99 Taurus speed sensor

[discusgary]

99 Ford Taurus with a speedometer and shifting problem
scanned the car and got the code for the speed sensor malfunction
I replaced that and still nothing I'm thinking possibly bad wire or instrument cluster? Any suggestions on how to locate the problem?
I also found that my speed sensor wasn't like my service book described
it does not have a gear on it at all it was fully electronic so I have no idea where to find information on how to troubleshoot it
only place I could find the sensor I needed was at napa #ss10697
appreciate any input gary.

[shorod]

Did you record specifically what the diagnostic code number was? There are a few different speed sensors that could be used for determining vehicle speed for speedometer and shift purposes. It could be one of the four anti-lock brake wheel speed sensors or the output shaft speed sensor.

-Rod

[discusgary]

Thank you for the reply
I come up with a p0500 vehicle speed sensor a malfunction
I changed the sensor and still nothing
service manual gives me directions on how to check for a malfunctioning gear driven only I don't have a mechanical one rather it's electronic

abs service light is also on

[ilLUMINAteddriver]

Originally Posted by discusgary

abs service light is also on

If the ABS light is on you have an ABS problem. I've had to replace speed sensors on both my 94 and 97 GLs and in both cases it was at the wheel. Try clearing the code and seeing if it comes back as a p0500 now that you've replaced the VSS.

Good luck!

[shorod]

The hall-effect speed sensors such as you output shaft speed sensor or wheel speed sensors can be tested with a digital multimeter (DMM) or oscilloscope. Backprobe the sensor with it still plugged in and rotate the toothed ferrite ring (ie: spin the wheel). If the sensor is working, you will see a square wave (oscilloscope) or varying voltage (DMM) of about 5V in amplitude. An oscilloscope would also help determine if there is a problem with the ferrite ring such as a crack. This would show up as a longer than typical low level assuming a constant rotation of the ring.

You may want to find a shop with a professional scan tool capable of checking the ABS system for codes. There may be a stored code pointing to the specific wheel that has a problem. I agree with ilLUMINAteddriver that your P0500 code may now be gone, but you may still have a wheel speed sensor issue.

-Rod

[discusgary]

Thank you for the input I will look into it a little further
speed sensor I purchased from Napa ss10697 could this be the wrong speed sensor? Sorry I can't give a link but it can be viewed their website

[shorod]

With the o-ring seals, it appears that is probably the output shaft speed sensor and probably the correct one for the P0500 code. However, that one will not likely fix the ABS light.

-Rod