Speedometer Problems w/95 Camaro

[vinceruth]

Hey gang - 1st time on the forums; found you guys while in search of some answers...no where else have I found as much info on my car...

The situation is this - I have 1995 3.4L V6 Convertible Camaro (97,324 miles) that I inherited from my mom - body's in great shape and over the past year I've only replaced some smaller stuff on it. I've learned routine maintenance and such (former NYC boy living out here in Southern California). A month ago I noticed I had fluid under the car - tranny fluid, not alot but nevertheless, it was there. A friend of mine is a mechanic and he looked at it - it was the speedo seal - $2.63 and 40 bucks for his effort and the leak was fixed.

A week goes by and I'm hightailing it up north for work and I notice that as soon as I hit 68-70 mph on the freeway, the speedo starts fluctuating up and down - as I slow down it re-engages. Now I realize that he must have mucked it up when he fixed the seal, and from what I've learned there's a gear in there that's probably slipping. Is it causing more damage to my tranny? Is it a cheap and easy fix that maybe I can do? Or maybe I'm completely wrong and my $2.65 problem is now very very expensive. Since he messed it up to begin with, I'm hesitant to go back to him without being armed with more info. Can anyone help me?

Thanks in advance - V

[89IROC&RS]

hmmm thats a trickey one, although, to my knowledge the speedo in the fourth gen camaros, and the last years of the third gen, are electric, not speedo driven, so if the speedo is goin up and down, the speed sensor could be bad, the guage cluster may need to be replaced, or the gears inside the tranny on the speed sensor may be stripped. although i dont really know how he may have damaged something just putting a new seal on it. unless he dropped the speed sensor onto the ground or something. id have a shop check it out. one hour diagnosis fee, and should tell ya whats wrong.

[vinceruth]

Thanks - I'll give it a shot.

V

[96CamaroSS]

There is a gear inside the trans housing on the output shaft but it doesn't touch the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) it spins and the VSS picks up the signal by way of a magnet. So it can't be stripped... I'd say the VSS got dropped and now it's all screwed up, and reading wrong.

[gurrzt]

You do not state wether your vehicle is an automatic or not, however if it is an automatic, the PCM uses the speedometer readings + the MAF readings to shift the vehicle.

[formulaross]

Can't tell after the fact whether your mechanic friend damaged the sensor or not. And, they can go bad on their own. Cost should be minimal. I suggest that you don't let this ruin a frienship.

[vinceruth]

It is an automatic, and ironically, it's been shifting fine - better, in fact than it has. I'm not going to let it ruin the friendship at all - just being cautious, you know? I'm trying to research the part (VSS) and getting pricing. I usually use GM Parts Direct (I had to replace my power window motor & water pump) - do any of you have an alternative suggestion than GM Parts??

Thanks to all who gave me their two cents - I'm glad to have found a some place to get sound advice.

V
V

[vinceruth]

Hey - just to follow up - I got a new vss ($32@Kragen) and took out the old one. Seems when they re-installed the old one after fixing the leaky seal, they pushed it in to far - didn't just let the screw take it in - and the sppedo gear wheel touched one of the two sensor strips and bent it slightly inward. the gap between the two sensor strips was decreased and the result - false readings after 65 mph. I had never heard of that problem before - just thought I'd throw that one into the info pool...

Thanks again for all your suggestions/help.

V

[Chevyracincamaro]

thats good to know, thanks for the follow up...