1992 to 1995 Honda Civic Speedometer Fix

Hello Everyone,
In this quick little video I demonstrate how to repair a broken speedometer on a 1992 - 1995 Honda Civic. In my case, the speedometer had bad solder joints, and needed to be re-soldered. This was a quick and easy fix for me and worked better than ever after I was done.
This may be applicable to other model years or other Honda's. Please use this as a reference, but be careful if you do not have experience doing this type of work and take it to a professional.
For any questions, please ask in the comments or reach me on instagram.
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[@orlandocabrera85]

Ok ok so for those of you that got lost in the soldering part. All you’re doing is adding a little bit of solder on the joints cuz as he showing us in the video there teeny tiny little cracks (on each of them) which is causing it to fail. I as wanted to say thank you! I followed both KZbin videos on this and my Speedo works! Now

[@nickvanopbergen1937]

And still, two years on, you are helping people fixing their gauges. Just fixed my EJ1 Speedo with the help of your tutorial. My bad spots were exactly the same as yours. A very big thank you from Venlo, NL.

[@AlexFranceschi]

Nice! Very happy to help!

[@machyned]

Just found this video earlier tonight and was able to fix my speedometer thanks to this! It’s been whacked out for months and I just used a GPS app to make sure my speed was correct until I got a good feel for how fast I was going according to the tach. Finally it’s working again! Thanks so much for the video!!!

[@pistonbullie1606]

THIS WORKED ON MY 94 CIVIC EX !! (1) Had replaced speed sensor years ago and it didn't fix the problem. (2) Wired in a bypass wire recently, that didn't work. (3) Replaced the cluster last week, that didn't work. (4) Watched this video and inspected the solder joints in question, they didn't appear dried out or cracked but did the resolder repair anyway...and now IT WORKS !! As was discussed I just concentrated on the 8 or 9 on that small snap on board that correspond to the pin outs on the dial.

[@AlexFranceschi]

Nice! Happy it fixed your issues!

[@panthercombo9647]

I had that problem for years in my 95 civic dx with manual transmission, Replaced speed sensor several years ago,no luck,re soldered the solder joints on cluster and speedometer, no luck,today I pulled cluster again,I examined the plugs that plug into the clustersome of the metal contacts in the plugs looked flat,I used a very small flat screwdriver, went under the contacts and bent them up slightly, also used electronics contact cleaner, drove about 10 miles and it's working perfectly, fingers crossed its a permanent fix.

[@TheMAC0876]

Thanks and straight and to the point. My tachometer in my 1994 vigor is not working and I replaced the speed sensors also. So this is my next job. I can just buy one but hey us tech guys like to fix stuff. I soldered the fuel sensor which had cracks and missing solder on it and that fixed it. Still bought a new one as a back up.

[@mattkoh]

Thank you so much for posting yhis! You made it so easy. My speedo would just sit at 0 initially, waggle 5-10mph for the first several miles, then mostly level out. Almost all of the joints on mine were mostly hollow once i put heat on them. I had to add a dab to all but one. Works like new now!

[@marybarrett7607]

I have the same problem. Will be taking it out to look at. FYI the solder in these old hondas seems to be a weak point. I fixed the AC unit in mine by redoing solder on the board. Thanks for video!

[@AlexFranceschi]

You're welcome! My AC controller is also starting to act up. May have to do the same thing. 😞 These old 90s electronics are showing their age.

[@js891ster]

yep, reflowing what appeared to be a couple cracked solder joints at same circuit board as this video and also cleaning some brown crud between traces of the main flexible circuit sheet with acetone fixed it. Check all the joints. I too replaced my sensor first for $88 and still inop and then proceeded to this step. Great tutorial on how to get to the important stuff. It really was not that bad of work. I wish I did this so 2 years ago,,, ugh. Now for my muffler then ABS sensor light...

[@AlexFranceschi]

Yup, same experience for me. Figured I try to save the internet some money and time by learning from my mistakes lol.

[@Thomasmustangdaley]

About to try this! I already tried resoldering the back of the whole thing, and replaced vss both today.

[@AlexFranceschi]

Good luck!

[@kaizersupra]

Hello Alex. Thanks a lot for the video. I managed to fix my 92 civic speedometer which was flactuating. Except the glued soldered area, I resoldered everything, including the backpanel of the cluster. This is only the first day though. Let see how long this will work.

