Vss

[JT00galantev]

I installed a new stereo system into my wifes '00 Galant EV. I'm guessing I shorted something out cause every since I installed the system the speedometer don't work and the service engine soon light is on. I poked a hole through the rubber boot that the wiring harness goes through to run the fire wire for the amps I installed. I ripped a Black/Blue wire but soldered and insulated the wire back together. That particular wire had nothing to do with the VSS so I can't really say that that caused the speedometer to stop funtioning. Scan shows that it's the vehicle speed sensor (VSS). I put in a new sensor, still having the same problem. I put in a new cluster, still having the same problem. I put in a new fuse, still same prob. I put in new relays, same crap! Can anyone please help me with this electrical issue before I shoot myself right along with the car?:106:

[fatal1]

the vss for an 00 is a yellow/ black wire behind the radio console...it is definately on the main harness branch, but im pretty sure it actually runs to the radio harness as well...its been a while since i had to tap it.

what kind of radio did you hook up and which wires in particular did you hook up...several arent supposed to be wired to the galant harness...did you use a p&p harness or cut tyhe original and solder the new one?

[JT00galantev]

I used an aftermarket harness. I blew a fuse when I tried connecting the dimmer and illumination wires together. All the wires on the original radio harness are connected. The only one that's not is the dimmer wire. The stereo I installed is a Drive-S Sony Explode.

[fatal1]

hmm im not sure really whsat you did then....you dont use the illumination wire for our cars either though...i doubt that would have anything to do with your problem but it will cause fuses to blow etc...just go over everything again and see if any of the wires look damaged

[JT00galantev]

Ok. I will have to deconstruct the entire dash or something in order to chase the lines all the way out. Do you think that I may have somehow blew the VSS in the ECU/PCU?

[fatal1]

its possible. i would say that you may have shorted something out and in result it is causing it not to work...unfortunately diagnosing electric problems over the internet is real hard when it comes to a short or something...i would say that you caused a short and in result it may have burned insulation and is grounding something out...get a good multimeter and check the voltage behind the cluster see if something is having a low reading and work your way from there

[JT00galantev]

Ok. I will try to test everything with a multimeter. Thanks for your advice. I will repost after I try working this issue out with the multimeter.

[fatal1]

good luck

[JT00galantev]

Update: I just purchased a cen-tech cable tracker in hopes to find where the problem could be coming from. I'm waiting on my mechanic to get some time to swing by and do a little more trouble shooting.

[JT00galantev]

I had 2 different mechanics test and attempt to troubleshoot the speedometer issue the G is having and could not determine exact cause. The second mechanic actually owns an 01 Galant ES. He said that Mitsubishi cars are very delicate in the sense of the Computer picking up the sensors. Mentioned something about; if you disconnect the battery you would have to drive it for approximately 300 miles before having it smogged before the brain will register on smog machines?????????? Is that all true??????

[RedGalant2k1]

why don't you try jumping the wire, assuming you know what I mean by that. If not splice into it from its starting and ending points, or around the possibly damaged area. That is how we'd usually diagnose suspected remote wire problems when I installed stereos, the same applies here.

[fatal1]

x2

no its more like 15 miles. lol...the ecu is probroblly not the case and thats a cop out...most mechanics hate working on and diagnosing electrical problems because it takes a lot of time in some cases and could require a good amount of labor in order to get to the problem... usually since it something small in the end many figure its not worth thier time. scammers will also play it off to either something which cost more ex: a lot of cases the ecu since they can make more profit or they will just charge a large cost in labor hours...not the case in every situation but im just letting you know what to expect and not be fooled if you go to a few more garages.

there are actually auto electricians, for these cases... who specialize in these types of areas. try searching through your local phonebook and see if you can find one. i do suggest that you try and source the problem yourself though. just keep testing the wires in the back of the cluster and closest to the sensor and see what thier reading outputs are and trace the wires that go from the cluster throughout the car.

more then likely its either a cut/ burned or shorted wire somewhere.. effecting the coltage and not giving off a reading

i believe from what you stated in an earlier post the sensor you replaced is the one on top of the transmission which should rule that out as well

again electrical problems are a real pain obviously and sometimes could be like finding a needle in a haystack

[JT00galantev]

We tested the Sensor, actually we tested the old sensor and the new sensor, and according to our readings, they are both functioning sensors. The old sensor was off by like 1 volt. But the multimeter still showed that the sensor was working. We chased the blue/red wire to the fuse box inside the drivers side kick panel. We tested it and it also came back as being good. We went ahead and replace about 90% of fuses, just cause, and still the speedometer woes not want to come on. Everything appears to be functional yet the speedometer is still not responding. Next chance I get, Im going to try to figure out what color wires, on th cluster, are specifically for the speedometer, and then I will test that bunch of wiress too. After I identify the wires I plan on going on from there . Thanks for all your responses and advice. I'll Let you know what happens, as I continue to try to figure this thing out.

