Various issues with 97 Honda Civic....

Hi, driving through a rainy New Jersey, I noticed that the check
engine light came AND my speedometer/odometer stopped working on my 97
Civic CX. Both issues must have happened at the same time or nearly
so, I usually am checking my speed and such. Could they be related?

Also, the check engine/seatbelt/emergency brake idiot lights are
slightly pulsing, they dim slightly about once a second...??

With check engine light on, the car seemed to run ok, the change in
idle rpms every few seconds, gas mileage didn't seem to bad but I
can't check with the odometer not working!

Is the speedometer a mechanical or electrical driven device on these
cars? My Haynes doesn't have anything...

Any help or info would be appreciated, I am going out now to check
fuses, reset the computer, etc, - hopefully I find something
obvious... thanks!! Tim

 

Almost certainly. Fix the speedometer and the light will go out.

It is electrical. The problem may be the Vehicle Speed Sensor which
bolts on to the transmission. Or it could be a loose connection or
broken wire.

 

wrote in @n60g2000hse.googlegroups.com:

I think you'll find this is the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS). Have the
Check Engine light code read by AutoZone or other place. Report the code
here.

Haynes is crap, sorry.

Make sure it's the VSS. Fix that first. Most of your other problems
should go away after that, then you can concentrate on the ones that are
left.

 

Actually, Haynes did have a section on testing the VSS, I just wasn't
sure what to look for at that point. I am now sure the VSS and CEL
are related, it is most likely a bad VSS. I displaced any water at
the VSS connection and no improvement.

 

wrote in @k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com:

You cannot be "sure". You are guessing. Get the code read.

 

Tim, see the following bulletin for the likely cause and solution for
this problem:

http://downloads.hondatech.info/Auto/Service%20Bulletin/x99-029e.pdf

 

had this problem on my 98 civic, Tegger has pictures of my fix on his website.

 

Thanks to all who recommended this wiring harness fix, it worked
great!! Has been running perfect for 2 weeks now...