Nissan Repair: 1990 Nissan Pathfinder gauges, nissan pathfinder, speedo cable

Question
Hi, Calvin. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

I have a 1990 Nissan Pathfinder XE. I've owned the car for about 2 years now. Even since I've been driving it, the gas gauge has worked very intermittently, usually not working at all, but occasionally, it will drift to about half full (even if the tank is completely full, and recently filled). This 'switch' from off to sort of working can sometimes even happen multiple times during one short commute. Along these same lines, my trip odometer has never worked. It's stuck at all zeros, I cannot rotate the numbers manually (or reset them), and they do not turn over on their own. I've learned to live with those to problems. :)

Just the other day, as I was driving to work, my speedometer suddenly went dead! Now, this one I'm having a harder time just living with. It doesn't come back on at all, so I assume its a different issue than with my gas gauge, etc. I was browsing through my old school owner's manual, and came across another thing that seems to be happening: (sorry for asking this all at once, but I do so only because I think all of these problems may be tied together) ... the light which identifies the "Power Mode" driving setting being turned on has started blinking whenever I first start the car. Now I'm getting a bit worried...


Any suggestions? I'd like to be able to fix the speedo on my own, but if its as bad as needing a bunch of transmission work, as the manual states the blinking like may suggest, I'd obviously have to take it in.

thanks again!

Answer
Hi Erik -

The only thing that could be done out of the shop is probably service and check the speedo cable. First of all, locate where the speedo cable enters the transmission. You can spot it by the round nut and the cable housing, should be on the driver's side. Unscrew the round nut and then you will see the cable itself that goes into the trans, and on the trans side, some gears. Ensure that the gears are not stripped (teeth missing), the end of the cable is not rounded (should be square), and that you cannot pull out the cable from the housing (if you can, then the cable has snapped).

To replace the cable or grease it (use silicone grease), you must first remove the instrument panel and unsnap the lock that holds the housing to the panel, directly in back of the speedometer. Pull the entire cable out and grease it as you reinsert it in the housing.

Hope this helps -
aloha
calvin