The speedometer stopped working, probably related to the shifting

GTORRES

MEMBER
1998 FORD TAURUS
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
183,021 MILES

I have a 1998 Ford Taurus and been having problem shifting gears. The car only does this when I drive out of the driveway. It takes a while before it shifts gears. After a few miles, I get on the freeway and it runs shifts normally and drives smooth on the freeway. It seems it does this when the engine is cold. Also, the speedometer stopped working, problably related to the shifting of gears problem. Is the problem the transmission or some sensor?

Friday, August 7th, 2009 AT 12:02 PM

1 Reply

SQM

MECHANIC
6,383 POSTS

Hello,

It does sound like the issue is related to the vehicle speed sensor (VSS).
The VSS is located on the transmission housing. It measures the transmission shaft rotation and send that information to the ECM, which gets translated to the speedometer display.
Depending on the transmission (AX4N or AX4S), the VSS has two different styles.

Make sure that the VSS is mounted securely and there is not corrosion on the harness.

I have attached the diagrams for both options.

Please let me know of any questions.
Thank you.

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