Speedometer question on 92

C

crary

New member
I've got a 92 4runner, v6, auto. The speedometer has begun to work only sporadically. In other words, sometimes it works, other times it sits at zero while I'm driving. As far as I can tell, there are no other problems that trigger it.

I know there are a couple of different types of speed sensors. My question is which is most likely the problem and is it something I'll be able to fix myself. Thanks in advance.
 
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ERmm,, my 92 has been doing the same thing- speedo eve since I bought it -- either not working at all or swings wildly from zero to whatever speed I happen to be going.

For mine,, this seems to occur mostly in cold weather, usually first thing in the morning. After driving for a few miles ( usually less than 5 miles ), the speedo needle settles down and everything seems OK.

I was originally disturbed by this and thot that it might be the sending unit on the tranny. However, I could only find ONE device that even remotely looks like a sending unit. I have an A340H auto tranny / transfer case in my 92.

I even went to the parts man at the local Toyota dealer and had him crawl under the 4R and look. He couldn't find anything but the one 'sending unit' , either. The scary part, is that ,, when he looked it up on the microfiche, the part listed there looked NOTHING like the part on MY tranny! :confused:

The unit that 'appears' to be the sender has 2 wires going to it and it is held on by 3 machine screws. When I removed the screws and took off the semi-triangular coverplate ( with the wires ),, there was a small disc inside about the size and shape of a U.S. nickel. This small, inner piece was not attached to the case or to the triangular cover plate. It fell out in my hand. I really couldn't see any noticeable defects. Heck,, I really couldn't tell if it even WAS the right thing. So, I put it all back together.

I realize this offers you little or no help, but at least you know you aren't in the boat alone. I'd really be interested to know if there is a solution to this problem,too. The speedo works perfectly in warm weather and at all other times.

Thanks
Mike in AR
 
Isnt the spedo cable driven??? Hint Hint. the gears in the spedo head are prolly stripepd or lose or something, and it needs to be replaced
 
Well,, I 'called' myself looking the entire tranny and transfer case over with a fine-toothed comb. Could see nothing that resembled a cable-driven output. Also looked under the dash, but honestly, things are so tight in there that it's kinda hard to see. Also did not see any evidence of a cable-drive entering the firewall , i.e., the area BEHIND the the dash where the speedo is located. That's what leads me to believe that the speedo is electronic, like the tachometer.

Strangely, there is no ominous sound associated with the speedo's bad behavior. With other vehicles I've owned that HAD cable drive ( GM ) , there has usually been some kind of squeal or other noise just prior to , and associtated with, the failure. I 'HAVE" noted that even when the speedo is not oprerating properly,, the odometer continues to roll forward. Maybe there is a cable that 'IS" driving both the speedo and the odometer and only the part that engages the speedo is worn so much that it doesn't make contact due to shrinkage in cold weather . :bash:

I'll look further next time its up on the rack .

Mike in AR
 
Went to an auto parts store hoping to be able to find a fix. The Speed Sensor is in fact a dealer part. Yummy.

I'll update the post once I talk to the local dealer.
 
Ooooohh Dang! Maybe I'm NOT losing my mind. ( 'course,, THAT wouldn't take long , anyway ):arrow: Just clicked this link from another post. Scroll down to the last entry -- Type 6-B Transfer case. It appears that the speedo drive is, in fact, electrical and not mechanical. If ya look at the entry just above that, Type 6-A, it lists a mechanical drive cable. Evidently, Toyota switched after 1991 and started installing electrical senders for the speedo.


http://www.marlincrawler.com/tcaseinfo.html

Mike in AR
 
regularguy412 said:
Ooooohh Dang! Maybe I'm NOT losing my mind. ( 'course,, THAT wouldn't take long , anyway ):arrow: Just clicked this link from another post. Scroll down to the last entry -- Type 6-B Transfer case. It appears that the speedo drive is, in fact, electrical and not mechanical. If ya look at the entry just above that, Type 6-A, it lists a mechanical drive cable. Evidently, Toyota switched after 1991 and started installing electrical senders for the speedo.


http://www.marlincrawler.com/tcaseinfo.html

Mike in AR
Click to expand...

The link at the bottom said it was invalid, I only ask because my speedo and mileage are not working and I am trying to get it fix on my 95 4x2.
 
Vss

I just went through something similar with my 94. There is a speed sensor on the output shaft of the transfer case. This VSS is available aftermarket for about $20, or from the dealer for about $150.

A word of caution, when I swapped my VSS I had to drive the vehicle about a mile before the speedometer started "seeing" it. As a result of this I thought my speedo still wasn't working initially and swapped it too. In the end I determined that both speedometers were fine, they just take that bit of driving to get them working initially.

Good luck!
 
chester4Run said:
I just went through something similar with my 94. There is a speed sensor on the output shaft of the transfer case. This VSS is available aftermarket for about $20, or from the dealer for about $150.

A word of caution, when I swapped my VSS I had to drive the vehicle about a mile before the speedometer started "seeing" it. As a result of this I thought my speedo still wasn't working initially and swapped it too. In the end I determined that both speedometers were fine, they just take that bit of driving to get them working initially.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Where you able to get that aftermarket VSS from the local parts place or a online site? Thank you for the help.
 
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