94 ford taurus speedometer and downshifting problems

[Fxymmnance]

Hi, the speedometer on my taurus doesn't work when I first start driving untill I have gone about 5 to 10 miles. Then when I have to stop it stops working again. Also when I start slowing down it shifts so hard I think im going to loose my teeth,and they are my own. If it is the sensor could you tell me where it is at. My motor is a 3.0 v6. The service soon light is not on, and I do not have abs brakeing system. My motor has 13,000 on it. Thankyuo for any help you can give me. I'm worried about my transmission going out because of this. Fxymmnance

[shorod]

Wow, I don't think you'll get very many responses to this. It's painful to read with the fuschia text color.

Since you're new to the forum, I'll edit your font color and give you this pointer: Use a font color that is not hard to see or hard on the eyes. Ie: use the default black font color.

-Rod

[shorod]

Okay, now that I can read the post, welcome to the forum!

I would suggest you start by checking the vehicle speed sensor (VSS). The VSS is mounted to the upper rear of your transmission housing. It may be hard to reach or even see from under the hood. If you can find the speedometer cable entering the engine compartment near the brake booster, follow it to the little device with a 2-wire connector and attached to the transmission. This should be the VSS.

It's been awhile since I looked under the hood of a '94, so someone with more current experience, please correct any of my comments that are in error.

-Rod