[JT00galantev]

So far, here is the list of everything we've tested. We've tested the VSS, the wires that connect to the VSS, all the fusses and Relays under the hood and dash, the Cluster (not too intense but did do a little testing), again not too intense just kind of followed a couple wires from the VSS to the ECU.

[JT00galantev]

Can you think of anything we may have missed? Are there other fuses or relays tucked away somewhere that I don't know about? The only fuses and relays we've tested, thus far, are the ones that are in the fuse boxes.

[RedGalant2k1]

Is it just the speedo not working or the entire cluster?

[JT00galantev]

Only the speedo. All the other gauges on the cluster work just fine.

[minesbroken]

all you did was put in a radio, check to make sure that the yellow/black wire in the radio harness isn't touching or attached to anything, then disconnect the battery(both terminals) touch them together to drain any capacitance then reconnect and see if it works. If it stopped working when you put the radio in then it makes sense that something happened during the install. the most obvious answer is almost always the correct one. one of the guys at my shop (trainee) was putting a radio in a galant with a cut harness and used the Yellow/black for ground, when the customer came back because his speedometer wasn't working I disconnected the yellow/black wire from the radio and disconnected the battery and it started working again.
The dealer charged him 150 bucks to look at it and told him he needed a 500 dollar part.
I fixed it by disconnecting the battery for 2 minutes

[JT00galantev]

Damn! Yeah, I know how unethical most mechanic shops can be. It particularly pisses me off when they advertise specials but when you get there they usually over charge for "extra fluids"! BS!!! Anyways, So your telling me that the yellow/black wire is not to be connected to any other wires, at all? That's the dimmer switch wire, isn't it? If so, I blew a fuse by touching that wire and the illumination wire together. Could I have burned out the dimmer switch too? I'm asking cause Im wondering if the dimmer switch is fried and if that would cause the speedometer to stop working?????????

[JT00galantev]

To minesbroken: Well I tried disconnecting the battery posts and touching the positive and negative together, as instructed but nothing happened. The speedometer still isn't functioning.

[fatal1]

i dont really understand your post? the yellow/black wire from the cars harness is the vss...you shouldnt have connected it to anything on the radios harness unless your wiring in a gps that has a specific wire for it...

your dimmer should not be connected either...from the metra harness all you are to hook up is red / yellow and the 8 speaker wires....the ground goes to a chassis bolt etc

if your interior lights for the gauges etc work then your dimmer is not fried, however it could effect things if it is hooked up to the radio still

[JT00galantev]

No dimmer wire is connected. What I was saying is that when I went to connect the stereo, originally, I accidently touched the yellow/black to orange (Illumination) and I blew the fuse. Now that I have read your thread, I disconnected several other wires and only have the 8 speaker wires connected, a orange (Illumination) wire connected, the red, and yellow wires also are connected. Am I good now?

[JT00galantev]

I made the changes to the wiring and I put everything back together. I took it for a ride around the block and the speedometer still isn't functioning. I'm hoping that it just needs time to reset. We'll see how things go tomorrow after my wife takes the car to work. Now it's time for the valve gasket replacement.

[JT00galantev]

The dimmer switch does work. What about the illumination wire, should it not be connected? Won't I not be able to see the stereo's display, at night, without it?

[fatal1]

illumination is not supposed to be connected, the radio will get lighting from the power source

[JT00galantev]

illumination is not supposed to be connected, the radio will get lighting from the power source

OK. As soon as my wife gets home, I will disconnect the illumination wire as well. I'll let you know how that goes. Thanks for your advice. Your time is much appreciated.

[JT00galantev]

I finally got th speedometer figured out. Fatal 1, you were right. It was a wire that I split when I poked a hole through the wiring harness boot. After a thourough inspection, I found that wire and I repaired it. The speedometer starte working and has been working every since. Thanks for your help and advice.

[fatal1]

no problem...glad you stuck with it and got it figured out