Odometer Problems - Car Troubleshooting


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Odometer Problems

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RandomK
Anonymous Poster
noaldono@aol.com

Jun 15, 2006, 9:05 AM

Post #1 of 3 (2396 views)

Odometer Problems	Sign In

I have a 1997 Mercury Tracer Wagon. Normally, I reset the trip odometer after I fill up, because I like to clock my mileage to see what my MPG is. So after I reset the trip odometer to 0000, I tried starting the car, and found my battery was dead. I knew I needed a new battery, so I got a jump, headed to Pep Boys, and had my battery replaced, and now my trip odometer and my regular odometer aren't working. Is this a related problem? Should I take my car back to pep boys and demand they fix it? Or is there something else I can do? I guess it's not the end of the world.. but it's really quite annoying. Please, any help would be wonderful!

DanD
Veteran / Moderator
DanD profile image

Jun 15, 2006, 10:14 AM

Post #2 of 3 (2392 views)

Re: Odometer Problems	Sign In

If the speedometer is still working then the problem is more then likely inside the instrument cluster itself. Which would mean sending the cluster in for rebuilding or replacement.
It could be coincidental that it stopped working at the time as the battery finally crapped out; which is most likely what has happened.
I don’t think you can blame the people that changed your known bad battery.

Quote

I knew I needed a new battery

In my opinion, if there is any blame for this it very well may be you. By pushing your luck with a weak/bad battery and then boosting that battery which can no longer take a proper charge. In turn you may have caused a voltage spike; while attaching or removing the jumper cables that traveled to and through the cluster taking out the odometer driver. If this is the case consider yourself lucky that the odometer was the only electronic device that has shut down.
Sorry to sound so abrupt but it’s too easy anymore for people to blame or suspect the other guy.
Dan.

Canadian "EH"

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Anonymous Poster

Jun 16, 2006, 6:45 PM

Post #3 of 3 (2385 views)

Re: Odometer Problems	Sign In

I agree about waiting too long to get a new battery.. it was partly due to money/Laziness, I have no problems admitting that. The only reason I blamed it on "the other guy," is because I had shoddy work done there before, and some of their mechanics don't seem to care. Maybe that is my fault also, taking it to a place where I keep having problems.. but sometimes it's just easier to go places where you know the people.
Besides, there's nothing like shoddy work that makes you a familliar customer.
Anyway, today I heard a ticking behind the place where the odometer is located, and shortly thereafter it started working again.
...for like 3 miles, when it promtly quit. So I'm going to assume that one of the gears is lose, and it's a coincidence that my battery happend to die the same day.
Thanks for your comment, abrupt as it indeed was. I was merely asking wether or not the odometer quitting had any thing to do with the battery, as in a lose cable or such. But I guess that's too easy a solution.

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