I just bought a 1994 Accord EX Gold Edition with 161k miles on it. I have a few problems with the car.
First, the instrument cluster did not have the background lighting so I couldn't see how fast I was going and couldn't see the tach.
Second, it didn't matter that I couldn't see how fast I was going because the speedo wasn't properly functioning. It would sometimes work exactly how it is supposed to, and then other times it would just stay stationary at 0. Occasionally it would jump up to the speed I was cruising at, and then rapidly fluctuate anywhere below the actual speed.

I have read many of the posts around here. Now I am not quite familiar with the car just yet, but as far as checking the fuses, is this the box that is located beneath the steering wheel next to where the left foot should be? I haven't checked the code from the ECU yet. I will be doing that shortly. But if in fact this is a Code 17, how would I go about locating, removing, and installing this VSS?

It's very tough to see the instrument panel during the night, I need to keep using my cell phone. And when my speedo decides to crap out on me, I don't know how fast I am going. Any hints would be great!! Thanks guys!

 

Welcome newbie!

The VSS is on the tranny, roughly beneath the throttle body. I'll look for a picture.
While the speedometer is NOT working, try the cruise control. If it WORKS, then the VSS is working. That would tell you to look for wiring problems rather than replacing the VSS.

Meanwhile, this belongs in General Tech, so I'll move it over there.

 

Okay. I checked today and the cruise control is NOT working. I just checked the fuses under the hood and under the steering wheel. Nothing was blown and everything is perfectly fine. I tried out shorting that ECU thing or whatever it was that had 2 wires and turned the ignition to the "II" position, and the CEL remained steady but the ABS light blinked 4 quick times, paused, then 2 more quick times.

 

ABS code 4-2 is LF wheel sensor.
Strange that the ECU didn't throw a code. The CEL coming on steady means there's no stored codes.

The speedometer pinion assembly is #10 & 11 sticking down into the tranny. The VSS sits on top of that, shown in the box labeled E-6.


Oh yeah... THIS is a manual tranny, you never said what you have.

 

first i have an auto transmission, sorry about that.

and like i said before sometimes it wants to work and sometimes it doesn't. now i checked the ECU again and this time the D4 was flashing green while the CEL flashed 1 long and 7 short flashes.

i think that that means that something is wrong with the VSS. So how do i go about the removal and installation process of the VSS? what tools do i need and do i need to jack the car up? what things should i try to avoid? etc.. im new to the whole honda scene, so im not quite sure what im doing here. any help would be awesome! thanks

 

also another thing i noticed. My odometer is not even moving. I reset the count from when i last gassed up, and it has only put 8 miles on, i know ive driven more than that. Also another thing, the light for the instrument cluster itself doesnt turn on, so i can't see how fast im going in the dark. any ideas?

 

Code 17 from the CEL points to the VSS. Try to look for flaky wiring connections, but with the cruise & other things, its looking like a bad VSS. The odometer operates on the same signal too, so that doesn't prove anything new.

I'm not having any luck finding the corresponding picture for an auto-tranny, but it's still located in about the same place. Above the axle-line, kinda beneath the throttle body. Not the easiest thing to reach, maybe put the car up on ramps & get underneath?

The illumination for the cluster would probably be a coincidence, but you could try working with the electrical plug on the back of the cluster.

 

awesome ill take a look for those things and try and figure something out! and as far as flaky wiring. where do i look for that and how would i go about spotting this? what does the term "flaky" mean i guess is what im tryin to say?

 

i just checked autozone and pepboys, but when i put in the model and year.. 1994 Honda Accord EX Automatic Coupe, i get 3 different VSS. which one do i want?

 

Try cleaning out the wiring connector first, I had the same problem and all i did was clean it out with brake cleaner and made sure the connector was fully seated in the VSS.

Get a factory one or if you really need to save the money, Napa. I've never had any luck with AutoZone, Pepboys, Carquest or O'Reilly's parts actually working for a decent amount of time, especially electronics and their accuracy.