Speedometer and cruise problem

[2ndnissan]

I've got a '90 240 hatch...5 speed. It has cruise control and according to the test procedure in the FSM the actuator is working . The light on the switch itself does work but the dash one doesn't. Cruise never actually engages. Speedo is very iffy. In cold conditions..below 50...it seems to work ok. All other times it kind of works when it wants to but is probably accurate above 45 . Would the speed sensor cause both problems or would the cruise be a separate issue? Call me lazy but I actually like cruise control on interstate drives and would love to get both problems fixed. I can kind of judge how fast I'm going by the tach but that's not gonna go over well with a trooper if I'm wrong....

[240FeVeR]

I would say it's not improbable that the speedometer is leading to the cruise control problem. I say this because the cruise control can only be operated above a certain speed, I believe 30 mph. If you can't get a good signal then the cruise system would not know if it's above 30 or not and wouldn't turn on.

[2ndnissan]

Would you suspect the sensor or the gauge itself as being bad? i can get another cluster pretty cheap and I know the sensor is $130 or so. I just don't know if the cruise is wired to the sensor or gets it's message from the speedo. I think I'll try the speedo first maybe...

[240FeVeR]

I think your speedo sensor is bad. If it was just the gauge then your cruise would still work. The sensor sends the signal to the ecu and then the ecu to the speedo. FSM says that the voltage between the two pins of the speed sensor connector should be approx 0.5 VAC.

[2ndnissan]

Thanks for the info! I'll test it later. ..

[music24]

I have kind of the same problem except my deal is that i have an after market cruise control system wired up and 15-20 minutes into my drive, my speedometer reads past 110mph (like im topping my car out). after 20minutes it pops back to normal operation. I was told its my speed sensor and so i changed that already and i still have the problem, so i am now going to take apart and poke around my cluster. but speedo sensor should be the last thing to change or just try to put in one that works momentarily and see if that solves your problem. Be sure to have some gear oil ready because it will pour out of the sensor hole. good luck