does this sound like a bad vehicle speed sensor--PLEASE HELP:(

[mygreensho]

well it has some issues now...when my car is warmed up i come to a stop.. when i start to accelerate it free revs and clunks into gear...i took it into the dealer they told me it had something to do with the OD button cause my OD didnt work...they replaced the button and wiring for the OD switch..well now my car has overdrive but it wouldnt come out of OD..even after i hit the button many times..and today when i was passing a car i slowed back to speed and instead of my tach reading around 2k rpms like it should with the OD on, it read 2400 like the OD was off..i couldnt get it back into OD..well i got into town..then the clunking started...it hadnt clunked since they fixed the OD switch...so im thinking i need a new VSS but would that also be messing up the OD button to not shift into and out of OD? please i need help..im getting very depressed cause i have had my car for a month and a half and its been in the shop all but 3 weeks of that

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

ok, so you if you cant get the overdrive to engage then turn the car off and turn it back on, it automatically defaults to overdrive when the car is shut off and restarted. does the OD off light work on your dash? if you really think its not going into overdrive at all then check the procedure on www.shotimes.com about losing 4th gear, it may be your problem if youre lucky. i could have sworn there was a post from a week or two ago about the free revving problem, i suggest you search the threads for it. it doesnt sound like the typical vss problem to me but im sure the others on the forum can help more than i can. as far as the OD button is concerned, you can do that yourself in 10 minutes usually. so if youve got decent weather out there i recommend you dont pay a shop to do it. there is also a write up for this on shotimes. but does it only do it when the car is warmed up or when its cold? thats an important question, if it only occurs when the car is warmed up to operating temp then it might very well be your vss.

 

[mygreensho]

BlackOnBlackATX:
ok, so you if you cant get the overdrive to engage then turn the car off and turn it back on, it automatically defaults to overdrive when the car is shut off and restarted. does the OD off light work on your dash? if you really think its not going into overdrive at all then check the procedure on www.shotimes.com about losing 4th gear, it may be your problem if youre lucky. i could have sworn there was a post from a week or two ago about the free revving problem, i suggest you search the threads for it. it doesnt sound like the typical vss problem to me but im sure the others on the forum can help more than i can. as far as the OD button is concerned, you can do that yourself in 10 minutes usually. so if youve got decent weather out there i recommend you dont pay a shop to do it. there is also a write up for this on shotimes. but does it only do it when the car is warmed up or when its cold? thats an important question, if it only occurs when the car is warmed up to operating temp then it might very well be your vss.

well the od works after i turn the car off...and its very sparatic when it doesnt work..it seems like when i hit very high rpms when passing a vehicle on the road i seem to loose the OD and only when i do lose my OD i get the clunk..so i dont know what the deal is..is 4th gear the OD gear?

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

yeah 4th is your OD gear. well, based on what i know from the forum and what not it sounds likely that it could in fact be your vss, high rpms lead to high heat which funk up the vss causing it to act funny..etc. but aside from that what are your shifts like? what about the hot/cold issue? check your codes and see if the ECM is throwing you a tranny or vss code cuz i dont think the check engine light comes on for those, but i could be wrong.

 

[mygreensho]

thanx for the help..maybe this will fix my OD button as well..do u know the part number for the vss for the 3.2 i went to ford parts network and they only have a price for the 3.0 listed and no price for the 3.2

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

emmm, i dont know it off hand but i think autozone carries them as well. you should check your local parts store to see if you can get it cheaper. they should be able to tell you the part number you need as well. ive heard that it has to do with your vin but i dunno if thats true. you planning on doing this yourself? you do know its the mechanical equivalent of being in labor for 8 hours right? just making sure youre prepared. good luck man.