[@AlexFranceschi]

Nice! Mine has been working flawlessly since I made this video.

[@K1ngR3x]

Thanks for the help. When i test drove i didn't have turn signals. I forgot to plug in the hazard switch. Remember to plug in hazard switch.

[@AlexFranceschi]

lol for sure, happy to help!

[@chris_bo]

This is a great video! It works. Really thought there was no other way but to buy a different cluster from a different car. Thanks for sharing your knowledge good sir

[@AlexFranceschi]

Absolutely!

[@carguy_tmh]

Awesome, mines been doing this awhile and it's finally drove me crazy. I thought I would need a new speedometer, but didn't want to lose the mileage on my odometer. Trying to get mine to 1 million miles :). Anyways, I hope to fix mine soon. Thanks!

[@AlexFranceschi]

Awesome, hope to see you get those million miles! I'll race ya there!

[@IArcticFoxOG]

You'll get those 1 million miles. Not even kidding, just ask the Lord to help you get them. God IS good! Jesus loves you and desires a personal relationship with you!

[@jamesplyons8782]

The Afro Cubop Jazz is great in the video.

[@tomiamonico8855]

This worked for me! I saw some solder points that were cracked. A total of about 9 points. I applied new solder to each one and it works great. Before the repair, the speedometer stopped moving, & sometimes it would shake a little bit around 15-20 mph. Used an eye loop to inspect the solder points & fixed all the ones that didn't look smooth & perfect. You could see like a Crack in the solder point.

[@Curi0u50ne]

I’m doing this to my eg hatch tomorrow got a short Philip’s and gonna try the “jam/ butter spreading knife” to ease the hazard up outta there…

[@joshbushland3827]

94 coupe. Thank you! Had the same jumpy problem and this morning it jumped to 100 and a mile later it wrapped all the way around and is stuck under the pin. Update: I took It apart the solder looked okay and I cleaned up the pins b4 I poked it back together and it works fine now, old owner thought it needed the new vss in the trans.

[@AlexFranceschi]

Great to hear!

[@andredavidvincentnicholson3174]

Thanks man! got mine working.

[@EndWW2]

After replacing the whole dash 3x, replacing the VSS 2x, reflowing the solder joints on 2+ dash pcbs, replacing the speedo pcb board 3x, I found this video. Okay, so THOSE solder joints at 3:03? Hmm. If Alex was right, then I'd previously done an inadequate job of reflowing joints. On my "Alex fix", I used solder sucker on the 8 joints that Alex circled - wicking and soldering ONE joint at a time - and it worked! I finally got to the cold joint. A little isopropyl and Q tip work to clean up the pcb board too following soldering. My symptoms just like Alex's (mine at 250k - 280k miles). A big clue back to the solder joints: when the speedo needle was freaking out, if I knuckle-rapped the dash, the speedo would start functioning correctly - for a brief period of time. Thus, the success of the rapping eliminated the VSS and the computer. Anyway, excellent insights, instructions, video. Thanks!

[@AlexFranceschi]

You went through very similar struggles as I did lol. Happy you got your car fixed and back on the road! Thanks for commenting and provided feedback for others!

[@EndWW2]

@@AlexFranceschi Hey, thanks Alex! Oh, I forgot to mention that I'd also replaced the two big electrolytic capacitors on two of the speedo PCBs. That made for an interesting learning experience - but no fix ! Ironically, the authors of my 1993 Civic shop manual write, if "Speedometer operates, but reads wrong" the problem is "the main circuit board" (p. 23-140). They should have instead written, "See Alex's KZbin video," but, of course, the video didn't exist yet. How were they to know?

[@AlexFranceschi]

If only they had the foresight to look 28 years into the future! lol

[@audiejuniorlucero8138]

The issue I have with my eg8 is the cluster lights will intermittently turn on and off. The speedo will sometimes work randomly then just stop. Everything else works though. Tried swapping clusters and still the same issue.

[@AlexFranceschi]

You check your wiring harness/connector? Or look into what fuse(s) may be tied into the cluster? I know it's a boring answer but double check all connections and fuses.

[@user-hm6rk3jr7b]

Happen to record yourself sottering the joints??

