CK5
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Resetting or fixing odometer
- Thread starter ShrekK5
- Start date
Find a local speedo shop. I put in a 91 speedo in my 89 and had him dial in the mileage I wanted. He also fixed my trip one and it lasted for awhile but is now stuck again. My odometer is still going strong.
check the drac unit . its a white box clipped to a bracket under the radio . . . . it controls the speedo . 1990 and 1991 are electric speedo . . . also the sensor on the transfer case .
Does your speedo work?
Yes, the speedo works. I called a local speedo shop. They say they can fix it and the trip meter too. My gas gauge which is part of the same instrument cluster is also not working correctly. They say they can fix it all. I was thinking about buying a used unit but I think it is worth the extra cost (not that much more) to just take my unit to be repaired. $220.00 total if I take it out. $250.00 if they remove and install. Hopefully it will last a long time.
you have a wiring problem then by the sounds of it . if there is more than 1 acting up .
I doubt it is a wiring problem. Gas gauge has been working wrong for the longest time, years after that the trip meter quit, then just last fall the odometer quit after another ten years. The K5 has about 250,000 miles on it. Beautiful truck though!
The gauges don't fail often, at all. They will of course, people have problems, but the flex circuit on the back is FAR more likely of a problem, and when it comes to the fuel gauge, the sending unit or ground at the tank is a very common issue. I've got a cluster that came out of a truck that was dumped into a river. The gauges still had mud on (and in) them, and they worked. I've gone through a lot of gauges, other than a cable drive speedometer, I've never had a gauge fail. I'd say I've dealt with 100 different gauges from these trucks.
You can test all the gauges/gauge circuits except speedometer and voltmeter by disconnecting the wire at the sending unit with the key on. Gauge should peg one way. Ground the wire, gauge will peg the other way. If it does, the gauge and all wiring past the sender (or connector in case of the fuel tank) are working properly. If it doesn't respond that way, then the problem is somewhere between that connector and the gauge.
These are exceedingly easy to work on, the hardest part is removing the trim to get the cluster out.
You can test all the gauges/gauge circuits except speedometer and voltmeter by disconnecting the wire at the sending unit with the key on. Gauge should peg one way. Ground the wire, gauge will peg the other way. If it does, the gauge and all wiring past the sender (or connector in case of the fuel tank) are working properly. If it doesn't respond that way, then the problem is somewhere between that connector and the gauge.
These are exceedingly easy to work on, the hardest part is removing the trim to get the cluster out.
I appreciate your response. I will definitely try your test with the wire and the sending unit. As far as the trip meter goes, these fail a lot in these vehicles due to the internal gears. I know this because I have had other Blazers or Jimmy's where they failed. The odometer can't be tested by your method and the speedo works. The odometer connection in the transfer case is not bad unless a mechanic that just rebuilt my transfer case lied to me.
I had my fuel gauge unit in the gas tank replaced years ago and it did not fix the issue. I will say here, I am beginning to wonder if that mechanic did actually replace it with a new unit, but I saw the tank off the truck and I have to assume he did replace it. He did show me "the old unit" afterwords. The gas gauge reads just under half when the tank is filled. Every now and then it actually reads full for a short time after it is filled. When the tank is between an eighth and a quarter full it seems to read correctly. This has been a constant truth for years until one time recently it stuck just under an eighth and I actually ran out of gas at a very busy interstate intersection during rush hour. Many thanks to the Fort Worth Police Department Officer who took me to get gas before AAA showed up!!!
I had my fuel gauge unit in the gas tank replaced years ago and it did not fix the issue. I will say here, I am beginning to wonder if that mechanic did actually replace it with a new unit, but I saw the tank off the truck and I have to assume he did replace it. He did show me "the old unit" afterwords. The gas gauge reads just under half when the tank is filled. Every now and then it actually reads full for a short time after it is filled. When the tank is between an eighth and a quarter full it seems to read correctly. This has been a constant truth for years until one time recently it stuck just under an eighth and I actually ran out of gas at a very busy interstate intersection during rush hour. Many thanks to the Fort Worth Police Department Officer who took me to get gas before AAA showed up!!!
Many times the ground for the tank sending unit will corrode (or fail), one would hope a mechanic would have done something other than just replace the sending unit and left it at that, knowing the problem was not resolved.
Flex circuit is another one, often you'll see that problem as multiple issues with the cluster. All the gauges on the later cluster like yours share the same +/-, the only differences will be the wire from the sending unit.
I forgot that one '90-91 cluster I had had a stuck trip odometer, so I let small amounts of 3 in 1 oil penetrate the mechanism and that fixed it.
Flex circuit is another one, often you'll see that problem as multiple issues with the cluster. All the gauges on the later cluster like yours share the same +/-, the only differences will be the wire from the sending unit.
I forgot that one '90-91 cluster I had had a stuck trip odometer, so I let small amounts of 3 in 1 oil penetrate the mechanism and that fixed it.
Where is the ground for the gas gauge? I will definitely check that. With my luck I am guessing it is above the gas tank, out of reach. I will be pissed if that is the problem because I paid for that new unit in the tank years back; but either way it would be nice to have it working again. Hind sight...............
I like the thought on the trip meter for the future. Since I probably have to take the cluster to a shop for the odometer anyway for now, I will let them do their magic on refurbishing what they can. They talk as if they can work miracles and seem knowledgable.
I like the thought on the trip meter for the future. Since I probably have to take the cluster to a shop for the odometer anyway for now, I will let them do their magic on refurbishing what they can. They talk as if they can work miracles and seem knowledgable.
I believe that it's still fairly common for places to be able to work on gauges, so wouldn't surprise me if they could.
Ground is a single black wire that comes off the top of the tank (sending unit) and is screwed into the frame (I think, could be one of the riveted crossmembers) using a thread cutting screw. I have only messed with a couple of the K5's, but the ones I've dealt with, the ground wire came off the front side of the tank, not the rear. That will put you near the connector for the gauge and fuel pump. Two wire weatherpack. Figure out which is the sending unit wire, and you can test it.
Ground is a single black wire that comes off the top of the tank (sending unit) and is screwed into the frame (I think, could be one of the riveted crossmembers) using a thread cutting screw. I have only messed with a couple of the K5's, but the ones I've dealt with, the ground wire came off the front side of the tank, not the rear. That will put you near the connector for the gauge and fuel pump. Two wire weatherpack. Figure out which is the sending unit wire, and you can test it.
