95 Nissan Hardbody v6 speedo issues

[Anthony]

I was driving this truck today ,and noticed that the mileage ,and trip meter stopped working. The actual speed portion works fine.

I hit the dash a couple of times ,and it started working again. About 25 miles later it stopped again so I hit the dash again and its currently working.

Any ideas what the prob is?
Thanks.

 

[NHGUY]

Maybe a bad connection at the cluster/pin interface? Cracked solder on the board?

 

[Towncivilian]

Don't you have a 93?

Tighten the brass screws on the back of the instrument cluster (they are the grounds) and try to examine the solder joints for cracks as NHGUY posted. If that doesn't fix it and you can't find any bad solder joints, you probably need to get a new cluster.

 

[Anthony]

Originally Posted By: Towncivilian
Don't you have a 93?

Tighten the brass screws on the back of the instrument cluster (they are the grounds) and try to examine the solder joints for cracks as NHGUY posted. If that doesn't fix it and you can't find any bad solder joints, you probably need to get a new cluster.


Thanks for the tips!
And yes I have a 93. Due to the issues the 93 has been having, this 95 is the replacement.

 

[Towncivilian]

Is it a 4x4 manual trans? If so, you need to overfill the trans, read here.

 

[Anthony]

Thanks for the tip on the trans!
I have heard about that a few times over the years.

This one is a V6 2wd.
I plan on getting some Amsoil in that tranny tomorrow.

 

[Anthony]

I did what you said Town.
Pulled the cluster this morning and although the brass screws didn't seem loose I snugged them up just a bit.

Put it back together ,and did some running around for roughly 10 miles ,and it worked the entire time.

I hope it stays that way!
I also used the cruise control for the first time ,and it worked perfectly so I guess the speed sensor is doing its job.

Thanks for the help!

 

[wtd]

My son has a 95 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 with the V6 that the speedometer and odometer don't work. I'm not sure about the cruise control. I replaced the VSS and it did not fix the problem.

I've read online that this is a common problem on this style Pathfinder and on the trucks. I ordered a new circuit board for the back of the cluster in case that is what it needs. It was only $52. I tried inquiring about the price for the entire cluster but the parts guy said that it didn't give a price for the entire thing but for the different parts that make up the cluster. The odometer alone was over $600 and the speedometer was over $200.

My son is coming down to visit on Christmas for a couple of days so I will pull the cluster and see if the circuit board looks bad and make sure the brass screws are tight. This truck has had the odometer replaced in the past judging by the sticker on the door jamb.

Wayne

 

[Towncivilian]

Check the speedometer gear, maybe a tooth chipped off or stripped. I'm not sure if that affects the odometer, but tightening the grounds is a good idea in that regard.

If your son's 95 Pathfinder is a manual, that TSB about overfilling the trans I linked above is still relevant. If it's an auto, bypass the stock transmission cooler because it is prone to clogging, or clean it out very well (see this TSB). Install an in-line filter like a Magnefine in either case.

 

[artificialist]

There are some places that repair instrument clusters, you might find on in your phone book. Where I live, there is a place called "Southern Speedometer" and he usually charges $100 to fix an analog cluster or $200 to fix a digital one.

 

[wtd]

My son's Pathfinder is an automatic. I will check out that TSB. When I was replacing the VSS, I looked at the gear inside the transfer case where the VSS engages to and it looked fine.

I will have to look in the phone book to see if anyone fixes instrument clusters around here. Thanks for the information.

Wayne

 

[wtd]

Well, I replaced the circuit board on the back of the cluster on my Son's 95 Pathfinder and it did not fix the speedometer so the speedometer head itself must be bad but I'm not going to spend $280 for a new one to see if that is the problem.

I found a used cluster on Ebay for this vehicle and the seller has several for sale but he would never answer me when I asked if the speedometer worked or if he could guarantee that the speedometer had worked when it was pulled from the vehicle. He wants $109 for his clusters.

I'm not sure what I will do next other to see if anyone fixes these locally. If it is just replacing the speedometer head, I can do that myself.

Well, I have about $110 in this problem so far with no resolution. Kind of a bummer.

Wayne

 

[Towncivilian]

Have you tried tightening the brass ground screws?

The 94/95 clusters are electronic, no physical cable for the speedometer I believe. The speedometer and odometer not working is an oddity - usually the rest of the cluster dies, or just the fuel/temp gauges stop working when the voltage regulator kicks the bucket.

I'd replace the whole cluster if tightening the ground screws doesn't help. I know someone who has a good working 95 cluster with 170k-ish miles on it who will be willing to send it to you for the cost of shipping & handling if you are interested, and he'll test it in his Pathfinder before shipping to ensure its operation.

 

[wtd]

Towncivilian,
I did tighten the ground screws as I had to remove all of them to replace the printed circuit board on the back of the cluster. There is no speedometer cable on this cluster, just four plug ins.

I would be very interested in your friend's cluster if it is the correct one. Here is a picture of one on Ebay that is what my son's looks like. http://www.ebay.com/itm/150718878267?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 My son's Pathfinder is a 95 4x4/automatic tranny, XE V6

If his is like the one in the picture, my email address is [email protected] and my zip code is 65605 to figure out what shipping and handling would be. I really appreciate the offer. Thanks.

Wayne