No odometer with engie running
01-04-12, 06:06 PM
#1
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
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
01-04-12, 07:24 PM
#2
I pulled the panel around the ECU to check to see if maybe my friend Oh-****-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?
01-04-12, 09:55 PM
#5
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
01-04-12, 10:16 PM
#6
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 :/
01-05-12, 01:08 PM
#7
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 **** to tempt the Mazda Gods again...
Surely to God...it can't be that simple...can it?
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 **** to tempt the Mazda Gods again...
Surely to God...it can't be that simple...can it?
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01-05-12, 08:28 PM
#9
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
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
01-06-12, 12:01 AM
#10
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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)
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