dashboard electrical problems

[modernist]

Anyone had this problem? Liberty with 44000 miles everything ok since day one. This past weekend ABS light and Brake light (both) come on and speedometer starts going eratic while waiting at intersection. Speedometer needle bouncing around wildly, sometimes past the 100mph mark while standing still. All this happened at the same time. Drove home only to have the speedometer stop working altogether the next day and then, to make things worse the "check engine" light comes on the next day. Now I've got the brake light, abs light and check engine light on and no working speedometer. Any info would help.

Thanks

[xj31]

all of that works off of the speed sensor that is on the top of the rear differential.it is either the sensor or the wiring to it

[AlohaBra]

Originally Posted by modernist

Anyone had this problem? Liberty with 44000 miles everything ok since day one. This past weekend ABS light and Brake light (both) come on and speedometer starts going eratic while waiting at intersection. Speedometer needle bouncing around wildly, sometimes past the 100mph mark while standing still. All this happened at the same time. Drove home only to have the speedometer stop working altogether the next day and then, to make things worse the "check engine" light comes on the next day. Now I've got the brake light, abs light and check engine light on and no working speedometer. Any info would help.

Thanks

Try removing it and cleaning it. Speed sensors in the "diff" get metal flakes that stick to the magnetic part which senses the teeth of the ring rear as it spins by (it counts the number of teeth per revoltution).

[boomher]

Got the exact same problem with a 94 Pontiac Grand Prix - chased a few electrical leads, but to no avail...

I will check the diff and let you know - somewhere on the tranny up front I assume, with the Pontiac being front wheel drive...

[kenz4949]

I had problems like this in my 98 Cherokee. Sometimes the speedo and tach would read 0 at highway speed, the brake light might come on, the fuel gauge would read empty -- even the airbag warning light would get it's own personality. I found that removing the instrument cluster and cleaning the contacts in the two plugs on the cluster and on the wire harness where the cluster plugs in fix the intermittant weird problems. I used spray electrical contact cleaner. Also make sure that when you plug the cluster back in to the harness plugs that the plugs are completely seated for good contact. The Cherokee dash was pretty easy to disassemble - I haven't tried the Liberty yet. Haven't need to, but your problem sounds weird enough that this may help.

Ken