My 2003 SP 500's speedometer and odometer is not working all other stuff is and the dealer claims its the pickup sensor. Has anyone else had this happen and if so what did you do? was there a quick fix like being dirty and just cleaning it, or was it just a simple change of the speedsensor pickup.

 

There is a simple test you can perform. The draw back is that you have to purchase or build a test harness. If you have the factory manual, the schematic is in there. I didn’t want to spend the money to buy one so I built it in about 10 min with some parts I had at home (then again I am an Electrical Engineer).

From the symptoms you stated, I would say it’s a VERY good chance that this is your problem. Here were my symptoms. The speedometer became erratic and started jumping around like crazy. It eventually wrapped all the way around to the manual button in the face of the speedometer (2001 Sp 500) and died. Everything worked fine but the mile and speed indication.

Some folks will tell you that before you buy a new sensor you need to make sure that the holes in the brake rotor are clean and free from packed mud but that really shouldn’t matter as far as the speed sensor is concerned. The sensor relies on the Hall Effect which in short is a magnetic field…..dirt or mud isn’t metalic or magnetic. The rotation of the “holes” in the rotor past the sensor changes the polarity at the tip of the sensor and the rate at which the holes pass the sensor determines the voltage that is sent to the speedometer which is then reflected on the indicator.

I replaced mine for about 50 bucks. It’s very easy and only requires an additional 4 wire ties. If you do it yourself be sure to transfer the metal cup to the new one…..it won’t come with it. It’s what protects the sensor from debris (you will know what I mean if you take it apart). There is only one bolt that holds the whole thing in. Only other items you will have to remove is the top of the headlight pod to gain access to the speedometer and the tire. Good luck.