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Tachometer and Speedometer not Working

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Old Mar 30, 2012 | 09:52 AM
  #1  
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Tachometer and Speedometer not Working

Searched for similar problems but could not find a suitable solution.

Here are the symptoms:

Over a year ago the odometer died. Suspect it is the usual cold solder problems. I don't care - the odometer can stay broken for all I care.

Several weeks ago the tachometer and speedometer would work intermittently. They would either both work or both would not work. No long after that, they both stopped for good.

PFC reads zero km/hr on the commander.

Lots of other electrical does not work either and has not for years. Air bag light is always on - car has never had air bags deployed. ABS light always goes on when car starts moving. All kinds of beeps from the cluster at random times.

Really i can deal with most of the shitty FD electrical problems outlined above. The tachometer and speedometer breaking are the last straw. If I could just get those two working again, all would be golden. Black tape over the ABS and airbag lights will fix the rest.
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Old Mar 30, 2012 | 12:56 PM
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I believe the speedometer/odometer are the main board for pretty much most of your cluster. If your speedo board goes out, your RPM usually follows. Their are many threads on the various capacitors that tend to fail and what you can do to replace them. Going with a pretty JDM cluster is what many do. That or I believe there is a guy on the forum you can send it to and he can bench check and repair your cluster.

Matt
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Old Mar 30, 2012 | 01:27 PM
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+1

It sounds like gremlins have been getting to your electrical system. You probably either need to get a new cluster or re-work the one you have.

If you don't want a new one, you need to go in and check the whole unit. Here is a thread about the odometer which I'm sure you have seen: https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/just-got-done-figuring-out-how-fix-fd-odometer-599220/ I'd do what he did and pull it open, look around at everything and replace what seems to have gone bad, and reinstall. I'd also check grounds and the rest of your wiring to make sure nothing has been chewing on it.

From prior research I believe that the transmission speed sensor goes through the speedometer first before going to the ECU which is why the PFC reads zero. But, that was over a year ago when I looked all that up so I could be wrong.
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Old Mar 30, 2012 | 01:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Mrmatt3465
I believe the speedometer/odometer are the main board for pretty much most of your cluster. If your speedo board goes out, your RPM usually follows. Their are many threads on the various capacitors that tend to fail and what you can do to replace them. Going with a pretty JDM cluster is what many do. That or I believe there is a guy on the forum you can send it to and he can bench check and repair your cluster.

Matt
Yeah - what I have is a Cluster ****.

I can't do JDM because they are stoopid expensive (seem to go for more than USDM) and they read in km/hr. I don't know WTF about km/hr. I think thats some Canadian currency or something. I dunno - but I can't work with them nor do I want to try. Everyone needs to get with the program and use mph like the civilized world.

There is no thread on fixing the speedo and tach that I can find - at least one that outlines the resolution. Plenty of people bitchin theirs is broken but they never give the fix.

I don't care about the odometer. At all. It can stay broken.


I can send my cluster out but I don't think there is anyone fixing them that I can find. I don't want to spend more than I can get another working one for.
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Old Mar 30, 2012 | 08:36 PM
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I have the same exact problem. Last year the odometer went out and last week my tach and speedometer died. I been looking at all the different options and I decided to just get a new oem cluster and call it a day. I thought about repairing it but I want to do this once and forget about it, BTW anyone know what a new cluster costs? I'll be calling Ray at Malloy soon.
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Old Mar 30, 2012 | 08:41 PM
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The whole instrument cluster is about $1700 retail from Mazda. Just the tach alone is over $800.
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Old Mar 30, 2012 | 10:01 PM
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Dammmmn, thanks. Might have to rethink that one lol!
Originally Posted by dgeesaman
The whole instrument cluster is about $1700 retail from Mazda. Just the tach alone is over $800.
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