Odometer not working

Does anyone know the main reason for an odometer to quit working and how to fix it thanks it works every once in a while 88 169,000 miles thanks

speedometer cable.

If that's got the digital spedometer, it's probably a loose connection.

Yeah i'm pretty sure that its the electronic one because sometimes it works and some times it doesn't any clue as how to access it thanks

if its an 88 it still has the cable driven speedo, gm didnt go elctric till 92. coul djust be a bad odometer, i had it happen to my 90 chevy before i wrecked it. if the speedo is still working then somthing internal is wrong. if the speedo stops working then you could have a cable case that is going bad, or the speedo drive gear in the tranny is going bad. try putting some liqud graffite down the speedo cable, from the top ( end that mounts to the instument cluster.

btw ..........ive never seen an 88 with a digital dash unless it was purchased from dakota digital ( aftermarket). not to say there not out there , ive just never seen one.

I replaced the instrument cluster in my 88 with a used one I bought on ebay because my odometer was not working. I think it is electric because there was no cable coming into the back of the instrument cluster. Just an electrical pin fitting of some sort.

Used one works great. Cost somehwere around $50 if I remember.

it IS an electrical problem. Although the odometer is gear driven inside the unit.

I figured it was gear driven just electronically sent to the guages the owner said he played around with a wire from it he said he got it working for some time put then it quit he said it just looked like it needed to be cleaned up and every now and then it starts working then quits i just wouldn't know how to access the wire i tried taking out the four screws in the dash and tried to take it off but it felt like it didn't want to and i didn't want to mess it up anymore than it already is. Is there anything else i need to do to take that dash off thanks

sorry i should have been more clear. i knew they were eletrical clusters at the dash ( i owned a 90 ex-cab for a while) . i was refering to the cable driven portion before that. sorry for the confuison on my part.

I took off the whole dash and took out the gage cluster and a little black thing was broken for making the odometer spin but even more suprising is there was fishing line wrapped around the odometer it looked like it was put there to slow down the odometer and thats what caused the black thing to break has anyone ever heard of that little trick thanks

Whats the problem? Drive the damn thing, change your oil every three months and when you get ready to sell it, fix it and say nothing about it quitting on you. ;)

I've never heard of fishing line to slow down the odometer. It's gear driven, so it doesn't seem like it would slow it down at all. Maybe someone else knows for sure?

Whats the problem? Drive the damn thing, change your oil every three months and when you get ready to sell it, fix it and say nothing about it quitting on you. ;)


If they do a Carfax on it, it will show up as a dead speedo.

Also, it's Electric, but the odomiter works with plastic gears. So, it dosn't take much to kill the thing...

If they do a Carfax on it, it will show up as a dead speedo.

Also, it's Electric, but the odomiter works with plastic gears. So, it dosn't take much to kill the thing...

Only if it's been to the shop twice while it was stopped.

That's what I was thinking, either it'd work normally, or break all together.

There is no speedo cable on 88 and up C-K series trucks. They are all electronic. These odometers are not hermetically sealed. In Texas and other dusty locations fine dust gets into the odometer and gums up the works so to speak. The black (on some is white)gear referenced as broken is the gear on the odometer shaft--it cannot take the torque caused by this and breaks or spins on the shaft. If you don't want to buy any new parts or can't find them you can fix the gear with a drop or two of super glue. After this dries, soak the odometer down good with a silicone spray lubricant to wash out the dust and lubricate it. Pat it down with a soft cloth to remove excess silicone spray and it should now work. All of the above assumes that you have removed the odometer from the instrument panel and are working on it at your workbench.

I thought I would revive this thread since i just discovered my odometer stopped turning along with the trip gauge. I guess they are tied together somehow.

biglogonafrogbig, was you able to fix your odometer?

I thought I would revive this thread since i just discovered my odometer stopped turning along with the trip gauge. I guess they are tied together somehow.

biglogonafrogbig, was you able to fix your odometer?


Yeah but my problem was probably difrent then yours someone had tied fishing line around the bar where it turns the odometer and it caused the spindle to break and i had to super glue it back together. But theres this little metal piece that ties the odometer to the trip meter. To see it though you have to take the dash part off and then the screen.