91 240sx; digital speedometer doesn't work

[61dragon]

Hi all,

I have recently purchased a 1991 240 but have a problem with the speedometer.

The speedometer is a digital speedometer and does not light up or doesn't work, what might be the problem? Could this be a possibly simple problem with the fuse or the whole speedometer unit has to be replaced?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Kent.

[david200095367]

most likely you have a bad capacitor on the digital unit. i am almost 100% sure it is not a fuse if only the digital part is not working. Many people switch to analog, to do so all you need is the uncut harness and the analog cluster and it is plug and play. Or you can fix this one if you are comfortable soldering.

[wenrick6000]

yea i seen you answerd somone about there digital speedo not working well i have a 90 240 sx and same prob wont show in the winshield or digital speedo and all fuses are good so how hard is it to get this fixed cause ill fix it instead of paying 188 to get it fixed if you could maybee give me a little advice on how much work im getting myself into and what im looking for thanks

[david200095367]

are you good with soldering small things? If not i can replace the bad capicitor for you for a small fee, but i cant guarantee it.

[s13sr20chris]

another possibility is to take that sucker out and run to a vcr repair shop. they could prob help you out.

[wenrick6000]

yea im fine with that but i need to know what it is im looking for and where and i suppose i have to take the whole dash out to get to it but thats ok i think i can handle that just dont know if its the capcitator that your talking or is it the diodes on the back it wont show in the windshild or the cluster let me know what you think

[david200095367]

ok so the digital part in the cluster does not light up anymore right or is itjust the hud not lighting up?

[wenrick6000]

well when i got from this girl she said that it used to work them only worked sometimes she said once i got 40 miles or so into a trip it would start working and i havnt seen neither of them work since i bought it and my headlight prob we thought the headlight motor was bad cause it would shut it but not open it but motor was fine relay was fine fuses were fine i geuss a short somewhere and the patch cable from headlight to wirein harness is fine too soo im kinda stumped havent been able to drive it too much wanna do some more work to it and get it all legal another ? could you also tell me weres a good place for aftermarket parts body kits, euro lights,rims,turbo kits interoer pretty much anyhting and everything for this car

[david200095367]

The best place i use is ebay!!! but watch out for the cheap china s***! also if ur headlights dont work u must have a short and that is kinda of hard to help u with over the net.

[wenrick6000]

well would you happin to know if i could strap in a reg speedo with needlor well it not work because like the dig speedo sensor on trannywell heres what i got cremish white 1990 240sx single overhead cam 2.4 l fully loaded power everything passnger headlight wiring prob and speedo prob needs new hood but not too worried bout hood pioneer cd polk 6 1/24/6 front 800 watt pioneer amp visonik comp 750 watt 10 inch it pounds like a good pair of jl 12,s http://www.visonikcaraudio.com check it out you havnt seen sh## YET 3600 WATT AMPS 4000 WATT 15,18S BUT A LITTLE SPENDY BUT TOP OF THE LINE

[david200095367]

nice system but i am not into sound that much. you can convert to analog (needle) all you need it the uncut harness and cluster from a 89-90, and u should be fine.

[wenrick6000]

lol somthins loose lol did about 120 over some railroad tracks through a straight away and she started working agin but now is not working agin any ideas

[ramdog]

nice system but i am not into sound that much. you can convert to analog (needle) all you need it the uncut harness and cluster from a 89-90, and u should be fine.

What do you mean uncut harness? I want to do this mod seriously! Is it that easy?I have the same problem on mine and i did the whole capacitor thing and it didn't work. I figure the needle is alot more reliable.

[david200095367]

the harness that connects to the cluster. that one can be unplugged from the car itself. So you need one like that for the analog one.

[RamonetB]

I figured I'd add some detail to this process since I just did it the other weekend (though in reverse order, went from analog to digital).

Swapping a digital cluster with an analog one is rather simple, actually. If it's your first time, plan for about 2 to 4 hours of work (although if everything goes smoothly it can be done in 45 minutes).

Firstly, take a gander at these:





The first picture is that of your digital cluster. The small black box on the right, and it's cap on the left, is the actual HUD for the unit. The wire you see at the bottom is the sub wiring harness. This is what attaches your cluster to the main wiring harness in the car.

The second picture is the sub wiring harness for an analog cluster. Yes, these pictures are from ebay, a great resource for 240 parts.

In the bottom picture, you can see on the left hand side a black connector. This is the part that connects this wiring harness to the main wiring harness in the car. To get it out, you'll need small hands or a long thin flat-head to press the retaining clip in while you use another hard to pull on the connector and let it slip free. The part actually connects to the main wiring harness behind the dash in the center, but it CAN be reached (again, by one hand or a set of small hands) through the cluster window.

To get the cluster out, you'll have to remove the panel beneath the steering column (5 screw / bolts, 10mm I believe -- you may have to remove the driver's side kick panel to get to one of the bolts. Not sure on your car), then remove the cluster facia (the thing with the defrots buttons, hazards, etc. You'll have to reach behind and unplug the connecting wires to this. Two screws at the top near the cluster itself hold it in as well.) To get the facia off, you may have to loosen two bolts beneath the steering column that hold the column in place. Kind of a tight fit getting it out.

Then you inscrew four screws that hold the cluster in. Then, unplug the sub wiring harness, plug the analog one in. Don't forget to swap odometers. This is pretty easy too, as they both use the same component. Pop the clear plate off the cluster, unscrew the components from the rear white side, pop the white side off, pull the speedometer and odometer out, swap and put them back together.

Assembly is reverse procedure. Although... as I recall, the motor that drives the odometer has a different connector from analog to digital. That's two screws on the odometer itself to remove. Another easy thing.

So mostly, it's just a lot of screws.

Hope that helps you.

I figured I'd post a quick one since I've never found the procedure in any of the searches I've done on the site.

Peace!

-kirk