1997 Ford Escort Speedometer stopped working and won't shif

12586chris · Posted at Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:08 pm

Transmission or speed control problem
1997 Ford Escort 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 108,000 miles

Car was purchased new by my mother and has been very well maintained. She has always had every problem repaired as soon as she was told about it. She has had no really serious problems until now. The speedometer stopped working once in a while and it seemed like the car would not shift out of first gear. The problem started about a year ago, but only happened twice in the first year. Her mechanic said it probably needed a new transmission. He said to wait until it happened more often. After a year, the problem started happening all the time. It still works fine sometimes, but now the problem happens more often than not. She has to pull over about 3 times every couple of miles, so she can't really use the car anymore. Her original mechanic (the dealer) is out of business. Her new mechanic said he doesn't fix transmissions and sent her to a transmission specialist. The transmission specialist said it is probably not the transmission, but the speed sensor. He said it is rusted in place, and he can't remove it. He said the car should be junked. It ran perfectly before, and looks like new inside and out. It has no visible body rust, and no serious rust when we look underneath. Should it really be junked for this problem, or are we just dealing with a mechanic that doesn't know how to fix it, or doesn't want to be bothered? He said the speed sensor can't be removed without removing the transmission.
THANK YOU very much for your help. We don't have much money and can't afford a new car.
Chris

KHLow2008 · Posted at Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:56 am

Hi Chris,

Thank you for the donation.

The problem is most likely the Vehicle Speed Sensor and you could go back to your first mechanic to have it checked/replaced.
That would be the most likely cause rather than the transmission itself..

When the speed sensor malfunctions, the trans would shift erratically.