944 S2 Speedo Problems

adwarrior · 04-30-2002, 11:06 AM

Hi
I have a 1989 944 S2 (UK car). A couple of weeks back the speedometer would intermittently stop working and it's gradually gotten worse to the point where it is working less often than not. It doesn't appear to be giving false readings when working, it just works accurately or not at all. I believe it to be cable driven, but doubt it's the cable due to the fact that it still sometimes works. If anyone has any knowledge or experience they'd like to impart, it would be most appreciated?

Thanks in advance!

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

Do you also have problems with your dash lights? The clips that fit into the circuit board behind your instrument cluster may have gotten loose.
To get the instrument cluster out:
1. There are 7 screws that hold the outer plastic rim in place: one on either side of the steering wheel, three above the instrument cluster, one (maybe two) around the trip odo reset button, and one on the far side of the dash. Remove screws and plastic trim/rim piece.
2. There are 4 brass screws that hold the instrument cluster in place: one at each corner. Remove these, and you should be able to at least check the connections: with a little patience, you can also remove the instrument cluster. The clips slide into place and have a lock lever on either side. Make sure they are securely in place. As far as I can remember, there is no cable direcly connected to the speedo, just the three connections connected to the circuit board.

Good luck!
-Zoltan.

adwarrior · 04-30-2002, 12:44 PM

Thanks for the post.
I haven't noticed any problems with the instrument lights, but I guess they may well be on a different connector and that one may be secure. I'll check it out at the weekend.

Thanks for the help.
Adwarrior

Cebu · 05-01-2002, 03:46 AM

Possibly a faulty transmitter in the upper left fwd part of the transaxle(looking forward). In my experience(85.5 944) it was the transmitter($48 to $60.00). By chance, it may be a loose connector at the transmitter, above the left CV axle atach point.

adwarrior · 05-01-2002, 08:26 AM

So, then the speedo is electrically driven as opposed to cable driven? As I know on the older cars they were driven by cable from one of the fron hubs. If anyone can clarify for me.

Thanks

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

You are correct: if you take off your driver's front wheel, there is no cable connected, like the older 944's.

-Zoltan.

adwarrior · 05-01-2002, 10:30 AM

Something I noticed today was that the speedo momentarily sprang into life as I dipped the clutch to shift gear, it shot up to approximately the speed i was travelling and back down again. I noticed this and shifted again and it did the exact same thing. A third time it wouldn't do it. Thinking back to what you said (Z-Man) about the connectors I gave the cluster a thud to see if i could get a response, but no joy. So, I guess I'll take a look at the transmitter on the transaxel first.

Thanks Guys
I'll let you know how I get on.