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How To Fix Car Odometer Not Working? [Step By Step]

With the increase in second-hand car sales, there is an increase in certain malpractices, one being the faulty odometer. An odometer is exceptionally precious for owning a car, and its malfunctioning is not a good sign.

As we know, an odometer is meant for recording the readings of our car mileage so, and it must function correctly. There are conditions when the odometer ceases to work, and people assume to change the unit, which is quite an expensive task to do. However, one can repair the odometer reasonably quickly. All you need is to follow the instructions step by step keeping all the possible precautions. To the best of our knowledge, the article guides you to the fullest and helps you to deal with the car odometer not working. The steps are pretty straightforward, and the task would take barely less than an hour. So, let’s begin.

What Do You Mean By Odometer?

An odometer is a device used to measure the distance travelled by your car or vehicle. The odometer is the word derived from the Greek word meaning path and measure. It can be either digital or mechanical and situated in the vehicle’s dashboard.

Most odometers perform work by recording the wheel rotation concerning time, i.e. cycles per minute or seconds. The distance travelled is then calculated by multiplying wheel rotation by the tire circumference.To read an odometer, one needs to look for the small rectangle located on the dashboard, which usually contains five or six numbers. Hence, an odometer is typically located near the speedometer. Therefore, it is also referred to as an odograph.

Odometer readings are considered to as the most essential concerning data points in fleet management.

How To Fix Car Odometer Not Working?

An odometer is quite essential for your car. Some indicators guide us and give us a rough estimate of our car’s mileage, but we require an odometer for accurate readings. Knowing the exact mileage of your vehicle is crucial in various respects like for insurance, sales, and maintenance.

A broken odometer can result in a mess of all these insurance and maintenance things; thus, it needs correction as soon as possible. To diagnose the problem, we must inspect both the odometer and speedometer.

So, here are a few solutions that you can use to fix your odometer to work perfectly again.

1. Replace Speed Sensor If It Needed

The speed sensor is located or mounted near the back of your vehicle’s transmission. The speed sensor needs to replace if your vehicle’s odometer is not working correctly.

There are chances that the odometer may break because of the broken or faulty gear which spins the odometer. Thus, you need to pull the instrument cluster and fix it yourself or by visiting a mechanic to deal with the broken gear.

Although this type of fixing is relatively easy hence can be performed quickly and smoothly.

2. Remove The Dust Particles

As your vehicle’s cluster is out so use compressed air to clean the dust particles. While cleaning the translucent plastic, take a microfiber or a soft cloth to remove the dirt.

For cleaning the plastic odometer, blow most of the dust with the blower. Then spray the cleaner on the microfiber and wipe with the cloth—later buff with the help of dry plush microfiber.

3. Replace The Gears

It will take about twenty to thirty minutes to do the job. Here we have to get the instrument cluster out of the car, and no need to unplug everything. All you have to do is clear the rheostat, speedometer, and tach.

Generally, there are three shafts of three plastic gear that need replacement. So, the gears which are damaged or have a problem need replacement. You can use a brass retainer sleeve or side cutter to do the same job.

4. Check The Connection In The Back Of the Dashboard

First, you can check all the connectors at the rear of the dashboard. To ensure that both the visual test and the connector are inserted correctly in the position.

Secondly, you need to check the fuse box to see if there is an odometer fuse present or not. After all, it is one of the matters of concern.

5. Defect Wiring Or ECU

The ECU stands for the engine control unit, and the defect in it is one reason why the odometer does not work. Most of the time, there are chances when the wire is short, thus resulting in the fuse blowing off and preventing the odometer’s operation.

Weak wiring in the vehicle is why the car’s speedometer does not work, and it is mainly observed in older vehicles.

The engine control unit generally tracks and regulates the rpm (i.e., rotation per minute) and numerous engine operations. Hence, the fault or failure in this unit would consequently affect the functioning of the odometer. Thus, there is a chance that the odometer could give false readings.

6. Wrong Sized Fuse In Odometer

It’s quite a simple task. First, you only need to match the fuse scale with the one required by your vehicle. For example, you have a fuse of 25, but your car’s requirement is 20. Hence, this needs to correct with the appropriate size, and soon your odometer would fix.

How Much Does It Cost To Fix An Odometer?

An odometer is an integral part of the vehicle’s dashboard, but it also faces wear and tears and malfunctioning; hence, it needs replacement. Unfortunately, the cost of replacing the odometer can run relatively high and may range between $200 to $500 if you visit a garage.

The task will require approximately an hour or two hours to fix the entire problem depending on the cause.

Frequently Asked Questions:

So, here are some of the frequently asked questions about what causes an odometer to stop working, how much does it cost to fix the odometer efc?-

What Causes An Odometer To Stop Working?

If both your odometer and speedometer are not working, then your speed sensor needs to be replaced. These are easily  located near the back of your transmission. If only your odometer is busted, then the gears that turn the odometer have broken.

How Much Does It Cost To Fix The Odometer?

The cost of repairing a broken speedometer is around $200, you would replace it with a new one. This can run you about $250, but you will have an entirely new unit. Main cause of a malfunctioning speedometer is a problem with the speed sensor.

Can You Sell A Car With Broken Odometer?

It is unlawful for any person to advertise for sale, or to install on any part of a motor vehicle or on an odometer in a motor vehicle which causes the odometer to register any mileage.

How Do I Turn My Odometer Back On?

Digital odometers  which can be rolled back by removing the vehicle’s circuit board, or using rollback equipment that hooks right into the vehicle’s electronic circuit.

How Do You Check Miles With A Broken Odometer?

An odometer scanner can be used to get the mileage by connecting to the Onboard Diagnostics Port, the vehicle’s odometer memory. The mileage is then displayed on the screen of the scan tool.

Can You Replace The Odometer In A Car?

It is legal to replace the odometer yourself,   you have to do is to make sure that the odometer is displaying the correct mileage.

Conclusion

It is illegal to operate a car with an odometer disconnected; hence it needs correction as quickly as possible. We hope our article would help you to fix the condition when your car odometer not working.

If your doubts and queries persist regarding the topic, please comment below in the comment section. We’ll surely answer all the questions as soon as possible.