'93 Altima Speedometer quit

[Wisconsin 240SX]

Speedometer seems to stick on 20 and will not go over 40 MPH. Going 5 MPH it shows 40 MPH. I assume this is a mechanical speedometer drive with a cable off the transmission ? How to check it?Do you have to pull the air bag, drop the steering col. down to remove the instrument cluster ? Is this a big job?All other instruments work fine.Thanks

[NISTECH]

speedo head is bad. remove the screws from the coloum covers and pull the covers off think its 6 screws. then remove the bezel infront of the instrument cluster. may need to remove the lower panel by your knees to get the bezel out. there are screws along the bottom of the panel by your knees. once you have these panels out you can remove the instrument cluster by removing the 4 screws holing it in. once you have the cluster out you can dissasemble it to remove your speedo head from it. recommend you order the speedo before you remove it.

you do not need to drop the steering coloum or remove the airbag.

this job takes 30 to 45 mins to do. if you find all the screws quickly it could take a bit less.

[Wisconsin 240SX]

Well I bought a used cluster on Ebay and put it in today, put it all back together and took it for a spin and the speedo does not work but seems like its twice the speed as the car is going( feels like 40 but speedo indicates 80) Does not stick or hang up like the original did but travels smoothly but not calibrated well.....any ideas ? Could I have another bad speedo head ? I guess I now know how to pull it quickly.A/T shifts out fine (seem like it does not go into first until the car is just about stopped. I dont think I have a VSpeed sensor.Believe VSS talks to ECU which sends a signal to the speedo head.ps- the car is a 93, the ebay cluster was supposed to be for a 93-94 but came marked as a 97, look the same. Could it be different?I wonder if I should swap the ebay head into my old cluster?Help??????????

[NISTECH]

you obviously got a speedo with a different calibration.swapping the speedo head between cluster wont make a difference.

any way you can get the seller to take it back since its not as posted in his auction?

[Wisconsin 240SX]

yes, they will take it back.....so , what do I do now ? buy a new one or try another one?

[Wisconsin 240SX]

Would you say the 97 and the 93 cluster ( speedo) are differernt? and are not interchangable?

[NISTECH]

yeah. try getting one that matches your year car.

[Wisconsin 240SX]

I contacted the seller who said the cluster was from a 93 and the 97 was different. Willing to replace it with another one (or give money back) but I have to pay shipping both ways about $20 total.......so I'm thinking about pulling it, sending it back and install the old one while I wait.I wonder if I just purchased a new speedo from Nissan would cure the problem? Any idea on cost at dealer ?

[NISTECH]

pricey just for the speedo head it self. if he is willing to do that I would jump on it. Doesnt your altima have heads up display? the 97 did not have heads up. that would be a major difference alone. you stated the cluster you got from him was marked 97 but he states it is not? I dont understand???

sincerely, Thoroughly Confused

[Wisconsin 240SX]

No, my 93 does not have HUD.Cluster he sent had salvage yard pen markings "97 Altima" but the auction and description was for a 93-94. He states in his email it's from a 1993.The circuit board on the back was the same for both clusters.

[NISTECH]

do the numbers match on the 2 units? there should be a part number 5 numbers a - then a 5 number/letter combination like this 23586-4B000 printed on the speedo face if you remove the plastic covers over the top it will be along the edge of the speedo's number plate.

[Wisconsin 240SX]

I'll have to take out the new one and have a look and compare it to the old one, gonna take some time to get to it...thanks for the help. Gonna be below 0 all week when I get home from work so no fun in the garage...........