Rep Power: 0

My wife has a 2001 Civic EX. A few months ago the gauges (speedo, fuel, RPM, etc) began to shut down intermittently. At times they will not work for days and all a sudden they will turn back on and work for awhile. Could it be a bad relay? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

 
Rep Power: 811

usually this means you have to replace the cluster. mine started doing this randomly too and i just got annoyed and swapped it out. there's dime a dozen on ebay.

 
Rep Power: 0

You mean the entire instrument cluster will need to be pulled and replaced? I though it was an electrical issue.

 
Rep Power: 452

any electrical issue involving the cluster assembly will usually require the replacement of it. Now if there is only one small problem like a malfunctioning fuel gauge, then there are other means to fixing it without replacing the cluster. the circuit board is inside of the assembly and cant be replaced seperately if a issue occurs with the circuit board. now before doing anything, possibly check your connections on the back of the cluster assembly. if those are good, there is a test procedure for the cluster to determine if it is faulty that I can try and find for you. or ask craigW to send you the information from the manual, he can download it and send it to you.

 
Rep Power: 0

Sounds good. Apparently this is more of an issue than I thought. Given that, several questions come to mind; How do I access the back of the cluster to check the connections? What is the process of replacing the cluster with a new and/or used one and how will a different cluster effect the actual mileage?

 
Rep Power: 811

oh yea there is a gauge calibration program that sweeps the needles. new cluster will replace the mileage of the old one. it is stored in the cluster rom chip.

 
Rep Power: 0

I had that same problem. My Check Engine Light was also on at the time which I had read at AutoZone. The code that came up was for the Vehicle Speed Sensor. I did a little more searching on the web and found that a bad ground in the engine can cause this to trigger. I replaced the ground wires in my engine bay (they were completely oxidized) and reset the car (done by disconnecting the + and - from the battery and holding them together until there is no power left in the electrical system of the car, about 30 sec., then reconnecting them to the battery). Needless to say, the speedometer has been fine ever since.

 
Rep Power: 811

ya i've been finding out that the factory grounds on this car are terrible, especially after a couple years they are all messed up.

 
Rep Power: 0

I'm Also Having This Problem.i Just Leave Dash Bezel Off.and I 1st Tap On Cluster, If That Doesn't Work I Pull One Of The Connectors Off,and Plug It Back In That Always Brings It Back To Life.its Only 5 Screws To Remove Cluster

 
Rep Power: 294

Mine went out today. Abs light came on for no reason, then I turned my AC on and the instruments died. I turned my headlights off, then everything came back on. Dunno if its the cluster or alternator or something.

 
Rep Power: 0

CLUSTER GUAGE TEST PROCEDURE
1. Push and hold the trip/reset button.
2. Turn the lighting switch ON (ACC ONLY).
3. Turn the ignition switch ON. (ACC ONLY - don't start)
4. Within 5 seconds, turn the light switch OFF, then ON, then Off again.
5. Within 5 seconds, release the trip/reset button, then push and release 4 times more.

Takes a try or 2 to get it. The odometer has to be in mileage mode, NOT trip mode when you do this. All the needles will sweep back and forth once. To exit, turn off the ignition. Just push the trip button again to see the needles sweep again while in test mode.

 
Rep Power: 0

CLUSTER GUAGE TEST PROCEDURE
1. Push and hold the trip/reset button (must be in Mileage Mode not Trip node).
2. Turn the lighting switch ON (ACC ONLY).
3. Turn the ignition switch ON. (ACC ONLY - don't start)
4. Within 5 seconds, turn the light switch OFF, then ON, then Off again.
5. Within 5 seconds, release the trip/reset button, then push and release 4 times more.

Takes a try or 2 to get it. The odometer has to be in mileage mode, NOT trip mode when you do this. All the needles will sweep back and forth once. To exit, turn off the ignition. Just push the trip button again to see the needles sweep again while in test mode.