Toyota Camry -- Speedometer not working... Will it fail smog?
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From: Rav on 13 Nov 2009 09:26 On Nov 13, 5:50 am, klu...(a)panix.com (Scott Dorsey) wrote: > Rav <raul.frem...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > >The "check engine" light came on 03 Toyota Camry. > > >The mechanic checked with the diagnostic scanner and confirmed that it > >was because the speedometer and odometer were not working. > > How long have they not been working? Speedometer/Odometer haven't been working for a month. Car mileage is 58,000. > > It could also be a cabling issue somewhere. Not sure if this means anything, but most of the time the speedometer is at 0 , and the odometer doesn't move, and the "check engine" light is on. But sometimes, the "check engine" light goes off, the speedometer jumps all around and the odometer bumps up the mileage (incorrectly)... And about how much will it cost if the computer has to replaced?
From: Hachiroku ハチロク on 13 Nov 2009 10:42 On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:26:38 -0800, Rav wrote: > On Nov 13, 5:50 am, klu...(a)panix.com (Scott Dorsey) wrote: >> Rav <raul.frem...(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >The "check engine" light came on 03 Toyota Camry. >> >> >The mechanic checked with the diagnostic scanner and confirmed that it >> >was because the speedometer and odometer were not working. >> >> How long have they not been working? > > Speedometer/Odometer haven't been working for a month. Car mileage is > 58,000. > > >> It could also be a cabling issue somewhere. > > Not sure if this means anything, but most of the time the speedometer is > at 0 , and the odometer doesn't move, and the "check engine" light is on. > > But sometimes, the "check engine" light goes off, the speedometer jumps > all around and the odometer bumps up the mileage (incorrectly)... > > > And about how much will it cost if the computer has to replaced? If it is the computer, you an expect $800-1100 just for the part. I'm not sure where it is on this car, but they are usually either behind the glove box or in the pass. side kick panel. They are easy to replae; the plugs only go in one way. Expect to pay a lot to have a dealer do it. if you go to http://www.car-part.com they are anywhere from ~$150 up. It will not have the correct mileage. Also, make sure to get the correct one for your car.
From: in2dadark on 13 Nov 2009 14:20 On Nov 13, 6:21 am, Rav <raul.frem...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > The "check engine" light came on 03 Toyota Camry. > > The mechanic checked with the diagnostic scanner and confirmed that it > was because the speedometer and odometer were not working. > > He checked some other stuff which I didn't understand -- something to > do with vehicle sensors. > > He said he suspected the car computer and that he would need to read > the manual to see if he can fix the computer but I may have to take it > to a dealer for expensive repair or replacement of the computer. > > Also, the mechanic mentioned that the car would not pass California > Smog with a non-functional speedomoter/odomoter. > > Is that true? Not sure why smog check would care. Move to another state. Florida doesn't have that nonsense. I'm soo glad. It not only wastes your money but something more valuable and irreplaceable-your time.
From: in2dadark on 13 Nov 2009 14:22 On Nov 13, 12:31 pm, "Ray O" <rokig...(a)NOSPAMtristarassociates.com> wrote: > "Rav" <raul.frem...(a)gmail.com> wrote in message > > news:4246b30b-ada5-4977-8cfc-ee9c8761c79a(a)j9g2000prh.googlegroups.com... > > > > > > > > > The "check engine" light came on 03 Toyota Camry. > > > The mechanic checked with the diagnostic scanner and confirmed that it > > was because the speedometer and odometer were not working. > > > He checked some other stuff which I didn't understand -- something to > > do with vehicle sensors. > > > He said he suspected the car computer and that he would need to read > > the manual to see if he can fix the computer but I may have to take it > > to a dealer for expensive repair or replacement of the computer. > > > Also, the mechanic mentioned that the car would not pass California > > Smog with a non-functional speedomoter/odomoter. > > > Is that true? Not sure why smog check would care. > > It is unlikely that the car's engine control computer, referred to as an > electronic control unit, or ECU, needs repair or replacement because they > have a very low failure rate. A competent technician who is familiar with > Toyotas knows that the engine ECU is the last thing to check, not the first > thing to check. Even if the engine ECU did need repair, it would have to be > sent out to an authorized repair facility for repair. > > The reason that the car would not pass smog is that vehicles with the check > engine light (actually called the malfunction indicator light, or MIL) > illuminated automatically fail, and the reason that the MIL is on is because > of a problem with the speed sensor circuit. > > There is a speed sensor on the transmission that sends a signal to the > speedometer control on the back of the instrument cluster, and diagnosis is > pretty straightforward. The On-board Diagnostics Generation II (OBD II) > scan tools used by professional technicians should have the ability to read > the signal generated by the transmission speed sensor and therefore check > the function of the speed sensor. Even if the technician's scan tool does > not have this capability, the sensor can be checked with a volt meter at the > sensor itself. > > If the sensor is putting out the proper signal, then the next step would be > to check the wiring between the speed sensor and the speedometer control by > checking the signal at the wire harness at the speedometer control. If the > signal is good, then the speedometer control is bad, and if the signal is > bad, then the wiring between the sensor and speedometer control is bad. The > most time consuming part of doing all these checks would be removing the > instrument cluster to get at the speedometer control, about a half-hour > total for all the checks. > > If anyone did any work just before the speedometer started acting up or if > you had any electrical work done on the car like installing an aftermarket > remote starter or audio system, I'd check that work first to make sure that > the speedometer circuit wasn't disturbed. > > -- > > Ray O > (correct punctuation to reply)- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - Sounds like the other guy was a parts swapper? Swap out this and that and hope it works. And of course they want to start with the most expensive item.
