Are there ways to repair the electronic speedometer on the 1991 Ford Areostar?

Answer 1

The short answer is, there's not a lot the shade tree mechanic can do with the electronic speedometer. Check the sending unit (rear of the transmission) for loose/damaged/dirty connections or wires. IF there's nothing obvious wrong (it ate a huge rock at some point,etc.) the next order of business will be to track it thru the wiring harness, looking for loose conections or a bad ground connection. There's about a jillion grounds woven into the harness. Check and tighten/clean them all, and you might get lucky. The biggy is the 'bulkhead connector'...most,if not all, the van's circuits go thru this octopus. It's usually securely clipped together...maybe it's come undone. My '87 has about 70 numbered circuits, and there's empty slots in the plug. Some circuits go thru it TO the fuse block AND back out. It can get confusing... If this sleuthing does not help, steel yourself for a long day and pull the dash apart, noting carefully where all the screws and clips live. It'll help when you go back together. I'm betting the answer will be a cracked/broken lead in the circuit board(s) that comprise the speedo cluster. Whatever you do, don't blow a gasket and start ripping things apart!!! That's an absolutely bullet-proof way to turn your van into 'spare parts! If you can't find an obvious cause, turn it over to a speedometer shop, detailing exactly what you looked at. . Mike Bell Sometimes it's just a fuse. The guage is lit up by fibre-optics. There are 2 light bulbs which burnt out on mine, and I could'nt see the numbers on the guage. I could see them when the sun shone directly on the guage. It's not hard to change, try that.