1992 Ford Escort LX 1.9 Liter

[jmr1068204]

The speedometer stopped working on a 1992 Ford Escort LX 1.9 Liter. The guy at the shop basically said that it would cost more to fix it than it was worth fixing. About $300+ if it was to be done. He said that it was the "spring" behind the speedometer gauge. He took it for a test drive and said that if it was the speedometer cable, that it would be bouncing back and forth. But it's not moving at all, which is why he stated that it is the spring behind the speedometer gauge. Also, the mileage is not working...neither the part that you can reset to tell you how many miles you went on say, a trip or something. The RPM gauge is working fine...the gas gauge and all the other stuff. I think the guy at the shop said that rather than replacing the spring itself...that it would be cheaper to replace the console. What do all of you think?

Also...I'm a Do-It-Yourself'er for basically everything. Is this something that I would be able to do fairly easily? He said it's not electronic...but I know the other stuff is probably electronic (gas gauge, I know the lights are, etc.) Will have to get the part at the Ford dealership if I could do this myself, but I was wondering...do any of you know how technical it gets with the wiring and such for the gauges and lights? (Meaning...is it just plugs that plug into one another for each gauge/light, or will I have to do a lot of splicing the wires together or something?) Also...will I have to replace the actual entire console for all of the other gauges/lights together, or is it possible to change just this one gauge within the console? Thanks in advance for any help and replies.

[bigrod118]

well your best bet, if the dealership still has any or can still order some, is to go there and ask for a new speedometer gauge for the dash, not the speed-o-meter. and its comes as one piece, and has 3 prongs on the back of it that plug into the gauge cluster, you'll have to drop the steering column(four bolts) and tahke off the dash trim ( a couple torx screws) then the clear plastic sheild(more torx) and then with a screw driver remove two wire clips in the back on each side, on the top(kinda on a diagonal) then the cluster itself has some more room to move, then you need to get your hands back there and you'll feel the speed-o-meter cable that goes to the back of the gauge, you need to sqeeuze it on the sides(it'll be frustrating) and I found it easier to play in the back with one hand and from underneath the whole dash(by the pedels), to reach up and find that cable to hold onto it and push it forward to get a better grip on it then push the sides in, and pull it back to get it out of the gauge. then the gauge just pulls out on the cluster and that one piece that you take out should be what the dealer ship can get you, or at least you have it out not so you can look at it to see if you can fix the spring yourself. but that is how you'll get it out, its a pain the first time. have fun.