laralancer

Hello all, wanted to ask the question about my speedo. Drove by one of the police radar stations and it recorded my speed at 38mph, when my speedo said 45. Is it as simple as taking the dashboard apart and moving the needle, or is it for the dealer to reprogram the computer?

For your info, my Lancer came from Canada, and it was made for KPH. It was switched over, but I am curious if they didn't rebuilt my gauges right. Thanks.

LaraLancer

Handmemyarms

iTrader: (2)

do you have bigger rims? if you do that might have screwed up the calibration

Danno

iTrader: (4)

It could be that when they switched it over it wasnt done properly but i doubt that. All they have to do is change the guage background. It is either you put on aftermarket rims and you didn't keep the same overall diameter. or that the radar was picking up another car in the area. maybe even a bird. Get someone that you know to drive infront of you at a designated speed (use your cell phone to talk to them) and pace them. that should give you a good idea if your speedometer is out. Try is at a few different speeds. Slow, Medium, Fast (Highway speed).

RollerPyro

iTrader: (5)

That's funny, my speedo is exactly 7 mph off too. But I know why mine is messed up. I was messing with my gauges and I pulled the needles off. When I stuck them back on, they were all messed up (except the tach). I managed to fix my temp gauge but my gas is still off by a 1/4 tank. I think the only way to fix the problem is to take the speedo needle off, have a friend drive in front of you like Danno said, and push the needle back on so it points to the correct mph. It's a tricky thing to do so be really careful if you're driving.

Kurt

iTrader: (1)

I was seven mph off also. So I took the plastic piece of the front of the gauges and removed the speedometer needle. I found another one of those radar stations that tells you your speed. I just put my needle on at the speed that the radar said. It took a couple tries because I was making sure I was doing 30mph.

laralancer

No, I don't have any bigger rims or tires. I am learning about plus sizing. Right now I have the stock 14s with stock tires. The car is completely stock, no mods. As for the speedo, that is what I was thinking, just move the needle. I had someone I know drive next to me on the expressway and we talked on the cell phone and it is off. The radar just confirmed our theories. BTW, no birds or other vehicles since it was real late

So, do I have to do while its running down the street? That is too dangerous for me. Can't I just adjust it in the driveway? And, just for giggles...what should the Tach be at 60PMH? Should it be around 2500?

LaraLancer

TURBOit

iTrader: (26)

it could be your car but it can also be the radar, police radars need to be calibrated everyday (lord knows they aren't)

laralancer

It's more than just my car, other people have speedo problems, and I have had my friend drive along side, and our speeds were different. I know its off. I would like to fix it myself without the haggle of doing warranty work. How easy is it to pull off the gauge needles? Plus, what should my needle on the Tach be at 60mph? Just wondering if my Tach is off too. Thanks guys.

LaraLancer

Kerensky

If you know how far off your speedometer is, perhaps instead of trying to take off and reattach the needles while driving a better idea would be to put the car up on jackstands securely of course, and then run the car with the front wheels in the air. The speedo will still register what speed your going and you can take off the needle and reattach it without worrying about hitting anyone or anything. Just a random thought.

K

laralancer

WOW! Don't want to try that. Thanks for the input. I would opt for putting the needles on the gauge cluster while driving. Do I need a special tool for taking off the needles? Plus, how easy is it to place back on. Would I have to fiddle with it while trying to drive?

LaraLancer

Myszkewicz

iTrader: (2)

Yes. The special tools are your fingers. Easy. Pull off, push on.

laralancer

Oh, well, I assumed my fingers. Thanks. Doesn't the gauge cluster cover need to be off to get at the speedo needle. The circle is tucked behind the cover above where the digital odometer is. I have an ES, not an OZ.

LaraLancer

Myszkewicz

iTrader: (2)

Ah, yes, the cover. If you take off the plastic trim around the guages (2 screws), you'll see 3 screws holding in the guage cluster. Remove those, and tilt the guages face up in the hole in teh dash, and slide it as far to the right as it will go. Then you should be able to get the left edge out, and follow it with the rest. It won't go too far, though, because the wiring is still connected. Disconnect the 2 wiring harnesses (push down on the plastic clip in the center of them, and pull) to completely remove the cluster. The clear plastic cover is held in place by plastic clips around its edge. Take off the cover, reconnect the wiring, screw the cluster into the dash, and go drive and adjust your needle.


Sound like a pain in the @ss? It is.

Me, I'd just live with it being off. Besides, your odometer will show less miles than are actually on the car, which could be a good thing.

Oh, and unless the police radar thing was calibrated correctly, and you were going straight towards it, it'll always read a little bit off. I'd be surprised if you were actually going less than 42-43, with 45 indicated.

laralancer

That sounds kind of hard! I will look into that soon. I would ultimately like the speedo to read correctly. I will keep you all posted on my progress. Worse comes to worse, I will have it fixed under dealer warranty.

LaraLancer

hbruce16

iTrader: (3)

My speedo is exactly 3.7 miles off. I drive by a police radar every day and after a week of wondering I pulled out the handy GPS and sure enough it's off. I took it to the dealer and he said he'd have to call TechLine and get back with me. I will let you know what the say.

Does anyone know if the speedo is cable driven or electronic? If it's electronic it should be just a calibration issue.

I do now when ya drive in reverse it reads in the positve so i think it is electric.