DrSpeedometer.com - Instrument Cluster Repair, Speedometer Repair and Tachometer Repair

Chevy Silverado Instrument Clusters, Why They Quit Working

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Chevy makes a great truck, no doubt about that.  Where I’m from they’re easily the most common truck on the road and to see them with way over 100k miles is common place, in fact my own Z71 has over 185k and is still in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition.  But, there’s one area where Chevy really dropped the ball, well, to be honest it wasn’t their fault.

As you probably know by now Chevy Silverado’s, Trailblazer’s, Tahoe’s, Suburban’s, Yukon’s and more have a chronic speedometer failure problem – but why?  Well, the supplier they used for their instrument cluster stepper motors simply produced an inferior product that fails over time in the vast majority of applications, it wasn’t exactly Chevy’s fault, they didn’t make the motors they used in the speedometers.  But, if you have a higher mileage (over 70k) GM they aren’t going to do anything about it at the dealer if you go in and complain that your instrument cluster quit working either.  So that’s where I come in, I replace the defective parts (and the ones that haven’t gone out yet but will) with new redesigned, improved parts which I stand for as long as you own the vehicle!  Call toll free at 1-800-405-1056 to speak with me or visit the site at Silverado Instrument Cluster Repair

How does a speed sensor work with an instrument cluster?

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The vast majority of automotive instrument clusters and speedometers produced currently are electronic, meaning they use a speed sensor to determine the vehicles speed instead of a mechanical linkage from the instrument cluster to the transmission as in a mechanical speedometer cluster.  This is true in 2003,2004, 2005, 2006 Chevy, Buick, GM, Cadillac, Isuzu, GMC models and many others.

Typically the speed sensor mounts on the transmission and gets its signal from a toothed gear inside the transmission housing.  The sensor has an electric current running through it and a magnetic tip that sits very close to the teeth on the gear.  When the gear spins, the teeth pass by the magnetic tip of the sensor causing a spike in the electrical signal which the computer registers over time.  The more spikes in a given time period the higher speed it displays on your speedometer cluster!

If you have a wiring problem such as rodents chewing on the wires, wires getting rubbed open or broken or in rare instances a sensor failing it will cause your speedometer to stop working and can cause other seemingly unrelated problems to occur as well because the vehicle could be using that sensors signal for lots of other systems such as traction control.

Why do speedometers go out?

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There can be a number of different reasons why speedometer or instrument clusters go out.  The first step to figuring out the problem is ofter to determine if your speedometer gets it’s speed signal from an electric sensor (electronic speedometer) or from a cable (manual speedometer).  It’s easiest to tell by pulling out your instrument panel and having a look at the back side.  If all you see is an electrical plug then you have an electronic speedo cluster, if you have a mechanical cable of course it’s a manual unit.

Manual instrument clusters often fail when the cable itself wears out from the constant use over tens of thousands of miles.  We don’t repair those here at Dr. Speedometer.com but we can get you a whole replacement unit for usually a great price.  Electronic speedometer clusters actually rarely fail except for a few makes and models such as 2003-2006 GM vehicles which we specialize in.  Those models almost always fail due to a faulty stepper motor that controls the gauge’s movement including the oil pressure gauge, temp gauge, tachometer and others.  On other models it is more common to have a damaged wire or a faulty speed sensor which you can usually find mounted on your transmission.  Other common failures are dim lights or failed electronic odometer displays.

If you’re experiencing any of these problems call the Doc today or order online to get back on the road safely!