OK, for those of you who have had issues with the 1997 Blazer speedo, here may be a fix for some of what ails it.


Symptoms:

The speedometer quits working; however, all of the other gauges, to include the trip meter and odometer, work. You’ve checked fuses and the VSS and all is well.


The Tools:
T10 Torx

T9 Torx
Kitchen fork (get an old one or at least don’t let the wife know you’re using one of hers!)
Fine grit sandpaper or steel wool

The Fix:
First:

Remove the instrument cluster from the dash and find a nice quiet spot to work on it, preferably on a table with a sheet, towel or something else to catch any small screws that might get dropped. Take out the 4-T10 screws that hold the bezel to the assembly. They are the silver screws, 2 at the top and 2 at the bottom.



Second:

Once the four screws are removed, carefully insert a fork or similar pry tool between the housing and the instrument cluster face. The face is clear plastic and the housing is an off-white color. The face is held on by foam tape so be prepared for some resistance. Also, the prongs for the various gauges on the face plug into sockets on the back and they are a little stubborn. Some effort is required to pry the whole thing off. Best practice is to work the sides of the faceplate the most as it has more plastic to take the force used. The speedo and odometer are going to be the toughest to break lose. There is no need to remove the needles unless you feel that they may get broken. If you do, you’ll have to “re-calibrate” their location when done.


Third:

After you have separated the two components, lay the faceplate face down on a soft surface. Be careful not to break off the reset plunger for the trip meter. You can now see a circuit board attached to the back of the cluster.



Fourth:

Within the circuit board is a Torx 9 sized screw. You can locate it below and to the left of the four prongs of the “SPEEDO,” when the board is oriented so that you can read it. Remove the screw.


Fifth:

Once the screw is removed, carefully remove the circuit board from the gauge prongs. Again, there will be some resistance here. Then remove the plastic insulator.


You can now see the speedometer motor (center) and the odometer motor (left) depending on the orientation of the cluster.


Finally:
Now use the sandpaper or steel wool to clean the prongs on both motors. Wipe them down and then reinstall everything in reverse order. You may have a bit of a challenge lining up the prongs with the contacts of the instrument housing. Be patient, it may take a few minutes to get it aligned. I found getting the center most prongs lined up helped a bunch. Just make sure everything is seated properly. Once reassembled, plug it into the dash and see if it works for you. I was amazed when mine started working again!


I had photos but being a newbie here I couldn't get that one figured out.


I hope this helps some of you out!


GOOD LUCK!