The Speedometer on my car either reads 0, or randomely jumps up and down... huh?

[Deoxyribonucleicvitriol]

On my 'ole oldsmobile '89 cutlass supreme... which I've dubbed "The ugly gray beast"... has a weird deal with it's speedometer... I don't think it's the alternator because this has been happening for quite a while.

Basically... Since my gas guage was already broken before this... and I was using my tripometer... and since when it's reading "0 mph" it's also putting no numbers on the tripometer.... I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO TELL WHEN I NEED GAS!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

But the bigger issue is we need to sell this crapmobile and we can't sell it with a crazy speedometer like this.

What should I check or what should I look for?

Thanks.

[hockeyman]

You should try to find a used one on ebay or a local junkyard. I have *no clue* when it comes to electronics, and if it's a problem that is indepth, I'll just replace the whole thing.

My 96 camaro has a squirrley speedo too. It only happens when it's raining and I'm driving on the highway at 55mph or more. It quickly jumps up to 80mph then back down when i'm cruising. It doesn't happen that often either. Only once every 1/2 hour or so...? Again, it's probably an indepth diagnosis, so screw it!

['94firebirdv6]

sounds like yuor having the same problem that my cousin is having on his '94 GT stang
it is either reading 0 or stuck. then it randomly jumps up to the correct speed. For some reason hitting the dash above the gauge bezel seems to help. his is a mechanical speedo which i am guessing yours would be too. Any way we are going to pull the gauge cluster and make sure nothins loose. if that doesnt fix it then i guess he'll just have to buy a new cable etc.
hope this helps

[Deoxyribonucleicvitriol]

Thanks man. Actually mine's one of those digital dashboards.... strange.. make me think it's the wiring and not the mechanism.