instument cluster

taper · Mar 8th, 2004, 11:09 PM

hi i have a 97 nissan pu se model adn the only thing that works is the gas gauge. the speedometer jumps 10mph at a time and the tach is about 700 rpms off. i took it to a mechanic and he said since the temp gauge is not working that its telling the computer that my truck is running cold at all times. is this true is there anything i could check to get my cluster working agian. somebody please help me.

howling_S13 · Mar 8th, 2004, 11:58 PM

The temp thing sounds like b.s. Without the service manual for your truck in front of me I can't be certain. But according to the service manual for my 240, the wire from the thermal transmitter goes to the ECU, then the ecu sends a signal to the gauge cluster telling it where to point the needle. I would imagine this is pretty standard setup since it is more important that your ecu needs your engine temp more than you do to run its calculations. The gauge isn't telling the computer anything, but whether or not your thermal transmitter is working correctly is a whole other matter.

As for your gauge cluster not working, if you don't want to take it to a shop, get on ebay or something and get ahold of a service manual for you specific truck. It's an excellent investment especially if you plan to keep the vehicle for a long period of time. In the electrical section it will tell you exactly how to troubleshoot the problem.

aaronford · Mar 9th, 2004, 01:01 AM

It sounds like a bad ground. However, I had a speedo unit go bad and it did exactly like you said. It would jump to 10 mph. I don't have a tach, but I do know that the speedo and temp gauge run off the same ground. I think the gas gauge has it's own ground. Loose screws in the back of the cluster can cause problems as well. Good Luck