Hi chaps,

First post so please be gentle!

The speedo on my 1997 1.4i Mk4 Fiesta has stopped reporting speeds correctly over about 20mph. No matter how fast I'm going the speedo never registers above about 35mph.

I've been told that the set-up is a speedo cable coming from the engine somewhere which goes into the back of the instrument cluster generating a signal which the cluster reads.

I did smell electrical burning before the speedo started acting up so I suspect it's something in the cluster itself that has gone.

My cluster is one of the ones that has the old analogue odometer.

So...

What are people's thoughts? Is it likely to be something electrical in the cluster that has gone? Will one of the later MK4 clusters with the digital odometer work in my car? Should I think about replacing the cable as well? Is doing this job going to make me swear a lot?

Cheers!

Adam

Probably a worn out cable spinning in the cluster.

I'd take the cluster out and check the splines on the cable and the inside of the socket on the speedo for mangling/wear.

Analogue clusters use spinning magnets to move the needle so if the splines are skipping then the speedo will be off.