Volvo 480 Club Europe

Hi
I've not long had the & just put on the road today, after about 12 mile the speedo just stopped working & dropped back to zero.
Any ideas or regular causes of this problem please ?
Sensor on gearbox or speedo itself?

Thank you.

First check the connections on the back of the gauge cluster - it’s possible it may be slightly lose or corroded.

It could be a sensor somewhere, however a very common issue is that the small plastic cog that turns the needle has broken. You can buy replacements on eBay I believe.

Speedo dropping to zero or becoming intermittent is usually down to the connections at the back of the cluster or dry solder on the cluster PCB.

The common cog failure stops the odometer and trip meter, but doesn't affect the speedo needle.

David

The first thing to do if the speedo stops is check the infocentre instant MPG

Its calculated using speed, so if it stops working, its because the dashboard isn't receiving a speed sensor signal.
Anoher culprit is the connector under the airbox. Sometimes simply cleaning the connector with some contact cleaner is enough to resolve.

If the speedo works, but mileage isn't being clocked up, that's a fault of the plastic cog.

Thank you, it was working fine for about 12 mile, first time I've driven since I taxed it today.
It just stopped suddenly, no jumping about or anything..
I'm pretty sure the miles are still clocking up but I'll check tomorrow.

What's the speedo like to get out to check connections?

Oh & I'm pretty sure the instant mpg is working because I put it on to see what it doing.

I followed this to fix my gauges, defo worth a look through! Doesn't take that long either
viewtopic.php?t=35684

Wow, that's extremely comprehensive...
If anyone is reading this & lives anywhere near the northeast of England I'd appreciate a little bit of help if at all possible

Electronic stuff isn't really my thing, I guess I could search for an auto electrical guy close to me.

Thank you all for your help.

Hi
Just an update on my speedo.

I drove the car today & the speedo worked, initially...
It then went off after a few miles, came back on & off a few times.
While it was off I tapped the speedo & it instantly started working until I got home.
It's obviously a poor connection in the back of there somewhere.

Gapples wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 02, 2022 12:54 pm

Wow, that's extremely comprehensive...
If anyone is reading this & lives anywhere near the northeast of England I'd appreciate a little bit of help if at all possible

Electronic stuff isn't really my thing, I guess I could search for an auto electrical guy close to me.

Thank you all for your help.

Where in the North East are you?

I am just north of York - happy to help if that's local enough for you...

Don't involve an auto electrician just yet!

David

Hi David

I'm in Northumberland near Morpeth, thank you for your offer to help, I'm probably a bit far north for you.
To be fair having an intermittent speedo won't bother me too much yet, I have to get the rest of the car fully serviced, a small wing repair then a little bit of paint done & lastly any undersealing touched up.

After that lots done it'll be time for the speedo

Gapples wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 03, 2022 9:25 am

After that lots done it'll be time for the speedo

in thta case just use the rev counter as a speedo?
double revs is mph in fourth
2.1 or 2.2? in fifth, did it for years on & off

Hi
Yes, the speedo currently seems to work 50% of time so I've worked out roughly the main speeds.
60mph is 2500 rpm in 5th, 30mph is either 1500rpm 4th or 2000rpm in 3rd.
There are also lots of those speed check/warning signs around these days that flash up your speed.

It's not insurmountable