Mtnrider9800 Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 My speedo on a 1999 Outback started working inconsistently. I had the speed sensor changed while other work was being done. It still did not work all of the time, but the cruise control did work. I purchased a speedo head online and installed it last night. I went for a little drive to test and it did not work at all, not even a flutter while driving. Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Yah '99 Outbacks had a batch of flaky instrument clusters/speedos. I don't recall the common fix offhand but there was a thread like this recently so someone else will probably recall.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 The fix is to replace the spedo head. You dont need the entire cluster, as they are easy to replace. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgwilli Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Check you didn't pinch the needle between the speedo head and instrument panel like I did on the FIRST instl.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Also clean the 4 mouting screw connections to the speedo and ensure they are tight. You may want to put your old speedo head back in with clean tight screws and see if it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtnrider9800 Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 Also clean the 4 mouting screw connections to the speedo and ensure they are tight. You may want to put your old speedo head back in with clean tight screws and see if it works. So is it the screws that give the power to the speedo head? after I installed the new one and it didn't run the company sent me another new one and that one does not work either. What do you reccomend cleaning the screws with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Were are you getting the speedo heads from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtnrider9800 Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 Walker's Renton Subaru in WA state. They have both been in original Sub boxes and don't show any marks like they were previously used. Part # 85020AC290 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Walker's Renton Subaru in WA state. They have both been in original Sub boxes and don't show any marks like they were previously used. Part # 85020AC290 OK. I thought maybe you had found someone who was reconditioning them. I haven't but you never know. If you have replaced the speed sensor and the speedo head with OE parts, then most likely you have a damaged cirucit board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrturbo Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 99 were deffinately problematic. I think if might be one of the only heads most sube dealers stock. I get parts requests at the shop for them and I know I have close to 10 of them in the yard and I won't sell them used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 There could be a problem with the drive for the speed sensor. (VSS 2) You can test this with a cordless drill. Pull the sensor and spin the drive with the drill. If the speedo registers - sorry, diff may need yanked. The nylon gear on the output shaft may be stripped. Sure hope I'm wrong. My OB has this problem as I type. It did what you describe before it went toast totally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron917 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 My son just came home and told me that the speedometer and odometer on his '99 Outback have gone intermitant. :mad: It has 131K miles on it. I guess we'll pull the speedo head and take a look at connectors and stuff, then start troubleshooting. Is there a component or connection that goes bad that can be repaired or replaced? I really hope it's not the gear in the differential... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 My son just came home and told me that the speedometer and odometer on his '99 Outback have gone intermitant. :mad: It has 131K miles on it. I guess we'll pull the speedo head and take a look at connectors and stuff, then start troubleshooting. Is there a component or connection that goes bad that can be repaired or replaced? I really hope it's not the gear in the differential... Its a common problem in that year, but its usually foresters. Remove the cluster, take the gauges apart (really easy) and clean the contatcs. Do a search here on spedometer and you should find lots of info. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrturbo Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I wouldn't be so quick to get worried about the gear or sensors. I have never encountered that problem after doing at least 10 99 speedo heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron917 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Thanks, we'll look at it over the weekend. Also: the cruise control hasn't worked for more than a year, but the speedo was find until yesterday. We rarely use the cruise, so it's not important if it doesn't work. Just wondering if there might be a connection between the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Thanks, we'll look at it over the weekend. Also: the cruise control hasn't worked for more than a year, but the speedo was find until yesterday. We rarely use the cruise, so it's not important if it doesn't work. Just wondering if there might be a connection between the two. Do you have a manual or auto transmission. If M/T, stick your head under the dash, there is a cruise control cure switch above the clutch pedal. There is a braket on the side of the pedal arm which should have a rubber stoper in it to activate the switch when the pedal is up. If the stoper is missing that would be the problem. If an A/T, not usually something so simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron917 Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 OK, my cleaned the screws and connector pads for the speedometer with Caig DeoxIT D5 and a paper towel. It's working now, but it was intermittant before. We'll give it a few days and see how it goes. Thanks for the hints, guys. Hopefully it was just dirty connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Hope the gauge continues to work okay. I think you have that problem whipped. For the cruise control problem check the adjustment of the disconnect switch(es) on the brake, and clutch pedal if you have one. They can make the CC think the pedal is down all the time if not adjusted correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron917 Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 For the cruise control problem check the adjustment of the disconnect switch(es) on the brake, and clutch pedal if you have one. They can make the CC think the pedal is down all the time if not adjusted correctly. It's an automatic, so no clutch. Repairing the CC is pretty far down on the list of things to do, so it will wait for a while. Thanks for the hints, the brake pedal switch is where we'll look first when we get around to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x_25 Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 I'm the son with the spedomiter problem. After leaning the screws it worked for a little wile and now it is back to being intermitant again. I guess i get to take the guage cluster out again and try and figure out what is wrong with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Look for damage to the the circiut board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtnrider9800 Posted October 26, 2007 Author Share Posted October 26, 2007 I finally got it fixed. I found out that there are 2 speedo heads available for the 99s. It is determined by VIN number what one is needed. I was sent the wrong one twice and a call to the local dealer helped me direct the internet seller. All fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 I finally got it fixed. I found out that there are 2 speedo heads available for the 99s. It is determined by VIN number what one is needed. I was sent the wrong one twice and a call to the local dealer helped me direct the internet seller.All fixed. nice catch, can you share a little more information about the 2 speedos and how to tell them apart.?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtnrider9800 Posted October 29, 2007 Author Share Posted October 29, 2007 The head that is for Legacy EXCEPT Outback is part number 85020AC290. The Outback speedometer head is number 85020AC330. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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