ABS and speedometer not working

ABS and speedometer not working

Your car speedometer is the instrument you look at whenever you want to know the instant speed readings. Your safety on the road depends on many factors and maintaining the right speed limit is one of them. This means that whenever the car speedometer isn’t working, you won’t know whether you are driving too slow or fast. However, this could be dangerous on a road where driving at a low speed is important for safe driving. Not only that, but you can also get booked by a police officer for breaking the maximum speed limit.

So what Is a Speedometer?

Your car speedometer is a piece of equipment that tells you the speed of your vehicle. It is a circular gauge that’s located prominently on the dashboard, with numbers arranged around the gauge. However, the smallest numbers are at the bottom of the gauge which increases steadily as they climb the circle.

Its needle radiates from the center of the gauge and then points to the number that matches your current speed. In most speedometers, there are two rows of numbers, which indicates the speed of miles per hour and kilometers per hour.

 

So what Causes The Speedometer To Stop Working?

In modern vehicles, the speedometers use speed sensors in calculating the speed while the older models make use of gears and wires for the same purpose. But the speedometer will stop to function whenever the sensors don’t work, dials malfunction, or the wiring becomes bad.

 

Here are the components to look into when the car speedometer not working

  • The Malfunctioning Speed Sensor

Your car speed sensor doesn’t only indicate the vehicle speed but also help with cruise control operation and also regulate the fuel’s flow and ignition timing. Your speedometer may stop working because of a bad sensor. And also, the affected cruise control can disrupt the driving functions of your car. Once there’s any problem with the sensor, the Check Engine light will come on.

  • Little Issues With The ECU

Your Engine Control Unit (ECU) is literally the hub of all engine activities which acts as the car’s computer brain. ECU monitors and controls multiple engine activities, including speed. Sometimes it’s obvious that the speedometer may give wrong readings in case of certain ECU problems.

  • A Defective Wiring and/or Fuse

One other reason for the car speedometer not working is a bad wire. However, the wires can short out for many reasons, which causes the fuse to blow out and stops the operation of the speedometer. Though this mainly happens in older cars.Toyota Camry low rpm idle https://kctimoauto.com/toyota-camry-low-rpm-idle/

 

Here are 5 Common Reasons the ABS Light Comes On

Most times there are many causes making an ABS light to come on. This doesn’t always mean there is a problem with the anti-lock braking system directly. But there could be issues with other sensors or components that it communicates with as well.

So here are the top 5 causes of an ABS light coming on.

  • The Brake Fluid Running Low

Your car brake fluid has a lot to do with controlling the braking pressure within an anti-lock braking system. In your car hood, there is a brake fluid reservoir which holds the fluid of the anti-lock braking system.

Note that sometimes there could be a leak on the reservoir which will cause the fluid levels to drop. However, either that or excessive amounts of air may exist within the system.

This may sometimes cause the ABS warning light to illuminate on the dashboard.

  • A Faulty Speed Sensor

Every car has speed sensors built into every wheel’s hub that calculates the movement rate of that wheel. And this info then gets transmitted to the anti-lock braking system.

But if at least one of the wheels is moving too slowly, the ABS will increase the pressure of the brake fluid, allowing the wheel to move at a normal speed.

Once there is a problem with the speed sensor, the ABS will detect that and cause the warning light to illuminate on your dashboard.

  • A Bad ABS Module

Your ABS module can form corrosion after a while. It is actually one of the most common reasons why you end up having a problem with the ABS.

Once this module is corroded, it can’t get information from the wheel speed sensor. When this happens, the ABS light illuminates on the dashboard. Sometimes it doesn’t take a lot of corrosion to cause this to happen either. However, you will need to replace the module when this happens.

  • A Bulb Check

Sometimes some vehicles will perform what is known as a bulb check on the dashboard. Note that this check is for the driver’s convenience. This is to let them know the bulbs of their vehicle’s warning lights are working properly.

Sometimes these lights will usually turn off by themselves after a certain number of times. And sometimes, there may be a glitch in the bulb check which keeps the ABS warning light illuminated after the bulb check is completed.

  • A Worn Hydraulic Pump

Whenever there is one wheel from the vehicle that moves at a different speed than the other wheels, your wheel speed sensor will detect this and then notifies the anti-lock braking system.

If this happens, the system will activate the hydraulic pump to improve the amount of brake fluid pressure. However, this will allow the wheels to maintain their traction as they touch the ground.

The bad news is that hydraulic pumps tend to get worn out after years of using them. Indeed, this causes the ABS light to come on, which means you’d need to replace the pump right away.

 

Conclusion on ABS and speedometer not working

Whenever the ABS light activates on your car’s dashboard, it simply means something is wrong with the anti-lock braking system. As said earlier, the most common causes of a speedometer not working include a faulty speed sensor, damaged wiring, a broken gear on the speedometer, or a faulty engine control unit.

If you find out your ABS and speedometer not working, please you should visit a mechanic shop to solve the issue immediately.