1991 buick regal odometer malfunctioning

[kadillakman]

my regal has a digital speedometer and an analog { standard type odometer }. my speedometer works fine but the odometer stops, goes forward, backward, normal for awhile and so on. can anyone help me here. i can't figure this one out and i don't want to rip it apart if there may be some simple repair....any help would be appreciated

[PFJ5K]

Odometer problems on 88-92 regals with this gauge cluster are very common. In these cars the transmission sends a signal to the speedometer to determine the speed (there is no speedometer cable) and the odometer is run by a stepper motor. From what I've heard there is an IC in the cluster that fails and causes the odometer to act erratically or stop all together.

I wouldn't recommend trying to fix it yourself unless you are farmiliar with electronics. There is a site (mrwhizard.com) that can repair the odometer for $149.

I have had these same problems with my car since I bought it but decided that it is not worth fixing as long as the speedometer still works. In my car the odometer tends to act strangely when the weather changes from warm to cold so the problem may be temperature related.

[Mr. Automatic]

The speedo and tach aren't working in my 92 (but the odometer still works), so is there an easier (cheaper) fix to this

[PFJ5K]

Originally Posted by Mr. Automatic

The speedo and tach aren't working in my 92 (but the odometer still works), so is there an easier (cheaper) fix to this

The fact that your odometer still works but the speedometer doesn't probably indicates that something is broken inside of the gauge cluster. The GM service manual doesn't have any internal wiring diagrams or information on how to repair the instrument cluster (at least the 92 manual I have for my car). So to repair one yourself you will need to figure out how it works, what's wrong and than how to fix it.

Since you have the full analog cluster (tach, oil, volts, etc.) your best bet would be to pick up a used gauge cluster. I have seen a few on Ebay for $35 or $40. The analog gauges are fairly reliable and a used one should last for as long as you have the car.

The odometer problem on the digital cluster is so prevalent that even if you install a used cluster, chances are that the odometer will not work properly in that one either.

[potlicker]

Originally Posted by PFJ5K

Odometer problems on 88-92 regals with this gauge cluster are very common. In these cars the transmission sends a signal to the speedometer to determine the speed (there is no speedometer cable) and the odometer is run by a stepper motor. From what I've heard there is an IC in the cluster that fails and causes the odometer to act erratically or stop all together.

I wouldn't recommend trying to fix it yourself unless you are farmiliar with electronics. There is a site (mrwhizard.com) that can repair the odometer for $149.

I have had these same problems with my car since I bought it but decided that it is not worth fixing as long as the speedometer still works. In my car the odometer tends to act strangely when the weather changes from warm to cold so the problem may be temperature related.

My wife use to come home and tell me that the 89 regal she drove at the time would at times spin the odometer while setting at a stop sign I thought she was nuts I guess i owe her an appology.