If VSS does not cure the symptoms, it may be an issue with the speedometer cable or the gauge itself. 95s still had a mechanical odometer and I believe a mechanically driven speedometer cable. Various things can go wrong with both to cause inaccurate and unstable speed indication.

Hopefully someone else with direct experience can chime in.

 

No worries. Saturn fans being taken away has been a huge blow for all of us looking up similar problems others have had.

I have a junkyard 93 SL2 that I'm hoping the dash cluster will be interchangeable with my 95 and solve the problem, maybe I'll try to update if it does.

 

IF you're lucky enough for your car to still have a speedometer cable, I'd suggest removing it,wiping it off and lubricating it with some powdered graphite. DO NOT USE any type of oil or grease on it.

 

I'll have to look at how to do that. Thanks for pointing me in that direction!

 

Your PCM drives the speedo. No cable.

 

Guess you wouldn't have a vss with a "tone ring" if you did.

Apologies. Wrong decade

 

Thanks for that information, Greg. Now we know it's not a cable issue!

 

Hm. Okay. So left with dash cluster or PCM for the speedometer issue then, most likely?

 

I've had the exact problem that you mention.

The issue, in my case, was the speedometer head itself (the actual gauge inside the instrument cluster). Actually, the problem is a component on the circuit board on the back of the speedometer gauge. That circuit board has multiple capacitors on it, and the years have caused them all to dry out internally. You should notice that when the speedometer goes wrong, so does the odometer go wrong too. The odometer will either spin faster or slower along with the speed needle.

I purchased a total of 5 different instrument clusters from junk yards looking for a good unit, and four of them had some level of malfunction. Only one of them functioned as designed.

Be aware that the instrument clusters seem to differ between years and models: IE a stick cluster has a "SHIFT" light that the automatic cluster does not. The RED LINE on the tachometer changes between models, and I've seen some with higher speed readings on the gauge. So make sure the gauge faces match your original as well as whether it's manual or automatic transmission.

In the end, I purchased GOOD QUALITY replacement capacitors for the circuit board on the back of the speedometer and replaced all of them on the board. I think there are 5 total capacitors. THAT fixed my problem. Make sure you match the capacitor values EXACTLY to maintain the calibration of the speedometer gauge.

Preston

 

I think the front doors will interchange between the SL sedans and the SW wagons, but the back doors do not.

The back doors on one of them has a lower window frame at the rear due to the contour of the roof.

I believe this to be true, so take a tape measure with you when you go to the junk yard.

Preston