Speedometer malfunctioning, is it my speed sensor?

[nicakasper]

Hello Y'all,
I have a 93 4Runner, 2WD, AT, and the speedometer is not working, it doesnt move or is erratic. The transmission shifts normally and the car runs fine.
I assumed it had a speedometer cable but when I went looking I found two sensors, both on the driver side and at the back of the transmission. They look normal and nothing is broken.
I attached a picture of each sensor, one with a gear and one without. I also took a picture of the transmission label and the door label.
I'm not sure how troubleshoot the speedometer, I wonder if anyone can share the procedure to test the sensors and the part numbers for the sensors, I looked around the web and found conflicting information.

Thanks for the help.

 

[fourwd1]

The one with the gear would be for the speedo, the other I don't know offhand (temp maybe?).
The FSM would have procedures for checking both the sender and the gauge.

 

[nicakasper]

The one with the gear would be for the speedo, the other I don't know offhand (temp maybe?).
The FSM would have procedures for checking both the sender and the gauge.

I think I can check the gear sensor by spinning the shaft while connected to a multimeter.
I think the other sensor is for the transmission ECU.

This morning, I brought the car up to temp, and I connected terminals TE1 and E1 at the diagnostic port and the "O/D off" and "check engine" lights starting flashing. I think the check engine is (41) point to the throttle position sensor and the OD is (62) pointing to a No1 solenoid. But I'm not sure.Here is a video of the codes.

Thanks for the help.

 

[gomiami]

I replaced the vehicle speed sensor on my Honda a few months ago. I didn't have a code scanner, I just diagnosed it from symptoms.

Speedo needle did not move at all, tranny worked flawlessly. All other gauges worked fine. I pulled the fuse for the VSS (probably a 7.5) and it was not burned out. If your truck has cruise control and it also is not working, it is your speed sensor.

If you buy a replacement part off of rockauto or Amazon, you may need to swap out your old gear and hairpin from the original VSS. My new unit would not seat properly into the transmission housing. The new gear was shorter, not as robust and the hairpin was thicker...causing it to not seat.

I took a pair of needle nose pliers, removed the hairpins holding the gears on, then cleaned/swapped the old gear and hairpin and placed them on the new sensor unit. Hand tighten and then tweak gently with a socket on that housing bolt. The housing eyelet on the replacement units are fairly cheap plastic and will go from tight to snapped if you over crank it.

10 minutes later, all done.

 

[nicakasper]

I replaced the vehicle speed sensor on my Honda a few months ago. I didn't have a code scanner, I just diagnosed it from symptoms.

Speedo needle did not move at all, tranny worked flawlessly. All other gauges worked fine. I pulled the fuse for the VSS (probably a 7.5) and it was not burned out. If your truck has cruise control and it also is not working, it is your speed sensor.

If you buy a replacement part off of rockauto or Amazon, you may need to swap out your old gear and hairpin from the original VSS. My new unit would not seat properly into the transmission housing. The new gear was shorter, not as robust and the hairpin was thicker...causing it to not seat.

I took a pair of needle nose pliers, removed the hairpins holding the gears on, then cleaned/swapped the old gear and hairpin and placed them on the new sensor unit. Hand tighten and then tweak gently with a socket on that housing bolt. The housing eyelet on the replacement units are fairly cheap plastic and will go from tight to snapped if you over crank it.

10 minutes later, all done.

I haven’t done the diagnosis yet due to the weather but will get that done this weekend and hope its not the actual cluster.

In terms of swapping out the gear, the new VSS’ I saw online look different than what I have. Mine doesn’t have the retaining clip, and the gear is smaller. I don’t want to break it if its not meant to be removed. I saw that the folks at yotashop sell the gear without instructions on how to replace it.

I found this complete VSS on ebay which is exactly what I have on my car.
Many of the VSS online look thicker or attach at a different point.

I'll report back on the diagnosis. Thanks again

 

[gomiami]

I haven’t done the diagnosis yet due to the weather but will get that done this weekend and hope its not the actual cluster.

In terms of swapping out the gear, the new VSS’ I saw online look different than what I have. Mine doesn’t have the retaining clip, and the gear is smaller. I don’t want to break it if its not meant to be removed. I saw that the folks at yotashop sell the gear without instructions on how to replace it.

I found this complete VSS on ebay which is exactly what I have on my car.
Many of the VSS online look thicker or attach at a different point.

I'll report back on the diagnosis. Thanks again

I fully understand.

When I bought mine, I first went to Honda for an OEM part number, then went to NAPA to cross reference and then finally to Amazon. I went with Amazon because they were $40 cheaper than the one NAPA had in stock but I went to NAPA first with the old sensor anyway to visually compare that I had the right part number before pulling the trigger with the online retailer.

Of course, with all that prep, I was still guessing it was the VSS since I had no code and was happy when a new sensor was the correct solution. Obviously, I'm completely guessing that it is the VSS on your rig. An instrument cluster failure (or the wiring to it) would be uncommon but not out of the question. I wish you the best and hope it is an easy solution (the fuse or the sensor.)

 

[1995D4runner]

Hello Y'all,
I have a 93 4Runner, 2WD, AT, and the speedometer is not working, it doesnt move or is erratic. The transmission shifts normally and the car runs fine.
I assumed it had a speedometer cable but when I went looking I found two sensors, both on the driver side and at the back of the transmission. They look normal and nothing is broken.
I attached a picture of each sensor, one with a gear and one without. I also took a picture of the transmission label and the door label.
I'm not sure how troubleshoot the speedometer, I wonder if anyone can share the procedure to test the sensors and the part numbers for the sensors, I looked around the web and found conflicting information.

Thanks for the help.

Any links for those replacement parts?

 

[bryandetwiler]

My speedo seems like it sometimes needs a few minutes to warm up, particularly if it's cold and rainy.

After going a few miles it kicks in and works normally. Odometer has no issues.

A bit of an odd one. Has anyone seen this?