I just acquired a 95 accord. The speedometer reads 70, but I am actually only going 60. Where do I start looking to fix this? Thanks for your time !!

 

Which engine and transmission does your car have?

What size wheels and tires are currently on the car?

 

Tires are P185/70R 14
1995 Honda Accord LX L4 2.2L type F22B2 4-Speed Automatic

 

Pull out the gauge cluster and do it manually
It might be a tad bit time consuming but you can't beat free.

 

Hmmm, that's the correct size tire; what method did you use to determine it is reading 10 mph high at 60 mph?

Another thought; you wouldn't perchance know if the transmission has been replaced at some point in the car's history?

 

On most older Hondas the speedometer were a little off, within 5 mph from the actual speed. There are people that asked similar questions regarding their older Hondas on other Honda forums, and the consensus is that most older Hondas' speedometer reading were a little off, generally showing faster than actual. Newer generation (e.g., 8th gen, 9th gen) Honda Accord's speedometers are more accurate.

If it was actually 10 mph off, then something is wrong. It may even be the speedometer head or speedo circuit board. If it turned out to the the speedo head and you replace the speedo head, then your odometer reading will be not be the original. If it is the speedo circuit board, then you can replace that and still retain the original odometer reading.

 

Another question to ask is, "when you drive 6 miles, does the odometer register 7?"

 

Thanks for all the Information! I determined the speed variance by pacing a couple of newer Honda vehicles. I am not sure about the course of action suggested by Zirblade, but sounds like I can start with the speedo circuit board. I have no Idea if this is or is not the original transmission. Will have to find someone else to drive around at 6 miles an hour for me to pace them again, Haha.

 

Some cities have radars where you can see your speed or borrow someone's GPS. When I had a 95 Accord, my actual speed was about 5 mph less than shown on the speedometer. On my 2009, it is pretty dead on accurate. I used both radar readings and GPS to compared the readings.

The pacing method may be questionable regarding accuracy, if not done in a consistent and controlled manner and environment.

Replacing the circuit board (if it was a faulty component on the board), etc. probably won't make it completely accurate, as there may still be a variance within 3 -5 mph. Speedometer shops can calibrate a speedo; but, it is not cheap. If it is only a few mph off, it may not be cost/beneficial to do anything about it. Many of the older Honda's speedo were not exact.

The speedometer drive circuit receive pulses from the vehicle speed sensor (VSS). The pulse rate increases as the car accelerates. The frequency and duration of these input pulses are measured and displayed by the speedometer.

 

For what it's worth, I wouldn't place too much weight on pacing other cars; the ONLY easy way I can think of to accurately determine speedometer and odometer error would be to use a portable GPS unit. Most of the units I've seen have a dashboard mode which shows both speed and miles driven.