I had suspicions of a bad vehicle speed sensor before, and alas...this morning leaving a friend's house to school, bam, my first SES light in weeks. Checked it..a code 24...bad VSS. Ohh, great, just what I need! I've heard they're expensive and not easy to do...what's the typical price on one? I'm kinda pissed because my camcorder just completely broke earlier today too..turned it on and bam, shut off and died. This is not a good day......

 

Depending upon where you get it $40-80 but is EASY to do.

 

Easy huh? Where exactly is it mounted? I can get the front of my car up (not easily, and not very far...I have to use a scissor jack first, to have room to pump the floor jack, then slide the floor jack under...takes forever because it'll barely clear to pump so it's slow..and then the 2 ton stands.. I don't know if I'll be able to fit under anywhere far back..but beside the point, I haven't read anything anywhere about this..so, any tips would be appreciated. It'd be nice if it was like the O2 sensor..unclip, unscrew, screw in, clip. Loved that one...

 

Hmmm.
First of all, if the code was set (i.e. if the light came on) when the drive wheels were NOT turning (i.e. car was not moving), then it is an invalid error code and can be ignored.
My 1987 Camaro Sport Coupe has this problem. Now and then, when I stop the car at a light or stop sign, the SES light will come on and the engine idles at 1300-1500RPM. If I tap the gas, it comes down to 800-1000RPM and the light stays on. When I move the car, and it has been moving for a few seconds, the light goes out. It is very intermittent and has been happening less and less over the last year - if fact, it hasn't done it in a very long time. My 1989 Camaro RS did it once, but not since then.

Otherwise, if the light is staying on (and it is ONLY code 24 being set), then if I remember right, most all the manuals I've seen say it may be a faulty sensor, wiring, or faulty ECM (ECM is unlikely I'm sure).

 

Yes, I threw the code while in motion, and it stayed on the whole length of the drive. Started up this afternoon just fine, drove around quite a bit today, didn't throw the code again. Went back and reset the computer cause I felt like it..just in case I throw it again but don't notice, I'll be able to tell..of course I have to do it by disconnecting the battery because nothing else works like it's supposed to... It's so funny though because EVERY time I do it this way, the car refuses to start the first time. It starts, runs for a second, shakes, and dies, with a HEAVY smell of rich exhaust...hehe...after that first stall, fires right up and runs like a beauty. I'm gonna keep an eye on it to make sure I don't throw it again.

 

Linux, you sure? What if it's a short in the wire, like Overclk350 had, and the VSS is trying to tell the computer it's doing 50 mph when the ECM knows the engine's idling...?

 

TomP, a short won't do that, it'll read ZERO. The only way to read higher is to introduce more voltage into the system.


Nixon, it's ont he back of the transmission, driver's side, and is round with one bolt holding it in. On top, there's a connector with yellow and purple wires coming into it. When you take it out, there's a gear inside that you have to put back onto the stem of the new one.

 

Sounds like the only problem will be then just getting under the thing...damn 7 inches of ground clearance!

 

Oh, okay, thanks for clearing that up!

And yeah, Nixon1, if you don't have the car on ramps or something, it won't be fun. I yanked a VSS from a loaded '86 Firebird, with 2.8 & 700r4, from a junkyard. (Got his door panels with the map pockets, and his dashpad in case mine ever cracks, too, hahaha!) Like 86Chicken and I found out, '86's with regular idiot-light-dashboards got a mechanical speedo. '86's with full gauge dashboards had the electric speedo. Check this message out for more info, and how I almost got a trans fluid bath because I was working in the sand, with the car on the ground. https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=122212

 

My ramps are too sharp of an angle..can't get the car on them without scraping the holy hell out of it.. Tom, is the VSS more towards the front of back? Like, which end should I try to raise up? And it's gonna leak trans fluid out from the VSS area I take it.. Should I just get a bucket or something and let it all run out once I pull the thing, wait for it to empty, plug the new one in, and refill the thing with trans fluid? Hmm.... I hate putting new fluid in..mine's perfectly good! Btw, my SES light hasn't come on since. I hate damn intermittent codes.....

 

It's in the back of the transmission driver side. Yes, some tranny fluid will come out, MAYBE 1/4 of a quart.

 

A trick that the lowered guys use is to use wide boards to "start" the car up the ramp, to reduce the incline. A trick I use is to grab the fenders with my hands and lift the car up. Seriously, though!! The front struts will take a preload- normal ride height is because the struts are in motion, going up and down. But if you pull up on the middle of the fender, above the center of the tire (don't dent the fender!!), you can preload the struts, they'll stay in the "up" position, and you might get an extra inch or two.

I usually do this when I'm using a hydraulic jack under the front of my car. (Remember I've got air shocks and taller tires in the back, the front bumper tilts lower than it should). I lift up on one fender, walk around to the other side, and lift up on the other wheel well. I do this once more, then the jack fits under the car.

 

Ha...well I'll definitely have to consider that. With my luck, I'd snap the board and drop the car down a foot onto the ramp and mash the ramp in.