Trash and mangle your fenders, and inner fenders. Ever see a car tire explode? Steel belts tear the snot out of everything they touch.
I've blown car tires, and big truck tires.
Wiring and speedometer issues, Update
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It's time to cast your vote for March's Cummins of the Month!
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I've blown car tires, and big truck tires.
Good to know. Told my wife today i’m not putting it back out on the road without new tires.
Anything over 4 years old to me is iffy. I ran some Michelins all the way to Key West and back to TN that were 8 years old on my dually. I had a steer tire start bouncing like a basketball later that year. I got it home before it destroyed my fender. Replaced the fronts, Ran the rears for 2 more years. I got lucky.
From my understanding, by the time the Cummins was introduced, the cable-driven clusters were not used. I believe they started phasing them in around 88, by 89 they were all electric.
Good to know. So either everything in the cluster has good power and ground besides the speedo and odometer, or the gears are fried in those. The process of replacing those doesn’t seem very fun. I’ve done it in a VW cabrio before and was hoping to never have to do it again haha.
Also to add, this is the new VSS i installed. It came with this new wire/connector, but i’m not sure exactly where it goes to. The old wire seems to go above the trans and I can’t see anything else from there. Do the stock one typically have this type of connection to remove the old wire and plug in a new one? If it’s just the wire going bad and i can put in this one it came with that would be great. Also of note, when I did take off the old VSS it seemed kinda rusty/oily where the shaft goes in. I’ve heard of the shaft hole rounding out before. Could potentially be another cause I reckon. I’ll have to try and figure out if that new wire is able to plug and play on mine when i get home today if no one knows if it will work.
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And last thing to add. I found this picture of apparently what it’s supposed to look like all connected. My VSS seems to be connected straight into the transmission without this ratio adapter part. Is the ratio adapter something that only goes on manual trans or something? Mine is the 3 speed auto.
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I crawled under the truck today for a bit to see if the wires for the VSS unplug from something. It seems it’s just wire all the way. So that makes me wonder, what is this plug on the pigtail from the new VSS supposed to plug into? If i can’t figure out why this speedo and odometer aren’t working this week then i’ll pull the cluster this weekend unfortunately. Gonna try the drill test on the new VSS sensor tomorrow to make sure that it’s not rounded out in the trans case.
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So my last post was about how my speedometer and odometer doesn't work. My brake light and ABS light are both on.
I have since put in a new VSS on the trans. That did not solve my problem. The new VSS came with a new pigtail connector so I looked at the old wires and copper was showing through on multiple spots so i cut em and put the new connector on with wire nuts. (temporary as a test) Still nothing to the speedo or odometer.
I was reading through a older post about how someone had the same exact issues as me and their fix was the ABS speed sensor on the rear axle pumpkin. So I got a new ABS speed sensor and installed it today. Lights are still on and the same problems persist. I went ahead and unplugged the box behind the glove box so I am only dealing with the brake light being on. Who needs ABS anyways.
Next step will be pulling the gauge cluster and looking at the speedo/odo gears which I have been putting off in hopes that there is an easier fix.So are there any other potential avenues to go down with these problems I'm describing before I tear into the dash again?
I have since put in a new VSS on the trans. That did not solve my problem. The new VSS came with a new pigtail connector so I looked at the old wires and copper was showing through on multiple spots so i cut em and put the new connector on with wire nuts. (temporary as a test) Still nothing to the speedo or odometer.
I was reading through a older post about how someone had the same exact issues as me and their fix was the ABS speed sensor on the rear axle pumpkin. So I got a new ABS speed sensor and installed it today. Lights are still on and the same problems persist. I went ahead and unplugged the box behind the glove box so I am only dealing with the brake light being on. Who needs ABS anyways.
Next step will be pulling the gauge cluster and looking at the speedo/odo gears which I have been putting off in hopes that there is an easier fix.So are there any other potential avenues to go down with these problems I'm describing before I tear into the dash again?
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About everyone just unplugs the black box to disable the RWAL valve, they usually never work.
Yeah I figured as much. I was really hoping that rear speed sensor replacement would fix my problems haha.
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The newer Dodges use the rear wheel speed sensor for the Speedometer but not the 1st and 2nd Gen's.
Have you checked for volts at the VSS wires?
Have you checked for volts at the VSS wires?
Yes it has 5 volts like it is supposed to. Oh and another thing that doesnt seem to work is windshield wipers. Not sure if thats relevant
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You might try finding the ground wire for the VSS and ground it and see if the speedometer works.
The wipers could be a bad fusible link.
The wipers could be a bad fusible link.
would the ground just be one of the 2 wires that go to the VSS?
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You might check the wiring schematics to be sure.
aight ill try to find it. Im terrible with wiring schematics haha.
the small white plastic gear set that is replaceable ( if the parts are still available ) are just for the odometer operation. the speedometer itself is run by a small electric motor that is controlled by the signal from the VSS. you do not have to pull the cluster from the dash to remove the speedometer. it pulls out towards the steering wheel when you get enough screws out (four if i remember right). it has to come straight towards you because of the electrical connections. the speedometer can be taken apart. parts of it are very delicate. when i took mine apart, the motor that controls the speedo needle fell apart in my hands. i found a used cluster and swapped parts until i had a working speedometer. you may want to go ahead and pull the cluster and closely inspect everything. the wiring, the connections, the circuit boards etc. if you haven't already done that. you can go ahead and upgrade your dash lights while you are there. i put in LED's. probably not worth taking apart just to do that - mine didn't improve all that much. the factory service manual has some good tips on trouble shooting the gauges and is good for helping to understand how it all works. if your odometer gears have never been replaced they are probably toast - the plastic on the original ones are not very good. make sure you shop around for those gears - some of the prices are outrageous!
i dont know if the VSS uses a hot wire or a ground but one wire would be "to" the sensor and the other wire would be "from" the sensor. there are three electrical connections to the speedometer. one is 12v constant with the key on - one is constant ground and the other is the signal wire from the VSS.
All of my 727 transmissions have a ratio adapter...
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