speedo works, odo and trip don't

[Grey89]

hey guys, my first post in the interior forum, hope you guys are as helpful as the guys in the offroad section.

I've got an 89 K1500 with moonies on the cluster. I've owned this truck for about 2 years now and i think i should finally fix the odometer. my speedo works, but my odo and trip haven't moved so much as a 1/10th since i bought it(2 years ago). anybody know the best place, or a likely problem to start looking at before i rip the cluster out of it?

[$ilverado8405]

don't know about your cluster but in one of my old snowmobiles there was a gear on the odometer that was stripped out and that caused both of them to not work. I would think that it would be similar however I have no idea where to even start looking.

[Grey89]

well, i tore the dash out today. and there is a gear that has stripped. I got a new one on the way now.

[Grey89]

UPDATE: I got another gauge cluster, and put it in today, and the trip and odo still won't count at all. the gears on the new one are just fine, so i'm guessing it's an electrical issue somewhere between the computer and the harness to the back of the cluster. anybody have any tips to help me narrow down where the wire would be?

[Grey89]

Bump, anyone have any info?

[someotherguy]

I see a lot of posts about moonie clusters with bad odometer/tripmeter setups. I don't see it nearly as often with the 92-94 cluster for some reason. I know the gear strips/breaks, and I think that happens on some because most people have a habit of hitting reset while moving, when you're supposed to do it at a stop. But the higher number of moonies with the problem make me wonder if the electric motor that runs the odometer/tripmeter is an issue, or if it's just because these trucks are older and have seen more wear.

Richard

[Grey89]

would anybody out there happen to know a way to test if it's a problem with the odometer/motor itself, or possibly somewhere between comp and cluster? a wiring diagram, pin out voltages, any way for me to test without buying another set of gauges to have it not work.

[rockusaf]

The trip meter on my 91 stopped working a few months ago but the odo still works. Next time I'm at the bone yard I plan to rip into one to see if I can figure out what's going on with it.

[Cheyenne'88]

Did you find a way to repair this?
I just failed NJ inspection because of a broken odometer! They said it is a safety issue!?
The only way they found out was they had failed me for gear shift indicator not pointing exactly right, and also steering 'something', which basically meant loose steering.
When I fixed it and brought it back, they spotted the mileage had not changed.
I've been searching, and this was the most recent thread I could find that might match my '88 odometer issues.
Yes, I was hitting the trip on the move... I didn't know I wasn't supposed to.
So, is it a cable that's snapped, or is it gears, or is it even fix-able?

[Grey89]

there isn't a cable, it's driven by a small motor in the gauge cluster. I found that my problem was a broken tooth on the tenths counter, that kept the next one from rolling over. I had tried to put a different cluster, but it turns out that new one had a busted odometer too.

if i was you cheyenne, i'd start by taking the cluster out and look over the odometer counter and the gears. and taking the dash apart is pretty simple in the older trucks

[Cheyenne'88]

Well, once again, the search button and you guys came through.
Got my new inspection sticker today.
Grey89, I apologise for stepping on your thread! Thanks for the help.

[Grey89]

It's no problem Cheyenne, so i take it you found out what was wrong with it?

[Cheyenne'88]

Nope. Took your advice and took it apart and fiddled with it a little bit, put it all back together and now it works.
Near as I can tell, it's the little metal tab that joins the counter on the odo to the counter on the trip odo. I think it may be loose enough that it got a little twisted up and jammed.
Probably not fixed for long, but I'm not going to hammer on the trip button to find out. Next time it stops, I'll be able to see if it stops on any particular numbers, cuz I couldn't see or feel anything broken.

[BigBody90]

When I had the moonies my odo was out too. There is a thread on here to change to the 92-94 style, that might be the best way to go plus I think they look a little more trucklike.

[Cheyenne'88]

Doin' mine! (Hope I don't F it up) Going to do the DIP switch too, (just in case) and also thinking/searching about brightening up with some LED's.
Normally, if it aint broke, I don't fix it... but I've wanted to do this for a while.

Grey89: Here is a link to schematics for connector behind your cluster: (very bottom of page)
http://www.someotherplace.com/guides/clusterswap/cluster.html

[someotherguy]

Modding the DRAC with the dip switch is the easiest part of that job. And arguably, the coolest part; $1 to $2 of parts to make a configurable speedometer. Nice!

Richard