broken speedometer

hi, my brother just bought a 1989 maxima with about 120k miles on it about a month ago. the car worked great and is very mechanicly sound but about a week ago the speedometer just stopped working and so he brought the car to me to see if i can fix it. i was wondering what the easiest way to take off the dash is. i have never worked on a nissan before and want to know if there are any things that i should be concerned with in the dash when i begin this project? thanks a lot!!

Wow, japanese cars aren't simple dude, and the odds of getting them back together exactly are slim, i would recommend just taking it in to the dealer, and if you don't like their price offer, i could get you an aftermarket spedometer and hook it up for you, or i could tell you how, or i could refer you to a couple of friends of mine, whichever you prefer, and in all, definitely not to say that you're not capable, it's just that nissan's are so nice...

I completely took apart the dash board and was able to take out the speedometer and much to my dismay found out that it was electric and computerized even though it had a needle. Having most of my car experience with older American cars I expected a mechanical speedometer running with a cable from the transmission. If anyone knows where the problem might lie, since it’s not with the speedometer in the dashboard that would be a great help. thanks again.

is it all the guages or is it just the speedo? check your fuses, i know there's a 10a that runs your dash. maybe #13.

it is just the speedometer and the odometer that are not working the tach and the other gauges still work correctly. i checked the fuses for the dash and they all were still good. is there like a speed sensor or something to that effect that can go on these cars (something uder the hood)?

There is a speed sensor, but it most likely won't fix the problem. I have the same issue with my baby I have to get a new cluster. :(

you might have to buy a new guage cluster =/
Seen this b4 and thats what they had to do. Resale goes to shit cuz of the false reading on the OD and whatnot.
ANd you have to register with the DMV with the incident so you dont get caught for fraud if you sell the car.

Sounds like the cluster to me. Junk yard find, or you may find one on ebay. Figure on $35-$60 depending on how much of a hurry you're in and how long you're willing to wait on a better deal that $60.

Tdaily

I had mine stop too in my 87 but it is digital and all i did was put in a new speed sensor and it has been fine ever since.

I got the same problem with my 91 maxima. Could anyone please tell me where's the speed sensor located?

I know on my 87 it is on the fire wall under the hood right in the center.A little round thing with a cable going in one side from the tranny and a set of wires out the other side to the dash.It may be diffrent on your 91 tho.

My experience: I have an intermitten speedometer problem that I traced back to the speed sensor. I have taken the instrument cluster apart and found no faults. When I examined the speed sensor (the vertical cylinder located next to the oil filter on my automatic transmission) I found that the two wire leads were in fact hanging by a single wire strand and ready to fall off. This was the cause of the intermitten signal. The speed sensor is held in place by a single 10 mm hex bolt and can be removed straight out of its socket by twisting back and forth. Take care not to let dirt fall into socket (ie, clean the area before removing). To test the part, hook up a voltmeter to the leads set on AC voltage. Spin the speed sensor gear and you should see about 0-0.5 volts. (I actually got about 0.8 V on mine first spin) A new replacement speed sensor from Nissan is about $150 here in Pittsburgh. A new instrument cluster is about $225 and requires odometer reading verification so that Nissan can preset your odometer to your current reading. You'll also need your VIN number to verify. I would like to know if others have similar experience. Thanks.

I had mine stop too in my 87 but it is digital and all i did was put in a new speed sensor and it has been fine ever since.
Keith I have a 87 also where did you get the speed sensor from and also where is it located. Not sure if it is the problem some times the speed odometer works and sometimes it dosen't. Thanks for any help.

Keith I have a 87 also where did you get the speed sensor from and also where is it located. Not sure if it is the problem some times the speed odometer works and sometimes it dosen't. Thanks for any help.
Mike I got mine from my parts car that I bought,but you can find them at a junk yard.If not you have to get them from the dealer(it is one of them dealer only parts)and there 350 bucks new.best bet is to look in the junk yard and hope that it is a good one.


Keith

Mike I got mine from my parts car that I bought,but you can find them at a junk yard.If not you have to get them from the dealer(it is one of them dealer only parts)and there 350 bucks new.best bet is to look in the junk yard and hope that it is a good one.


Keith

Thanks for the info keith. Got one at the junk yard. and it works wow!! Now I get to do the CV joints fun!!!

Thanks for the info keith. Got one at the junk yard. and it works wow!! Now I get to do the CV joints fun!!!
done those too... drivers side is not too bad to do,passenger side hope you got small hands cause the bolts on the inside by the tranny are a little tricky.get a book for the car if you don't have one already will be most handy.best if you can get a FSM if not a chilton will do fine.

Many thanks to lkly2l.
My Speedo is about 5mph fast at 80mph (passing the radar signs on the highway that tell you how fast you are going) and I had thought this meant that the speedo was about to break. 6 months later the speedo worked intermitently for 2 weeks and then quit. Its the only reading on the dash that died.

Like some of the others here i had already pulled apart the dash expecting to find a broken cable leading to the trans, (it has a section for the speedometer cable in teh chiltons book), but alas there was none. Searching online brought me here. lkly2l directions were good on for the speed sensor. its a few inches below the oil filter, verticle mount and about 2" in diameter. I pulled mine out, but in doing so the top cap came off. It appears that the top part (where the electical wires go, its black) fits snuggly into a verticle metal piece that is attached to the transmission. So if you unbolt it you should have 2 pieces (if you pull the black piece out with the wires). I put mine back together and now the speedo works. I think the black piece was not in all the way so it was not making a connection to the spinning wheel inside the speed sensor.