only about 15 years before they start to go bad...do the math.

Just for the heck of it, you could try disconnecting the pos. cable of the battery, waiting a few minutes and reconnect it...and then see if the odo stays on. After I did the repair and took the battery neg. cable off my odo went blank again for a couple days (C.C. was hunting). After doing the above, it came back on and has been on for weeks...I'm too chicken sh#t to pull the neg. cable again and see if the problem reoccurs.

 

Thanks for the advice - any idea if it is "common" for the check engine light to be associated with the odometer going out? I'm going to check that ground and if the problem persists I will just go ahead and change all the capacitors associated with the odometer. I knew the 15 year rule and I also knew that the smart thing was to replace all those capacitors while I had the cluster out - I took a gamble with going with the one that had seemed to be the "problem child" with other posters and I obviously did not win. Thanks again guys.

 

I had no "check engine" light associated with my odometer going out.

 

my odometer was doing the same thing, no engine light tho, maybe i would have if i had the stock ecu in it... my gauges also bounced around.. i sent my cluster to ramy, a month later i get an email saying its done and shows my mileage and fixed.. waiting for him to send it back now

 

Bought some capacitors - damn odometer hasn't went out since I purchased them. Very strange. I used to think it consistently went "out" after driving the car for 5-10 minutes and now that the outside temps have gotten cooler it's much less consistent. I do think it is a temperature driven issue though.

It will go out again and when it does I'll change the remaining capacitors and then I'll resort to taking the intake manifold off to check those grounds. I've looked at the service manual and my engine and it does seem that the intake must be removed in order to properly check those grounds. Anyone agree to that? I have not had the car more than a month so I have not had any reason to remove that yet.

I did mess with the ground going from the passenger firewall to the engine briefly but it seemed fine - pretty unrealistic to think that would be a weak link. Much too easy...

 

I don't personally own a FD yet but if the repair manual shows you needing to move the intake the chances are you will. Use some sandpaper on the ground and ground wire to make a new connection, maybe even some paint to throw over top to stop it from rusting if it is(unsure if the paint may affect the connection).

 

I have a pettit ECU - not really sure which one as the previous owner installed it. The receipt is from Excellent Performance in Lake Park, FL and just says "Computer Upgrade - 93". It cost $699 and was purchased in '03.

I am going to assume for now that it has nothing to do with my odometer issues.