Speedometer stopped working

Hey guys,

my speedometer stopped working the other day (temperatures have been 20 degrees and colder). everything else works on the cluster besides the speedometer stays at 0 the whole time I drive...

there is no check engine lights on or anything? I was told that when it gets this cold the the Speed sensor on the tacomas can freeze and not work where its located.. is this true? or what do you think my problem is?

 

Been in -30 or so with my Taco and the speedo has been fine on mine. Truck was orginally from Arizona so it didn't see much cold until I bought it.

Could be the cold but I think there is another issue here I know that my old trucks had a speedometer cable on the back of the instrument cluster that came loose and caused it to stop working. I haven't taken out my taco's cluster to see how it is all hooked up yet.

I hope someone can offer some more insight.

 

there wont be a cable like older trucks. hard to tell. could be many things and im sure cold weather doesnt help none.

 

Check a fuse, i know the same thing happened to a jeep my buddy got to use as a off road beater and it was a blown fuse. at least start with checking fuses, than if you check ALL of them and it’s still nor working, may try finding out what els it could be.:

:edit i know jeeps are not taco’s but it’s a really easy starting place, and thats all that really counts.

 

I've had this happen to mine when it gets cold, too. The only thing I can guess is the electric motors moving the needles get into some type of bind. I've had it happen with both my speedometer and tachometer.

Remove the dash and the protective cover from the gauge panel. It sounds like a job, but it's really not as bad as it sounds. It takes 10-15 minutes with a basic socket set and phillips head.

Once you have the gauges exposed, cycle the needle around a little with your finger. Yes, physically move the needle around. You won't damage anything. I always unplug my gauge cluster for good measure. It's easy to do, there are two plugs behind the cluster. Unbolt the cluster for easier access.

Once you've plugged everything back in and put the needles back to 0, go for a little drive an make sure everything works before you put your dash back on. I had to do it twice once. Once everything's working, put you dash back together.

Hope this fixes it! It's always worked for me. Good luck!

 

I wouldn't move the needles with your finger, you can throw it out of calibration. Make that your last resort.

 

I've done it multiple times with no negative results - Ultragauge confirmed.

 

so today the speedometer worked again as i drove to work.. but then at lunch no longer was working.. but it sounds like i can hear like a little buzzing noise on the cluster when i turn on the truck. but then the speedo doesn't work.


anyone ever had this problem? or know what it is?

 

On the bright side, it'll be a low mileage Tacoma if you sell it.

 

Forget the speedo sensor, inside the sensor is a shaft3" long with a plastic gear on the end. The gear is the problem, they wear down and won't engage with matching gear in your tranny. Good luck finding a replacement.
To check pop sensor out ( one bolt ) usually the shaft and gear come out with it, if not it right there, neddle nose and out it comes. Check the gear, you'll probably find it to be well worn.

 

Having issues with the speedometer sensor nylon gear (33482-59015 marked 6:17) wearing out on my 99 Tacoma 3.4L with auto tranny floor shift. Replaced the gear with a new one from Toyota and it lasted 4k miles and wore out as well. Talked to service manager at local Toyota dealership and he insists there is something wrong with the speedo door gear (gave me part number 33481-14020 but I think its 33481-35111)inside the tranny that is causing the nylon gear to wear out prematurely. Has anyone encountered this problem?