Speedometer Problem

cghbuilder86 · November 28, 2010

I was driving to work this morning and I discovered I am having some speedometer trouble. At first I thought my rpms where running high and couldn't figure out why. Then I noticed it seemed like I was going faster than I should be. So I turned on my GPS and sure enough my speedometer was showing that I was going 13 MPH slower than I actually was. It was 27F this morning when I started out. Now, driving home this afternoon it was fine. Not sure on the temp but much much warmer, in the 60s with the sun out. So could this be the speedometer cable? Or is it going to be the actual speedometer? I guess if it is the actual speedometer the whole gauge cluster will have to be replaced?

wicked ace · November 28, 2010

I was driving to work this morning and I discovered I am having some speedometer trouble. At first I thought my rpms where running high and couldn't figure out why. Then I noticed it seemed like I was going faster than I should be. So I turned on my GPS and sure enough my speedometer was showing that I was going 13 MPH slower than I actually was. It was 27F this morning when I started out. Now, driving home this afternoon it was fine. Not sure on the temp but much much warmer, in the 60s with the sun out. So could this be the speedometer cable? Or is it going to be the actual speedometer? I guess if it is the actual speedometer the whole gauge cluster will have to be replaced?

I would bet the gage cluster is going out on you. I went through 3 replacements on my '03 Silverado. Try having the whole pod go dark on you at 9 PM on a winter night 40 miles from home! Scary.

anyway they are a known problem. And if I remember there is no speedo cable anymore it's all done electronically.

MS3DALE · November 28, 2010

Yes,They haven't used cables for over 20 years.

And how many miles is on your truck?

jwh463 · November 29, 2010

Yes,They haven't used cables for over 20 years.
And how many miles is on your truck?

go on eBay and find one those guys that replace all the stepper motors for under $85. I used a guy in Haltom City, TX (DFW area) sent in on a Saturday and recieved back on a Thursday. I couldn't be more happier with the results, my tach was acting up

MS3DALE · November 29, 2010

Yes,They haven't used cables for over 20 years.
And how many miles is on your truck?

go on eBay and find one those guys that replace all the stepper motors for under $85. I used a guy in Haltom City, TX (DFW area) sent in on a Saturday and received back on a Thursday. I couldn't be more happier with the results, my tach was acting up

The reason I was asking how many miles he has is because there is a special policy bulletin where GM will pay to replace the clusters if the truck is under 7 yrs old and has under 70,000 miles,Then anything between 70,001 and 80,000 miles they will provide the cluster and the customer pays the labor to replace it.

Heres a bit of the bulletin...

This special coverage covers the condition described above for a period of 7 years or 70,000 miles (110,000 km), whichever occurs first, from the date the vehicle was originally placed in service, regardless of ownership.

Dealers are to replace the instrument panel cluster after the condition has been verified. The repairs will be made at no charge to the customer.

For verified failures between 70,001 miles (110,001 km) and 80,000 miles (130,000 km) on U.S. vehicles, dealers are to provide the customer with an instrument panel cluster (IPC) only. Any additional costs, including labor to replace the instrument panel cluster, will be the responsibility of the customer.

Dealers are responsible for the return of the customer's IPC back to the Electronic Service Center.

VT_Z71 · November 29, 2010

The cluster on our '04 is being replaced today just in the nick of time at 79.5k. GM pays for parts, and dealer labor is around $50.

Note: the local Chevy dealer quoted my dad almost $200 labor and diagnostic fee for swapping the cluser. Drove 2 miles down the road to the friendly GMC store and they are 1/4 the price.

cghbuilder86 · November 29, 2010

Oh wow, I didn't expect that. It is an '04 with 68,000 miles on it. The problem right now is that is only does it when it is hard cold. During the day it is too warm and works fine so they wouldn't be able to verify. But hey I'll go for the paying for labor and them covering parts. Thats still pretty fair.