From: Ray O on 13 Nov 2009 15:18
"in2dadark" <in2dadark(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message news:c8477940-090f-4df1-ac07-2cf953ab882a(a)p35g2000yqh.googlegroups.com... On Nov 13, 12:31 pm, "Ray O" <rokig...(a)NOSPAMtristarassociates.com> wrote: > "Rav" <raul.frem...(a)gmail.com> wrote in message > > news:4246b30b-ada5-4977-8cfc-ee9c8761c79a(a)j9g2000prh.googlegroups.com... > > > > > > > > > The "check engine" light came on 03 Toyota Camry. > > > The mechanic checked with the diagnostic scanner and confirmed that it > > was because the speedometer and odometer were not working. > > > He checked some other stuff which I didn't understand -- something to > > do with vehicle sensors. > > > He said he suspected the car computer and that he would need to read > > the manual to see if he can fix the computer but I may have to take it > > to a dealer for expensive repair or replacement of the computer. > > > Also, the mechanic mentioned that the car would not pass California > > Smog with a non-functional speedomoter/odomoter. > > > Is that true? Not sure why smog check would care. > > It is unlikely that the car's engine control computer, referred to as an > electronic control unit, or ECU, needs repair or replacement because they > have a very low failure rate. A competent technician who is familiar with > Toyotas knows that the engine ECU is the last thing to check, not the > first > thing to check. Even if the engine ECU did need repair, it would have to > be > sent out to an authorized repair facility for repair. > > The reason that the car would not pass smog is that vehicles with the > check > engine light (actually called the malfunction indicator light, or MIL) > illuminated automatically fail, and the reason that the MIL is on is > because > of a problem with the speed sensor circuit. > > There is a speed sensor on the transmission that sends a signal to the > speedometer control on the back of the instrument cluster, and diagnosis > is > pretty straightforward. The On-board Diagnostics Generation II (OBD II) > scan tools used by professional technicians should have the ability to > read > the signal generated by the transmission speed sensor and therefore check > the function of the speed sensor. Even if the technician's scan tool does > not have this capability, the sensor can be checked with a volt meter at > the > sensor itself. > > If the sensor is putting out the proper signal, then the next step would > be > to check the wiring between the speed sensor and the speedometer control > by > checking the signal at the wire harness at the speedometer control. If the > signal is good, then the speedometer control is bad, and if the signal is > bad, then the wiring between the sensor and speedometer control is bad. > The > most time consuming part of doing all these checks would be removing the > instrument cluster to get at the speedometer control, about a half-hour > total for all the checks. > > If anyone did any work just before the speedometer started acting up or if > you had any electrical work done on the car like installing an aftermarket > remote starter or audio system, I'd check that work first to make sure > that > the speedometer circuit wasn't disturbed. > > -- > > Ray O > (correct punctuation to reply)- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - Sounds like the other guy was a parts swapper? Swap out this and that and hope it works. And of course they want to start with the most expensive item. ********** I think an unintended consequence of the OBD II standard and the widespread availability of OBD II scanners is that people with just enough knowledge to identify and find a part in a car can swap parts. The possibility that the engine ECU is causing the OP's speedometer problems is not zero, but in 15 years of working for the company that made the OP's car and working with over 100 dealers, I have never heard of an engine ECU causing the symptoms that the OP is describing. I think I know what is causing the problem, but since a proper, professional diagnosis only takes about 5 additional minutes, I'd check inn the sequence I mentioned. -- Ray O (correct punctuation to reply) |