[sheila]

Will the new one work if you swap the white plastic gears? If so, pop off the black c-clip or e-clip retainer with a small screwdriver and change gears. If not, i suggest taking the old vss to a parts store(s) and attempting to match it with one of theirs in stock. Iirc, the ax4s vss used to come new without the gear and you had to use the gear from the old vss.

 

[Eryx]

That's the plan, the issue is now that nobody has the AX4S part in the city.

 

[sheila]

Without a side-by-side pic, i couldnt tell if the sensor bodies were the same except for the gear, but on a newer thread, i see theyre completely different parts. Still might have to reuse your old gear.

 

[GU35T]

That's the plan, the issue is now that nobody has the AX4S part in the city.

try ford dealer and if you got it did it work for you? i think the heat shield is just too thin for it

 

[travism]

Thank you!!!

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
This image really helped me find the VSS.

I'd venture to guess it's this thing:

 

[zin]

I'm having trouble getting to the VSS on a '91 Taurus Wagon with a 3.8l. It's really a tight fit. Any suggestions? The manuals are no help.

Thanks!

 

[sheila]

^ Iirc, the exhaust y-pipe has to be lowered on a 3.8 essex eng. to access the vss.

 

[jimmy828]

speedometer not working

have a 1996 taurus. the speedometer stop working. Any thoughts of what it might be. Thanks

 

[sheila]

Probably the vss (vehicle speed sensor). Which engine (3.0 vulcan ohv or 3.0 duratec 24v dohc)? If unsure, the eighth character of the vin# will tell you. If it's a u, 1 or 2, it's a vulcan. If it's an s, it's a duratec. Which tranny (ax4s or ax4n)? It should be stamped on the bottom of the tranny pan. Ax4s (axod, axod-e) has 17 pan bolts. Ax4n has 19 pan bolts. A cleaner simpler way to distinguish between the 2 is by looking at the tranny code (TR) on the drivers door end sticker. Ax4n will be an X. Ax4s will be an L or something other than an X.

 

[PrestonTaurus]

Probably the vss (vehicle speed sensor). Which engine (3.0 vulcan ohv or 3.0 duratec 24v dohc)? If unsure, the eighth character of the vin# will tell you. If it's a u, 1 or 2, it's a vulcan. If it's an s, it's a duratec. Which tranny (ax4s or ax4n)? It should be stamped on the bottom of the tranny pan. Ax4s (axod, axod-e) has 17 pan bolts. Ax4n has 19 pan bolts. A cleaner simpler way to distinguish between the 2 is by looking at the tranny code (TR) on the drivers door end sticker. Ax4n will be an X. Ax4s will be an L or something other than an X.

I know this wasn't asked to me, but I am having trouble finding the location as well. I have the 3.0 vulcan with the Ax4s (axod) tranny. I'm not very mechanically inclined, so it is taking me quite a while just to locate the dang thing. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[sheila]

Iirc, I think yours is accessed from the drivers side and sits horizontally on the tranny under a shield.

 

[PrestonTaurus]

Iirc, I think yours is accessed from the drivers side and sits horizontally on the tranny under a shield.

Yeah I think I finally found it (a few weeks ago) and there is almost no possible way I can reach it and replace it. More than likely I'm just going to bite the bullet and pay a mechanic to take care of it when I get my tax return. I'll give it another shot before hand though. Thank you for your help!

 

[cjinohio03]

quick question

Sorry I am new to the board and Taurus's. I dont know which trans it is but the engine is a DOHC. So I read the replies but I am confused. Can the VSS sensor be reached from up top on this model? or does it have to be done from below?


Also, what are the symptoms of a bad sensor? Would it cause rough shifting from a stop when the car is warm?

 

[sheila]

^ Classic symptom is rough (slipping) 1-2 shift when warm. Possibly a funky speedo, flashing green od off light and other erratic shift points. I've never had a trouble code. Your 99 dohc has the 19 pan bolt ax4n tranny. Vss is almost a maintenance item on a 99tec (dohc). I've had to change 5-6 over the years. Yes, you can access from the top pass. side. It's located directly behind the black plastic egr solenoid (evr) way down atop the tranny under an open-ended foil heat shield. All work performed blindly and by feel. Locate and pull up heat shield and unplug vss. Next, with a 1/4" dr. ratchet, 2 long exts. (preferrably wobble) and a 10mm socket all taped together, remove hold down bolt. Pull vss from tranny. Installation is reverse of removal. Part costs ~$20-25. Cjinohio03, might read the thread on here today: "transmission hard shift when stopping at 5 mph" by alwaysthinking.

 

[cjinohio03]

Thank you

 

[cjinohio03]

Worked like a champ. All information is good might be worth getting underneath the car so you can get a idea where it is before you jam your hand down there. I put the socket and ratchet on from below then loosened it up from up top.

 

[PrestonTaurus]

Sorry for the bump but I FINALLY switched out the VSS about an hour ago.

Edited. Had an issue (which I highlighted in this post and now deleted) with the cable staying connected to the VSS but sorted it out. Car's running great. Thanks to this thread!

 

[mdswish]

Ok, so I'm having a VSS problem. I'm trying to find the right part to replace it with and I'm having a conondrum deciding which one is correct. According to OReilly's there are three possibilities... this - BWD SN7195 - Auto Trans Speed Sensor | O'Reilly Auto Parts Which is supposedly for the AX4N, and this - BWD SN7393 - Transmission Output Sensor | O'Reilly Auto Parts, which is supposedly for the AX4S, and this - Pioneer Inc. 771087 - Sensor | O'Reilly Auto Parts, which is supposedly compatible with EITHER the AX4N OR the AX4S. Can anyone tell me what, if any, difference there is between the two sensors, since they are both the same electrically with a two pin female connector? And why is it that BWD offers separate parts for each type of tranny, when Pioneer offers the SAME part for different model trannys? Doesn't make any sense! I'd love to hear from any experienced transmission guys out there who can educate me on this. Thanks in advance!

 

[sheila]

Don't have the info you requested, but I would definitely get the BWD vss (renamed oss by Ford in 2000) for your specific model year eng./tranny combo.

 

[behlinla]

Honestly the only difference I see is in the mounting bracket on the end of the sensor. SN7393 has a longer slot. They also list the terminal gender as being different between the two sensors, but the picture of the connector shows otherwise?