[@ovidionahamangill2798]

Esos puntos se unen en soldadura o solo se reemplaza por soldadura nueva ?? Alguien me ayuda tengo esa duda

[@Kai_Keller02]

Now my car won't run properly I ended up grounding it to the vtec solenoid valve somehow and fried it when I started the car now I need a new cluster unit and vtec solenoid valve

[@wildcodefox7313]

how the hell did you manage that?

[@Kai_Keller02]

@@wildcodefox7313 incompetence lol

[@wildcodefox7313]

@@Kai_Keller02 obviously lmfao 😂

[@ryanhartigan9979]

Nailed it dude thank you so much

[@kanarimentos7056]

many thanks let me try

[@ekremarslan3270]

What could be the reason why the fuel gauge in my vehicle always shows full?

[@nietzcki3403]

Did you add solder to it or just reheat. Never soldered before. I reheated mine. My speedometer started working but was 5 - 10 mph off. I reheated it again and it stayed at 0 again.

[@AlexFranceschi]

Just reheating should work. That's all I did for most of them. Added a dab of solder to a couple.

[@haroldharris9311]

Did you flip back the needle to zero then put everything back together or did the Speedo calibrate itself after you Solder the connection and fired it up

[@AlexFranceschi]

I wound it back to zero after I soldered everything and put it back together.

[@michaelalcantaraTV]

Thanks for this tips bro.

[@AlexFranceschi]

No problem

[@Momstuffer69]

Also have the same issue but was wondering what temp does the iron have to be and what kind of solder should I use? I’ve never done it before and can’t find anyone to do it so might as well learn

[@leandrogodoy2445]

Hola soy argentino, la verdad que solucione mi problema con este video, pero es normal que se calienten los cables? Habré echo algo mal? Me di cuenta después de probarlo un rato que los cables y los enchufes estaban calientes

[@ilya_sokyrka]

Спасибо!)

[@yekchunlung1986]

Good work

[@henryrobles7311]

While you had this problem did your odometer stop counting too? I have the same issue with my cluster with the addition of the odometer not counting either

[@AlexFranceschi]

Since my speedometer was fast, my mileage actually accumulated faster. For example, I would drive 35mph, but the speedometer shows 50mph, so the mileage accumulated faster than expected. If your speedo doesn't work at all or is completely off the scale the odometer might not work. Unfortunately, I don't have a diagram of the odometer so I don't know for sure if this will fix your problem. Worth inspecting tho.

[@carlosgarza24]

So I replaced The Whole cluster and changed the speed sensor and it’s still not working

[@AlexFranceschi]

Check your solder joints on the back of the speedometer as I've shown. I did the same thing you did and that's why I made this video, got tired of chasing a ghost lol. Good luck

[@garywong8744]

Hey I have the exact same problem just as you described on my 1992 Civic. Recently the speedo just raced up to 100, jiggled there a couple of seconds, then went all the way around where its pinned. I'm going to try your solution but one question. How did you get the speedo needle back around to where it's supposed to be?

[@AlexFranceschi]

I just spun it back around when I took the speedo out and it's been on point ever since. You don't need to remove the needle itself when doing this job, just leave it on and spin it back to 0 when you're done soldering.

[@garywong8744]

@@AlexFranceschi Great! Thanks a bunch for the info and video! I'll post again after I'm done to let you know how it went. Happy New Year!

[@AlexFranceschi]

@@garywong8744 No problem! Happy new year and good luck!

[@garywong8744]

@@AlexFranceschi I just finished everything and took a test drive. The speedo is rock steady now! I can't thank you enough!

[@garywong8744]

By the way, you wouldn't happen to have a fix for another problem I have would you? The problem is the idle speed surges up and down by itself or rev high and stay there for a long time before coming back down. Sometimes the check engine light would come on too while that's happening. Thanks again for any ideas!

[@vzarou]

Odometer loosing miles in reverse mine

[@brianrojas1987]

Does this really work ? can someone answer my question i would really like to know not trying to take everything apart. thank you (although i feel like nobody gon see this)

[@AlexFranceschi]

I mean, other people commented on the video that it worked for them and I made a video to show it worked for me lol. But you should take some time to diagnose the problem or take it to a mechanic. Good luck!

[@kanarimentos7056]

is this effect milage also

[@AlexFranceschi]

Yes, a faulty speedometer will effect mileage. It depends on this issue. For example, if your speedometer is too fast it will record more miles than you actually drove.

