These two should be totally unrelated... but they started going bad the exact same day.

The speedometer just reads zero, I know it's mechanical cable to the rear of the transmission... I took the cable out, the worm gear is not broken.

Same exact time, I notice my stock fuel gauge reads way past full on initial startup with the key and then takes several minutes to slowly draw down to the actual reading.

The fuel gauge does this even when the car is parked on a level surface, the first time I noticed it I was parked on a major incline so I thought the fuel sloshed to the back of the tank giving a false reading... but it does it on flat pavement too.

So, even though they are two separate problems, they started on the same day, the very same time. Could my cluster be going bad?

 

Your anti slosh could be acting up or dying. It's that little pc board gismo in the top left of the cluster looking at it from the back, Speedo is totally separate. The cable could have slipped out of the back of the speedo. Not real likely but maybe. It could be the drive gear/driven gear in the tranny lost all it's teeth...plastic ya know. Or, the speedos do just give up the ghost occasionally. I'd check the gears on the tranny end of the cable first.

 

Thank you Dr.Dirt, I wasn't aware there was a specific module for anti-slosh. I appreciate the help.

 

My gas gauge pegged yesterday and wont come back from way past full.

Where is this gizmo and can it be repaired or where do we get replacements?

Sorry to thread jack, but we look to have the same problem.

 

Dr. Dirt said it's on the left upper side of the gauge cluster if you are looking at it from behind.

I imagine they sell them, maybe NAPA or similar auto parts stores.

I haven't taken mine apart yet, maybe when it stops raining.

 

Yea, I just put in a new brake booster last weekend.

What fun that was. I cant wait to get back into the damn dash!

 

Tell me about it.

 

Another possibility on the gas gauge is the sending unit itself. It's a flimsy little pot or rheostat gizmo. The wiper could be worn out.

 

Yea, I thought of that. I should have replaced it when I put in the new tank last year.

The sending unit is only what, 23 years old now.

 

Yeah and if you ever take one of them apart you'll wonder how that plastic and tin foil POS ever worked.