Chrysler Repair: Tach&Odometer, postal mail, sensor signals

Question
1996 dodge stratus 3.5 tach & odometer quit working now and again. usually always at startup. 64,000 mi. thanks.

Answer
Hi Scott,
I wonder if you didn't mean you have the 2.5L rather than the 3.5 in the car?
In either case, the tach and the odometer rely on different sensors and so the likelihood of simultaneous failure is remote. Also, while the sensor signals are digitized and sent to the cluster on the same data line, that line communication could not cause the breakdown because the data for the other gauges also arrive on that line so it would probably be all or none if the line failed. So I suspect it is the tach/odo sub-unit of the cluster that is intermittantly failing. Intermittants are difficult to diagnose because it is hard to get the problem to synchronously occur when you are ready to make the measurements. There is a cluster self-test that you could do when the unit was in the failed state. It is a couple of pages from the shop manual I have and I would be pleased to xerox and postal mail those to you so you could try it just when the unit wasn't working. So let me know your postal mailing address if you would like those pages. If I am maxed out, then send me the info using the "Thank and rate" tab.
Roland