Intermittent speedometer failure '95 Legacy wagon

[Duff]

We are new to this club and have a really nice '95 Legacy wagon with 122K miles on it. Despite the miles it runs super well, sounds great, looks great, and drives superbly with excellent accelleration, braking at high speed is like glass. No shakes. No knocks or ticks.

Got it from a Subaru dealer who claims it is a great used car.

The dealer checked out the intermittent speedo error we reported and replaced the sending unit on the transmission even though there is no warranty, without charging us the 160 dollars US.

Three hundred miles later the speedometer again failed to work for about five minutes, then started working and the check engine light did not come on this time, it did come on before and the speedometer stayed nonfunctional.

The mechanic felt the part inside the transmission and said it felt like it was good.

Nevertheless, the intermittent problem has happened again. We are obviously wondering what we can do and assume that if it requires the transmission to be torn down it will be very expensive to repair.

Supposedly it could also be the speedometer in the dash itself that is faulty.

I am wondering if there is any expertise and experience out there that can help explain to me what might be going on and if there is anything that I can do or is there a solution that we should pursue, dealer repair or otherwise.

I am also wondering if we can have an external, aftermarket speedometer installed. Has anyone done this? Would this be effective or even possible? We are anticipating that the problem will reoccur and that if the speedo does not work next time the vehicle inspection comes due, that it will not pass inspection.

Any ideas on this will be greatly appreciated. Anyone having had to deal with this situation before might be able to share with us some valuable information or provide us with some good advice based upon real world experience dealing with a similar problem.

This is our first Subaru and we really like it. I am not panicing like I did the first time the speedo failed. I figure we will have to pay for some repairs if we want to keep a car of this vintage operational in tip top shape. It runs super great right now and we would like to do all we can to maintain the vehicle well.

Any help is appreciated,

Duffy
Winfield, Pa.
mjbolduc@dejazzd.com

[Wiscon_Mark]

I'd start sifting around a junkyard and pull a bunch of speedometer units out and try them out to see if that's the problem. It's plug & play, very easy to do.

Here's a writeup that would help with the install & removal:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?t=1123

[Huffer]

The dealer checked out the intermittent speedo error we reported and replaced the sending unit on the transmission even though there is no warranty, without charging us the 160 dollars US.

Three hundred miles later the speedometer again failed to work for about five minutes, then started working and the check engine light did not come on this time, it did come on before and the speedometer stayed nonfunctional.

The mechanic felt the part inside the transmission and said it felt like it was good.

Nevertheless, the intermittent problem has happened again. We are obviously wondering what we can do and assume that if it requires the transmission to be torn down it will be very expensive to repair.

Supposedly it could also be the speedometer in the dash itself that is faulty.


If the sending unit on the transmission is good (ie. new) then it's likely the issue is with the dashboard cluster unit - are the 95's cable driven or reliant on electronic signals from the transmission?

If they are electronic, then you can replace the dash cluster with another unit VERY easily. If it's cable driven, that's a little more work.

I would also check the transmission sending unit to see if the electrical connection is still good - a mechanic can't feel INSIDE the transmission without cracking the case - it's a little more than that.

Honestly, if you're a bit worried about tearing into it, I would take it back to the dealer and say that the problem has reoccurred.

[Reason]

The dealer will tell you many things to put you at ease for awhile. I won't say what I think it is because I don't trust any dealer and think they all are out there to screw the people. My first assumption would be that they took the car in for a day and did nothing.

[Duff]

Thanks for the great info.

A couple more questions:

Is the 95 a cable or electromechanical harness?

When the speedomenter stops working intermittently like this can it do any damage to the engine? Is it integrated with the fuel injection or engine management and can it have any bad effects?

Thanks in advance,

Duff
mjbolduc@dejazzd.com

[Wiscon_Mark]

Is a 95 Electrical or Cable driven?

Guys, I answered that question several posts ago. It's electrical, and very easy to get into, please look at my link.


When the speedomenter stops working intermittently like this can it do any damage to the engine? Is it integrated with the fuel injection or engine management and can it have any bad effects?

Definitely not. It's just a speed sensor, nothing more. If the tach started jumping around and the car was running poorly, I'd be a little more worried, but not the speedometer.

[Huffer]

I'm in agreement that the dealer didn't do a thing the first time you brought it in. It's a $20 part...

[Duff]

Surprisingly the speedometer has not worked only once since the sending unit was replaced. I have put about three hundred miles on it since then.

Duff

[Duff]

Intermittent speedometer problem continues with CEL code P500 I think, I'm not exactly sure, but it is a speed sensor code from the unit on the transmission.

The mechanic at the dealer says it is in the plastic gear inside the transmission and that it is about twelve hundred dollars to fix.

He says he checked it with a screw driver when he replaced the sending unit and that it was spinning but that he did not want to put too much pressure on it with the screw driver because this might damage it.

The service manager disagreed with the mechanic on the mechanic's approach and asked him if he did these diagnostic tests indicated on some print out he had for the particular code troubleshooting. The mechanic looked embarrassed and said he didn't have time.

The service manager stated that the plastic gear inside the transmission either spins or it doesn't, there is no in between. He scheduled me for a diagnostic test of the whole speedometer system as indicated on the code troubleshooting sheet. The owner said he would have his best transmission guy do the test.

They think it is not inside the transmission but that it is in the harness or the speedometer cluster. A much less expensive repair.

So, I have an appointment to have the system checked out by supposedly someone who knows what he is doing.

Does this make any sense?

The car runs great and I am inclined to get the problem fixed so that the speedometer works all the time like a normal speedometer. I realized when I bought a used car that I would have to have some work done on it. It is a nice Legacy with the upscale package, sunroof, awd, etc.

Does it make sense to spend a lot of money on repairs if they are necessary? The owner said he would give me my full amount back if I traded the car on another one. He also said he would work with me on the repair but that he could not pay the whole twelve hundred if it came down to that, but that he would work with me. I stated I liked tha car and would like to keep it but would need to have the speedometer working correctly.

Any feedback is really appreciated. As above I know some of you guys are very knowledgeable concerning this type of problem.

I thought it would be important to keep you posted on my status with this problem.

Duff

[Huffer]

I would just hope that they are covering the cost of the repair this time because it should have been done correctly the first time.