Botox Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Hi Guys, My speedo on my Esprit GT3 1998 with (new dash) intermittently cuts out whilst I am driving then cuts back in again. Has anyone else had this problem? What are the possible causes and solutions? Thank you for any help Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcan Grey Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Believe the speedo is electronic on that car, so sounds like it might be some bad wiring at a wheel speed sensor, dash, or closer to the ECU. Quote Travis Vulcan Grey 89SE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailorbob Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 As above. You could try datalogging and seeing if the ecu sees the same drop out. If it does then it's probably the sensor or wiring to the ecu. If not, then it's the ecu, wiring from ecu to gauge or the gauge itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botox Posted March 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Thanks Guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botox Posted December 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2012 I know it's been ages since I last posted on my GT3 electronic speedo problems. Does anyone know of anywhere that refurbishes electronic speedos for the GT3/ V8 models? I am a bit stuck. I have taken the car to stock coachworks in Essex and they think it is the speedo unit and not the ECU or wiring. Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zulu10 Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Just to be absolutely certain I might be tempted to connect a couple of small LEDs (with appropriate current limiting resistors) into the 12V feed to the instrument, and into the pulse feed.to it, just to see if either one drops out intermittently whilst driving. If that fails then Speedy Cables http://www.speedycables.com/repair.html are probably your best bet for an effective repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red vtec Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Found these on google http://www.cartronix.co.uk/Pages/Speedometer_Repair.aspx Quote Amateurs built the Ark Professionals built the Titanic "I haven't ridden in cars pulled by cows before" "Bullocks, Mr.Belcher" "No, I haven't, honestly" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s4simon Posted January 1, 2013 Report Share Posted January 1, 2013 If the problem is in the Speedometer and it's intermittent (not a hard failure) then it will most likely be a bad solder joint or loose connection point. The problem with repairers these days is it'll probably cost around $100 to fault find & repair. How much is a new one ?? Quote Simon (94 S4) My Esprit will be for sale in late 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botox Posted January 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 Thanks Guys for all your help. I will let you know the outcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botox Posted March 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 Hi. Can anyone please tell me where the ECU is that controls the speedo and ABS? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailorbob Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 The ABS and engine management ecu's are independent and neither controls the speedometer. The ABS ecu is in the trunk and the engine management ecu is above the right hand fuel tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan-C Posted July 11, 2013 Report Share Posted July 11, 2013 Hi Guys, My speedo on my Esprit GT3 1998 with (new dash) intermittently cuts out whilst I am driving then cuts back in again. Has anyone else had this problem? What are the possible causes and solutions? Thank you for any help Mark Hi Mark,have you resolved the speedo issue with your GT3.I have replaced both the speed sensor and speedo head on mine and still not working,i would appreciate any help with this cheers. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botox Posted January 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 HI Alan, I have not resolved my speedo problems! Ok, the car was scanned by Paul Matty Lotus near Birmingham. The scan they did showed nothing! I bought a new speedo and the fault occurred with that too! I had also sent the new speedo for a complete check at a electronic speedo company in Swansea who said they could find no fault with it. The guys at Paul Matty have failed me - big time and I can't see where to go from here. They have phoned VDO who made the speedo who don't care and also Lotus don't care either about the Esprit. It is really killing my love of the car. PNM engineering have not been able to find the fault with the GT3/V8 speedos either. It sucks! Let me know how you get on. Oh I forgot to say that like yourself, the speed sensor and speedo head were replaced. I am not sure if there is a faulty earth going on. Please keep me posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailorbob Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Did you try datalogging and seeing if the ecu sees the same drop out at the same time as the speedometer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botox Posted January 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 Hi Derek, The guys at Paul Matty Lotus have tried this. The scans shown nothing wrong. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcan Grey Posted January 23, 2014 Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 Well if the ECU is reading the correct speed, and the speedo has been replaced... then it has to lie in the wiring between ECU and dash... 1 Quote Travis Vulcan Grey 89SE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailorbob Posted January 23, 2014 Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 As Travis says, run a wire directly from pin B8 on the ecu to the speedometer and bypass the OE wiring. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botox Posted March 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 Hi Guys, Roy and Brian at Paul Matty have fixed my speedo. Top marks to Paul Matty's team. Several things were done to sort this out. Okay...here's the sequence of events. I had my new speedo tested by a company in Swansea to double check it was okay. (In case you were wondering why I didn't send the old speedo it's because I wanted completely new parts and didn't trust that the new speedo I had bought on eBay was working ok). A full scan was done with the Lotus scanner showing the ECU was fine. The old speedo was replaced with the new one I bought from eBay and the ABS sensors were all resistance tested which were fine. The wheel speed sensor was also replaced. This did not sort out the problem and the speedo would not either work or would occasionally move a bit like a voltage meter flickering! As Travis said in a previous blog, the problem had to lie with the wiring either between the wheel speed sensor > ECU > speedo. Paul Matty's team thought they had cracked it when they found that earthing leads from the pin sites in the ECU to the bell housing which lies at the back of the engine bay (on the inner surface) had come loose. They replaced these wires. The speedo seemed to work but when I came to pick it up, it started to play up again although this time slightly differently. It would work fine then cut out completely. Roy and Brian then looked at the wiring between the wheel sensor and the ECU and found that water had seeped onto the plug making it green and mouldy. They replaced the plug and wires. Now my speedometer works fine! Well done guys. From this experience this is what I learnt. VDO haven't got a clue about these speedos now and don't care. Lotus are a completely different company now that Brian Angus has left they do not have anyone who can offer advice on the problem or the Esprit in general. I have owned my GT3 for 9 years and the car is 15 years old. I think any owner with the new dash may eventually experience this problem. Pete at PNM engineering has 4 Esprits with the same problem. I think there will be more owners getting this fault as the cars age. The key thing is the wiring between the wheel speed sensor > ECU > speedo. Okay, hope it helps someone out there. It was nightmare for everyone including the guys at Paul Matty Sports cars, but they seem to have cracked it. Thanks guys! Mark. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loose Cannon Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 at the wiring between the wheel sensor and the ECU... water had seeped onto the plug making it green and mouldy. Can you explain more where this plug is so I can check mine? Can anything preventative be done? Quote In the garage no-one can hear you scream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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