doesnt shift

I bought a 97 grand am 2.4 the problem is the car will not shift and the spedometer doesnt work. i found that the only gears i have is 1st 2nd and reverse. but the car always starts in 2nd and i can manually shift to 2nd from first. im not sure if the tranny is bad where would i start testing before i pull the tranny.

thanks
dale

I bought a 97 grand am 2.4 the problem is the car will not shift and the spedometer doesnt work. i found that the only gears i have is 1st 2nd and reverse. but the car always starts in 2nd and i can manually shift to 2nd from first. im not sure if the tranny is bad where would i start testing before i pull the tranny.

thanks
dale
problem fixed the vss was unplugged

what is the vss becuase mine is having shifting and hesitation prblems

VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor).