Vehicle Speed Sensor

[JimN696]

My cruise control stopped working and I read in one of the posts here that the problem might be caused by a bad VSS. What is the VSS, where is it located, how can you test it, and what other problems would be related to a failure of this part?

 

[Bluto]

Your car would shift erractly. It feels like the tranny is slipping, and your speedo will act funny.

It is located in a bastard spot on top of the tranny, behind the Y-pipe. The best way to change it is remove the passenger tire and attack it that way.

The easiest way to get to it is when the tranny is out.

A mechanice told me you can loosen the motor mount for better acsess.

The part is 20-25 bucks at any part store.

If you pull the codes it should give a code if its bad.

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

JimN696, there are a ton of past posts on the VSS, but i dont recall off hand how to test it, but i do know the cruise itself can be tested. the VSS sits on top of the tranny and is a bitch to change out.

*ah i see bluto has allready posted. i will tell you from my experience that i dont see how you could do it through the passenger wheelwell, but i know others have so i suppose im just not looking hard enough. i think this is one of those jobs where you can write off the shop labor as a "convenience tax" if you will. i dont think i could really maneuver my hands in there so im going to pay to get mine done when it needs to be changed. let us know how it goes though and good luck.

 

[Kevin Airth]

Not likely to be the VSS. Check this: The ATX ONLY has a cruise control disconnect switch, which is mounted under the brake master cylinder. These go bad and the cruise will not work. They tend to leak also. Put your hand under there and see if you find brake fluid. Then take the wires off the switch and see if the cruise works. You might need to wire the two wires together to make it work but I think not. Remember the ATX has a different cruse control module than the MTX. It's all electric no vacuum lines. Also check the linkage and make sure the cable is still hooked up properly. They sometimes can become disconnected.

I can post the part number for the disconnect switch if you need it. It's only about $16.
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[DJ SHO]

Another way to check and see if it's your VSS is, when the cruise isn't working, check and see if your power steering still feels the same. IF the computer doesn't recieve the correct speed input, it will throw off the cruise control, the variable assist power steering, and transmission programming. Check and see if your tranny is acting funny. One of the big signs of this is the torque converter not locking up when it should.

If everythning else checks out and your cruise still doesn't work, I'd look into the disconnect swtich. The VSS is more prone to failure, but hey, you never know.