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-   -   No odometer with engie running (https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/no-odometer-engie-running-982466/)

Mrmatt3465 01-04-12 06:06 PM

No odometer with engie running
 
Hello!

I'm having a strange issue with my odometer. When I purchased my 7 the odometer was dead. I followed the fix and replaced the bad capacitor [same one used i the fix thread] on the board and BAM the odometer was working again. The odometer worked flawless for about 1k miles. Recently I replaced all the vacuum hoses and had the car in a bazillion pieces. I put it all back together and it drives flawlessly. Today I noticed my odometer numbers were not displaying. While driving, I put the clutch in and turned the car off while rolling. I flicked the ignition back on and my odometer numbers illuminated. I let out the clutch in second while rolling and the motor sprung back to life and my odometer was fine. Upon returning home I turned off the ignition and flipped it back forward, the odometer lights were illuminated. Upon cranking the car and starting it, I get no numbers on the odometer!

So I've discovered that prior to cranking the car, the odometer displays as it should. After cranking I get no odometer display. If I "push start it" then the odometer displays ok. What can cause the odometer to not display AFTER starting the car?

I did some searching and found that it seems sort of common that after an engine install there are gauge issues. I believe it could be related to a ground. I'm going to be double checking the 2 grounds at the firewall next to the UIM. Where else should I be looking for an issue like this? The ECU WAS NOT disconnected at any point during the tear down.

Thanks!
Matt

Mrmatt3465 01-04-12 07:24 PM

I pulled the panel around the ECU to check to see if maybe my friend Oh-Shit-kicked something when I took him for a ride in the 7 today. I did not see any chaffed wires, pulled wires etc BUT I did find this unknown connector not connected. Can anyone identify this?

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...5/IMG_0623.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...5/IMG_0622.jpg

sc_frontier 01-04-12 09:22 PM

My tach stopped working a while after my recent rebuild, research indicates that the speedo and tach have weak solder joints... Have not pulled my cluster out yet though.

Mrmatt3465 01-04-12 09:33 PM

I pulled my cluster to replace the failed capacitor. I'd rather not have to pull the cluster again if my issue is not related to the cluster itself. Can anyone identify that plug in my second post?

FD3S2005 01-04-12 09:55 PM

i used to have this problem, sent it in to get fixed mostly because of the bouncy rpm and mph gauge. everything was fixed but now i got my bouncy tack again not sure wtf it is, just happens randomly. i think i may need to add more grounds somewhere

Mrmatt3465 01-04-12 10:16 PM

I did find a thread that had a picture of the ground for the entire cluster unit run off of one of the screws for the tach. I may try running a supplementary ground for the cluster unit itself as it appears the ground for it runs all the way through the engine harness under the UIM and is the one that grounds on the rats nest :/

Mrmatt3465 01-05-12 01:08 PM


Originally Posted by IMZman (Post 9725073)
More weird odometer dope. Brief history recapped from above threads...odo went blank. Performed repair (replaced all capacitors). Odo worked great for months and then began not coming on at first start in the morning. After driving 20 minutes or so...odo would come on and continue to work until parked over night and then above scenario would play out again.

I found if I removed the pos. battery cable, waited a few seconds and hooked it up again, the odo would come on. As the next few months progressed, the odo took longer and longer to come on (while driving) and my "pos. cable" trick no longer jump started the odo to life...then it started staying blank for days with intermittent working. When it came on, it would work correctly until parked for the night. Next morning, dead odo read out.

Note: the cruise control would not work properly (surging) when odo was out.

Now comes the odd part. I was starting the car and engaged the ignition WITHOUT pressing the clutch in...laughing at myself and without thinking...I stepped on the clutch WHILE CONTINUING to hold the key forward (did not recycle key). The engine immediately cooked off of course (don't they all?)...but then...the odometer did something strange...it came on (when it had been off for days), blinked once and the mileage disappeared...then the trip mileage reset itself to "0.0"...the odo. blinked again, and the mileage returned along with the zeroed out trip mileage...and the s.o.b. has been working flawlessly for the last 4 days (just poxed myself).

