My spedometer occasionally stops working, the needle falls down to zero mph. Seems to happen more when I travel over bumps in the road, but it does happen when the road is smooth. The needle also sometimes jumps up from zero and then fall back down when
I go over bumps, like it is trying to work again. The tachometer is fine, but the gas gauge sometimes seems to fluctuate when the spedometer stops working. Could it be a bad electrical connecter, wiring problem, computer problem, transmission speed sensor, or something else I haven't thought of.
2006-09-05 10:44:04 · 5 answers · asked by wally4u_1968 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Volkswagen
The dealer is right that clusters go bad, just like everything else having to do with the electronics on a VW (I own two) eventually will. They're still worth it for the mechanical gusto they pack.
The do-it-yourself (DIY) option is ok if you have the proper Bentley manual as a guide and are confident you'll not make things worth getting back to the wiring harness. It sounds like a loose wire or short, since the readings aren't associated with a fluctuation in performance. That would be easy and cheap to fix except for the labor of finding it.
Check out the VW forums at VWVortex, it's the place for finding in-depth answers to questions like these from mechanics and DIY'rs (and it's free to post and read the threads).
2006-09-05 11:03:43 · answer #1 · answered by Klentis Maccabee 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with the VW mechanic. Because it is all the various portions of your speedometer that are going crazy and they all have different sending units, it is likely that your cluster is going bad.
I have a 95 Jetta GLX that I just had to replace my cluster because the speedo and tach both just stopped reading one day. Gas guage worked fine, odometer worked fine, but no readings on the gauges themselves.
I found a used one on ebay within 100 miles of what my mileage was so I bought it and swapped it out.
If you are going to try to swap your gauge, it is very easy, but you have to make sure you get the same type of gauge cluster.
If you have a 2.0 with an automatic, you need to make sure you get one from a 2.0 automatic. If you have a VR6 with an auto, get one from a VR6 with an auto, etc.
You also have an OBD II (smog diagnostics system) car, so any speedometer you get should be from a 1996 or newer car. the older speedometers won't work correctly in your car.
2006-09-06 14:53:34 · answer #2 · answered by glxtasy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just bought a 1996 VW JETTA and the speedometer doesn't work so I guess it's an electric speedometer and not a cable type right
2015-10-31 08:55:00 · answer #3 · answered by Chuck 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I work at a VW dealership, and all Jetta's are know for the instrument cluster going bad. You will have to give them a call and just replace the whole thing.
2006-09-05 10:46:09 · answer #4 · answered by jagerchick80 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
poo on that WV employee guy, try taking the dash cluster out and check the connections, if it's sporadically working then that tells me there is a short somewhere in the system. now-a-days the dash clusters are printed circuit boards and have very weak connections to the wiring harness. take it apart and try for yourself before you commit yourself to a dealer/mechanic to spend your hard earned $$ for nothing!! happy motoring...
2006-09-05 10:50:54 · answer #5 · answered by turtle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