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Good morning guys looking for a little help. I purchased a 2003 carburated Softail Deuce a couple of months ago and shortly there after the speedometer quit working. When I turn the ignition on the speedometer needle drops below the zero mark and then comes back up to the zero mark. Everything else on the guage seems to be working. Any ideas? Thanks in advance
Could be the gauge itself.... but... usually it's the speed sensor...
Do your turn signals fail to self cancel...??? Do you sometimes stall at idle...???
Failure for turn signals to self cancel, erratic or bad speedo performance, and/or stalling at idle are classic symptoms for a bad speed sensor..
It's the sensor in the top of the transmission, right side, by the clutch cable cover....
You can pull the old sensor, inspect it, and if covered with fine metal shavings, give it a good cleaning. Then reinstall it and check for proper operation.. That will sometimes fix it...
I believe there is a way to check the sensor, if you get access to the speed sensor plug, but I don't remember the check off the top of my head...
To get to the sensor on the trans is easy, but the sensor plug is behind the plastic inner fender cover/liner, aft the battery. Some can manipulate that cover out of the way and then get to the plug... I just pull the rear wheel, it's much better access and I find it so much easier that way..
Good luck and report back what you find....
Last edited by hattitude; Jan 1, 2022 at 09:27 AM.
Here is a picture of the "plug" for the speed sensor.... I marked it with a red arrow.. this is forward of the rear wheel, with the plastic inner fender/liner removed, and just slid up on top of the rear tire.......
Just for reference...
The canister at the bottom is the charcoal canister for the CA CARB tank vent requirement.
Above that is a rectangular box with a circular looking indentation on the upper left, that is the security siren.
Above the security siren, with a connector on the left side is the TSSM.
Just above the TSSM, with the 3 wires attached is the main 30 amp circuit breaker....
As you can see, most will be able to change out the speed sensor without removing the rear wheel.... but it can be tight and a challenge if you have big hands... especially when routing the new speed sensor's plug to that location...
I ended up pulling off the rear wheel, because I don't find it that difficult, and I wanted unfettered access to that whole area to clean it up and inspect it real well... it was the first time I had that area open since I bought the bike new in 2003...
Hope this helps...
Last edited by hattitude; Jan 1, 2022 at 12:36 PM.
Hattitide, thank you very much for the information. I pulled the speed sensor off and it did in fact have quite a bit of metal shavings on it so I cleaned it off really well and then reinstalled it. I took the bike around the block to see if that worked and unfortunately it did not. Speedo mph gauge still isn't working and the turn signals aren't turning off on their own. I guess I'm gonna have to do some research and see how to test the sensor to see if it's bad and then go from there. Wish me luck, and thanks again for your help man. I really appreciate it.
Hattitide, thank you very much for the information. I pulled the speed sensor off and it did in fact have quite a bit of metal shavings on it so I cleaned it off really well and then reinstalled it. I took the bike around the block to see if that worked and unfortunately it did not. Speedo mph gauge still isn't working and the turn signals aren't turning off on their own. I guess I'm gonna have to do some research and see how to test the sensor to see if it's bad and then go from there. Wish me luck, and thanks again for your help man. I really appreciate it.
Good job.... I actually saw one speed sensor that easily had twice the filings you have. But his signals self cancelled and his speedo worked, but was erratic.. He cleaned his and all was well... I believe that was 3-4 years ago, on a 2006, and it's still working as far as I know....
If both your speedo isn't working, AND the turn signals are not self cancelling, after cleaning that plug, that's a pretty good indicator that the speed sensor is bad.... but I hate to just throw parts at a problem without a solid diagnosis... Sorry I can't remember the test for it, but it should be in the electrical diagnostic manual, or it's probably on youtube or somewhere on the web...
It sounds like you have this under controll now.... Good luck.
You can check it with an ohm meter if you have a DVOM. The resistance should be maybe 100 to 300 ohms. Don't know the exact spec for it. If you test it, and the ohm meter shows OL, that means the winding are wide open and needs to be replaced. hope that helps.
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2003 Softail Deuce speedometer quit working