[@saudkhan72]

My odometer works absolutely fine if i do a 10km any nearway trip it tells me the correct difference i've travelled but my speedometer fluctuates like if im travelling at 50km/h it sometime tells me 20km/h or jump right to 80km/h. Is it the same issue like you had? Will it fix if i just resoder like you did?

[@AlexFranceschi]

Sounds very similar to my symptoms. Inspecting the speedometer is fairly easy and cost little to no money if you can do it yourself. I think it's best to inspect the joints first and then re-evaluate it.

[@saudkhan72]

@@AlexFranceschi Okay i will try it for sure. I hope it gets fixed. Im not tryimg to bring it to any technician cuz he'll probally charge me for nothing

[@alvinwj]

I’m also having this problem with my 96 Civic EK. Having MPGuino installed in my car, it show speed without problems (so not the VSS problem). The Civic speedometer needle is the problems. It not moving until the car running around 40km/h, and when the car speed around 80km/h, the needle is hovering around 105-110km/h. The Civic odometer and MPGuino is showing quite the same number (driven it for years). In my case, there are no cold solder joint like you shown in the video. But i still resolder all the IC joints and adding some tin at the PCB and also the flexible PCB in the outer speedometer (white plastic around the speedometer bolts). And now the needle are moving again even at the low speed. I did not test it at 80km/h though, maybe next time. But i think my problem are already solved. Thank you for making this guide.

[@ozzyollie5870]

Hi, i need to ask i hv integra dc2 meter , manual and auto, i broke my speedo on manual but i change to auto, but the auto speedo seems hard to re align. Izit bcz its not suitable for manual cars or smthing else? Sorry for my english

[@AlexFranceschi]

Sorry I do not know. Are you using the entire Auto gauge cluster assembly or just the speedometer?

[@ozzyollie5870]

@@AlexFranceschii use only speedometer,i tried to calibrate using gps many times,but it seems like the speedo got speed cut?

[@AlexFranceschi]

@@ozzyollie5870 Sorry I don't know much about using an Auto speedometer in a Mnaual car. My guess would be the gear ratios for the auto are much different than the manual hence the speed is not correct. There may be ways to fix it, but I don't know.

[@janedejesus5553]

where can i found your shop or service center

[@AlexFranceschi]

Sorry, but I don't have a shop. I just make these videos to help other people who do their own repairs.

[@joost2.064]

I have a Honda Civic out 2000 and the speedometer is going up and down a little bit. Or stays at 0 until I drive 20 miles an our. It's bugging me out but I don't know if it's my speedometer or my speedsensor. I think it my sensor but I don't know for sure. What do you think? nothing wrong with asking hahah

[@AlexFranceschi]

I can't say for certain, but I believe the '00 civics have a similar speedometer/cluster as mine. You can replace the speed sensor if you like, but you will have to spend money just to see if that is the problem. I would first take the speedometer out and inspect the solder joints. That comes at no cost, and you can at least figure out if that is your problem before spending money. If the joints look good, then I would try the sensor.

[@justinlocke]

I have a 97 civic-- which will be very similar to your 00 -- and I did in fact fix the speedometer by re soldering just one bad joint. There are videos for 96-00 civics that show you, it's pin #10 (out of 24) I just re heated the one pin for 3 seconds and like magic it fixed the issue on first pass. you will need a soldering gun with a fine tip. I spent $175 on a new speed sensor, total waste!

[@Otsp922]

@joost 2.0 what was this issue you had? Because I have the same problem.

[@justinlocke]

an update, just doing pin 10 improved matters but ultimately did not do it, I had to pull the speedo and re solder every connection on the chip that I could get at, this seems to have fixed it. i just touched the tip of the gun to each connection.

[@justinlocke]

@@Otsp922 are you asking me, or the original poster?

[@itry_4819]

hey so i’m wondering about the soldering part where to like connect

[@vivaansoren7904]

Pro trick : watch movies at Flixzone. Me and my gf have been using them for watching lots of of movies during the lockdown.

[@carsonleighton659]

@Vivaan Soren yup, have been watching on Flixzone} for years myself :D

[@tannerkannon2535]

@Vivaan Soren yup, I have been using Flixzone} for since november myself =)

[@ImagineBeingFat]

Anyone live within 2-3 hours or Albany NY and can fix this for me, let me know!!! Thanks