96 Geo Metro Odometer and speedometer not working

Here's a link on your speedo. Geo Metro Speedo cable Removal and install

which engine size?

Most likely a broken speedometer cable. Possibly cable end and gear popped out of the transmission.

double posted, back up 1 post and read

LSI 4cylinder or 3cylinder? engine. , all answer USA cars.
all answers now, are 3cylinder

did the odometer quiet too?
key fact
and in USA< connect any scan tool and see if VSS died.

the usa 96, 1.0L 3cyl has the VSS sensor in the speedo
and when the cable snaps, Speedo to transaxle flex drive cable.
snamps
the speed goes dead
the odometer goes dead
and Vss goes dead.
easy huh, if all 3 are dead.
but if speedo ONLY goes dead, that means ITS dead.
vss= veh.speed sensor. or MPH sensor.

this is normal for all cars. this old, !
what is your question. most Geo speedos die at 150k miles.
you forgot to say, did odometer die too? big time error that...
for any accurate answers.

my guess, is , you are asking how to diagnose the speedo,
right?
ok pull the cable at tranny, and spin it by hand (or drill) in the same
direction as the needle moves, in dash.
mine is CCW direction
so spin it in CCW dir. and see if the needle moves up scale.
if not , maybe the cable is snapped, inside.
so pull the cable out. is it snapped?
if not the head is bad, if both the speedo and odometer
are dead,
here is one page showing how to do that.
if both are dead , it can only be 3 things.
1: BAD HEAD.
2: BAD CABLE
3: tranny gears x2 bad,one or both stripped, (plastic gears)
the test is easy, spin it from down under. and look.
do not pull the cable down under or the cable will disengage the head, and slip (simple sqaure drive it is)
gettting the head out is another long story.

you may have to check the teeth on the drive and driven gears at the end of the cable and the gear that this gear is driven off of.the teeth may not be in good condition and need replacing.

if it is the same size ye but you will have to swap sensors over due to the 96 being obd2

• www.car-stuff.com/mmparts/geo-metro/repair_manual.html

Let me guess, it goes up to about 30, stays there, and if you go faster (past what would be the halfway point of your speedometer) it starts dropping below 30. It sounds like the type of speedometer that uses two magnetic cores at 90 degrees to each other, and one has gone out.

Troubleshooting and repair should be similar to this: http://www.fieros.de/en/articles/speedo.html