Apparently we MUST have a working speedometer

"thebigbossyboss" (thebigbossyboss)
12/17/2015 at 12:41 • Filed to: None

BC insists that any car registered to it’s jurisdiction have a working speedometer. Mine in my 2003 Cavalier doesn’t work. Therefore my mileage shall go from 223,000 to 80,000 when I put the new cluster in unless I can figure out how to fix that. How does one fix that?

Here is my car.

DISCUSSION (59)

Party-vi > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 12:45

Speedometer or odometer?

ETA: It might be a bad stepper motor. You would need to purchase a new motor, remove the old motor and solder in the new one.

bob and john > Party-vi
12/17/2015 at 12:46

speedo needs to work, he is asking to to change odo to the correct #

Seat Safety Switch > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 12:46

What happens if you hot glue a smartphone with a GPS speedometer app to the dashboard?

thebigbossyboss > Seat Safety Switch
12/17/2015 at 12:48

Hahaha I dont know.

thebigbossyboss > Party-vi
12/17/2015 at 12:49

Speedometer needs to work, but the cluster is coming out in it’s entirety.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 12:51

Generally you can’t roll up an odometer. You just have to make a note that it’s not actual mileage when/if you go to sell the car.

BJ > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 12:52

Ask the provincial authority, but you may just be able to record an “original mileage” and the starting point of the new odo so that it’s all kosher. And really, you only need to care when you decide to sell the car, if it lives that long...

Unless you can manually spin up the odo on the new dash unit? Or it’s an electronic counter? Maybe a dealership can program it for you?

BJ > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 12:53

Oh hey, check this out: http://www.j-car.org/forums/read.ph…

The mileage is stored in the BCM, so you dont have to worry about screwing up her mileage. The most common fix for clusters acting up is to just replace the whole thing.

crowmolly > Party-vi
12/17/2015 at 12:53

Methinks it is actually an odometer rub, not speed related. I know in the US that’s what’s required even in stripped down classic registrations.

BringBackTheCommodore > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 12:53

I was under the impression that with cars using the digital odometer, the mileage of the vehicle was stored in the ECU, not the instrument cluster.

thebigbossyboss > crowmolly
12/17/2015 at 12:54

Explain. What does odometer rub mean?

thebigbossyboss > BJ
12/17/2015 at 12:55

Cool!

thebigbossyboss > BringBackTheCommodore
12/17/2015 at 12:55

I have heard that. But I am not sure. Guess we will find out.

JustAnotherG6 > BringBackTheCommodore
12/17/2015 at 12:57

Just don’t ask what happens when the computer starts acting up.

vicali > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 12:58

I would just put the new one in, get it registered, put a note in the glovebox that says; Dec2015 odo replaced; 220K to 80K.. and then forget about it.

We bought a vw fox with a replaced dash from an auto, the odo was off and the speedo read 20% high.. it felt like you were going at an incredible rate of speed..

Kinja'd!!!

BringBackTheCommodore > JustAnotherG6
12/17/2015 at 12:59

I’ll ask anyway, what happens when the computer starts acting up?

Takuro Spirit > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 12:59

If its stored in the BCM a dealer should be able to flash it into the cluster if just plugging it in doesn’t work. Otherwise a specialized speedometer shop should be able to do it. There MIGHT be one in the biggest city near you, provided they haven’t all gone out of business.

Svend > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 13:01

If it’s digital as soon as you plug in the new one, it should register the correct mileage.

Be thankful. In the U.K. your not allowed any warning lights or error codes on the new MOT system. If something is fitted to the car (if it’s a requirement on the car such lights, motors, etc...) it must work or it’s a fail.

crowmolly > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 13:06

I mean that odometer fraud may be what they are ultimately concerned about (or aboot to you Canadians LOL).

I think the mileage isn’t stored in the cluster which is good. Is the speedo flat dead, does it bounce, etc?

thebigbossyboss > crowmolly
12/17/2015 at 13:13

Most of the time it reads zero. Sometimes it will read anywhere from 10 kph too slow (about 6.1 miles), all the way to 80-90 kph too slow. I’ll be going 110 kph and it will say 30 or 40.

JustAnotherG6 > BringBackTheCommodore
12/17/2015 at 13:14

If you are looking for a long read: http://jalopnik.com/oh-fuck-man-th…

TLDR: a 6hr, 400 mileish trip wound up taking a bit longer and the car added 170,000 miles to the ODO.

jariten1781 > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 13:17

Sounds like yours in the electronics, but for all the states I’m aware of (I imagine it’s the same up North) the requirement is that if you’re replacing the odo with one that can’t be made to read the same value you have to replace it (some states require the replacement to read 0) and permanently affix a sticker to the door jam stating it was replaced on date X and the original read Y and the new reads Z. In some places there’s a required form for the sticker, in others you can just glue a scrap of paper with chicken scrawl as long as it’s ‘permanent’ and ‘clearly labled’.

thebigbossyboss > Takuro Spirit
12/17/2015 at 13:17

I am in the biggest city in the middle of nowhere. The closest city with over a 200,000 inhabitants is over 7 hours away.

Goggles Pizzano > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 13:17

I have a working speedometer, but like all 240 owners my odometer doesn’t work. A trip to the dealership and I was told it would be $1100 for a new cluster and the dealership would make the mileage match. Chevy dealership could be able to help you.

If you ever sell it, it’s going to be very difficult with a car showing 200K in wear and 80K on the odometer. People will assume the worst, ie. it actually has 400K and you’re telling them 200K. SUCKS!

thebigbossyboss > JustAnotherG6
12/17/2015 at 13:19

Haha 170,000? lol.

Takuro Spirit > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 13:22

Well, there’s always the US Mail.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 13:27

My parents used to have similar issues with their old GM cars. In their case, it was fixed by greasing the cable that runs from the transmission.