I'm sure it is just a fluke...I looked at the wiring diagram and see all this stuff is connected but electrons are a mystery to me. Just thought maybe someone else who has repaired their odo and had it go south...could try the same drill and see what happens? I would also like to know if someone with a working odo would try holding the key and then stepping of the clutch and see if the odo does the blinky-reset-trip-mileage thingy. I am too chicken shit to tempt the Mazda Gods again...

Surely to God...it can't be that simple...can it?

Unbelievable. I read this last night out of the thread which tells you how to fix your cluster by soldering in the new capacitors and what not. IMZman was also having an issue in which the odometer would not display with the engine running. His accidental fix in which he cranked the ignition forward and THEN pushed the clutch in to start just popped my odometer on. Unbelievable. I will post back if it stays on and if it will operate as normal. I'm speechless.

Mrmatt3465 01-05-12 04:12 PM

Update. It was a one time thing. I'm going to tear the cluster out this weekend and reinspect it's components

Mrmatt3465 01-05-12 08:28 PM

Hopefully this will be the last update. The only reason I respond to my own thread is for documentation in the event someone else experiences a similar problem.

I took my gauge cluster out to reinspect the components on the board. I could not find any other faulty components. When I replaced the blown capacitor the first time I soldered on both sides of the board as suggested by another forum member. Upon further inspection it seemed that one of my top solder joints was, well, crappy. I heated it up and remelted it so it looked prettier. Feeling defeated I decided to try something new.

In another thread that indicated how to wire up what I assume was a factory boost gauge in JDM clusters, a ground location was advised. I traced the contacts on the soft board on the cluster and found that the top screw for the tach is a common ground location for the all instruments on the cluster. I simply applied a ring terminal of proper gauge to the common ground and grounded it to the dash harness ground near the drivers kick panel.

My observations are as follows, I believe that fixing the poor solder joint is what solved my issue of the odometer not indicating post engine start. With the supplementary ground disconnected, the odometer flicks off during cranking and comes on immediately after the engine starts. With the supplementary ground in place, while cranking the odometer only slightly dimmed but remained on through cranking.

I believe the supplementary ground I added may be beneficial to the operation of my odometer and possibly yours. I am inconclusive as to if the supplementary ground fixed my problem but I do believe it may be beneficial to the longevity and performance of the cluster instruments in the same sense a grounding kit helps.

I hope this helps someone in the future.
Matt

txfdr2 01-06-12 12:01 AM

i did a vacuum job last week and lost my odometer as well. I read something in here about the ground on the rats nest, that is probably my problem.... but im not taking that out again any time soon! (i hope)

Mrmatt3465 01-06-12 09:19 AM

Try adding a supplementary ground to the gauge cluster and see if that helps :)

FD3S2005 01-07-12 03:51 PM

where do the extra grounds go on the cluster?

AzEKnightz 01-08-12 01:13 AM

Matt, very informative post as this might happen to anyone of us. Glad you took the time to explain the situation and your fix. It will help out the community in the long run, thank you!

-AzEKnightz

Mrmatt3465 01-08-12 01:34 AM

The extra ground goes to the top screw on the tach. I can post a picture if needed :)

FD3S2005 01-08-12 01:37 AM

picks on the ground for the cluster?

Sephek 01-08-12 02:22 AM

I see no one answered your question regarding the connector near the ecu.
I also asked the same question and it appears to be there for some sort of fan switch recall. Harnesses from newer models do not have this.

Mrmatt3465 01-08-12 09:49 AM

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...s/IMG_9026.jpg

This is the only picture I took.

Here is a picture I found. It's from purerx7's 99 spec cluster install. Therefore the cluster pictured is not a USDM cluster. However the white wire pointed out as a ground is the same one I used.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...s/IMG_9003.jpg

FD3S2005 01-08-12 02:59 PM

alright thanks, will be doing this, what gauge wire did you end up using?

Mrmatt3465 01-08-12 04:46 PM

Its nothing huge. I think it was 12g from advance auto. :P


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