Exactly same thing but on a 95 golf

Fords in that era are notorious for broken plastic gears in the assembly. If the Speedometer works and the odometer works but the trip odometer does not work, you can still have a broken or stripped plastic gear. They are very small and cost about $25 but they are a pain to replace. You can send your cluster off to have it repaired by a reputable shop. Just Google instrument cluster repair.

If both the speedometer and Tach quit working there is a high probability that the instrument cluster has checked out. The speedometer takes it's signal from the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) via the computer, and the tach comes from either the distributor or coils (tach pin) to the tachometer. Both these items would have to go out to cause your symptoms.

The abs sensor is the one located on the rear differential, not the speed sensor. It is located on the rear of the transmission housing.

It sounds as if the vehicle speed sensor is malfunctioning.

Check fuse 20 on Insturment Pannal fuse block.

More then likely the tiny electric motor called the "stepper motor" is defective, a common failure.

I have a complete dash for a 95 which should fix it. They are kind of a pain to replace, and the one I have has 91,000 on the odometer.

Dan Lemke
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if your speedo isnt working the odometer wont work,if its a manual gearbox it sits just ontop of the diff this can sometimes affect the fuel gauge aswell........

Good question! My Cabrio's odometer works only when the outside temps are really cold... that means about freezing temp. My VW repair shop guru guy says that the Cabriolet is notorious for this failing. Since the odometer is driven through a small gearbox via the speedo cable, I suspect the odometer "transmission" is mostly kaput. The tach is also mechanically driven so it also may have a semi-functional cable. The only way to really know is to pull the cable and check it for damage. As far as the trans goes have you tested it for codes?

Check the speed sensor in the transmission.
Being a 95 it might still be cable driven. Disconnect the cable from the transmission and hook a drill to it. Spin it and see if it registers. If it does, the gear going into the tranny is broken, if it doesn't the cable is probably broken.