BloodlessWeevil > crowmolly
12/17/2015 at 13:27

Most states require a working spedometer to drive the car. When selling, actual mileage must be disclosed if known. If not, that also must be disclosed. So it’s kinda both here in the states.

JustAnotherG6 > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 13:33

It knew we were taking it to trade it in. I’m convinced of that.

functionoverfashion > Seat Safety Switch
12/17/2015 at 13:40

What if you did that anyway, would that no longer count as operating a mobile device, because it’s “installed?”

crowmolly > BaconSandwich is tasty.
12/17/2015 at 13:42

His car is too new to still be cable driven, I think that was last done in the very late 80’s-early 90’s at GM?

I think it might be a VSS issue. Might be worth looking in to that before swapping the cluster.

Seat Safety Switch > functionoverfashion
12/17/2015 at 13:44

In my province, even looking at a screen that is part of the car is considered distracted driving.

BringBackTheCommodore > JustAnotherG6
12/17/2015 at 13:46

That was too interesting not to read, and WOW! First time I’ve heard of electrical gremlins doing that. What did you end up replacing the VUE with?

functionoverfashion > Seat Safety Switch
12/17/2015 at 13:48

so... cars with digital dash (e.g. speedometer and everything?)

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 14:02

You’re absolutely sure it’s the instrument itself and not, say, the speed sensor?

Leon711 > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 14:06

Because Canada.

I can reach many cities in my country in that time. because UK.

JustAnotherG6 > BringBackTheCommodore
12/17/2015 at 14:15

2007 Dodge Grand Caravan. As expensive as an CUV but with all the options ticked. Even had a sunroof!

thebigbossyboss > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
12/17/2015 at 14:15

Nope. It could be that. But gm guages are known for being screwy.

thebigbossyboss > crowmolly
12/17/2015 at 14:17

Speed sensor?

Seat Safety Switch > functionoverfashion
12/17/2015 at 14:24

That was my question, since I have a digital odometer... but the law is ambiguous.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 14:40

Just go out and drive it 143,000 km real quick and then the number will match up. You can knock that out in a weekend right?

crowmolly > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 14:50

Yeah, but I’m guessing you aren’t seeing any trouble codes?

thebigbossyboss > crowmolly
12/17/2015 at 15:02

Not really. Check engine light has been on for 3 years but that dont phase me.

crowmolly > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 15:10

Can you pull the codes? If there’s a VSS code in there it might be a clue. Not looking to send you on a wild goose chase but pulling a cluster is a pain in the ass.

thebigbossyboss > crowmolly
12/17/2015 at 15:25

Thanks but I am an expert in Cavalier dash remove-ology and already got a new cluster so I am going to try this and then if that doesn’t work we shall see. Influencing my decision is the fact that the gas gauge and engine temp guages don’t work well either.

functionoverfashion > Seat Safety Switch
12/17/2015 at 15:30

Yeah, the laws are not properly thought out at this point. So, in the case of your law, you can’t look at a GPS while driving? Right, that makes sense.

I have an issue with the fact that, to add an aftermarket head unit with 1/2 the functionality of my phone, it would cost $1,500. But my phone fits perfectly by the ashtray and I just leave it there, it connects via bluetooth and I can adjust volume, skip tracks, etc with the steering wheel controls. If I go to call my wife, I have a button on the home screen so I literally have to put the same attention to that task as I would to turning on my seat heater (right next to the phone). But because it’s a “mobile device,” this is illegal. What if I mounted my phone “permanently” to the dash. At what point is it “integrated?”

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 15:47

GM everything is known for being screwy.

crowmolly > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 15:52

HA! Ok then. Best of luck!

thebigbossyboss > crowmolly
12/17/2015 at 15:57

Thanks. This will be an after new years project as I will be separated from my car for the holidays.

wkiernan > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 16:36

Kinja'd!!!

Ah, GM instruments! (Photo taken while idling at a stop light.)

thebigbossyboss > wkiernan
12/17/2015 at 17:36

Looks about right. Sierra?

thebigbossyboss > Leon711
12/17/2015 at 17:42

Kinja'd!!!

Uh I actually went to two towns this day. Excuse me.

wkiernan > thebigbossyboss
12/17/2015 at 18:06

Close, it’s a 2005 Silverado 2500.

By the way, since my original comment sounded like a put-down, I should mention that of all the work trucks I have driven since 1977, that Silverado is the best by far. When I put it in 4WD to get through a job site it does no worse than any other 4WD truck I’ve ever driven, and it can tow a huge boat trailer with aplomb, but on the other hand when you drive it on the road it almost handles like a car, unlike all the Ford and Dodge company trucks I’ve driven which felt like big clumsy dump trucks, one little swerve away from sliding out of control or rolling over. I had a job a couple years ago where I’d drive 240 miles from the office to the site, and 240 miles back home at night. In my ‘98 Ford that would have been a miserable ordeal, but in the Chevy I actually enjoyed the trip.

BringBackTheCommodore > JustAnotherG6
12/18/2015 at 07:16

Those are solid vehicles. They might not get much love in Oppoland, but they’re comfortable and quiet, and reliable...for the most part.

thebigbossyboss > crowmolly
01/30/2016 at 21:50

SUUP

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/rolled-225k-an…

thebigbossyboss > BJ
01/30/2016 at 21:50

Done.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/rolled-225k-an…

thebigbossyboss > BringBackTheCommodore
01/30/2016 at 21:51

Done!

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/rolled-225k-an…

thebigbossyboss > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
01/30/2016 at 21:51

Done fam.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/rolled-225k-an…

thebigbossyboss > bob and john
01/30/2016 at 21:52

I DID IT!

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/rolled-225k-an…