CD4E Vehicle Speed Sensor?

[DanB]

Hey I'm back after a long absence!
I got a problem.
Was driving the old war horse to work until a few months ago. It is a 1996 2.5L SE. Occasionally, the OD light would come on (blink) and the tranny would shift rough and usually no 4th gear.
A few months ago, it did the same thing on the interstate (shifted very badly), so I got off at the next exit. Then the speedometer went out and the tranny would not shift out of 1st. Limped back home.
I parked it for about two weeks and drove it down the block. It shifted, but still no speedo.
I think the VSS is out, maybe even bad wires ( aproblem on this model).
Where is this bugger loacated? Chilton's (worthless) didn't say where.

PS - I changed the TSS last, year and it did not fix the OD problem.

[Tony2005]

This should help.

Some instructions on removing the VSS
VSS change by unisys.

"VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor)

I had to change my VSS late this afternoon, so I thought I would walk you guys through the process on my Duratec/CD4E. It's really not all that bad, except unplugging the connector. My symptoms were pretty simple... Bouncing/in-accurate seedo and once that was bad enough, the tranny would not shift properly.

- Secure the vehicle, in the air, safely.

- Remove your air cleaner & tubing.

- Reach down, under the brake booster, and locate the VSS connector. You can actually see it better from the bottom, just no way to actually reach it from there. It will take some serious single handed twisting to disconnect this connection, but don't give up!

- From under the car, use a 5/16" wrench to remove the single bolt from the VSS retainer. * Note that this retainer looks like it is upside down, with a tab resting on the case of the tranny. Don't fret! This is normal, but be sure to replace the retainer in the same way that it was removed.

- Grasp the sensor body and lightly wiggle it out of it's location. Use gently force when wiggling, but apply steady pressure upwards. The sensor body should slide right out. Do not jerk upwards on the sensor, when removing it, or you will run the risk of gear coming off the end of the sensor. This is not a real big deal, since the gear itself is about an inch tall. Along with the added shaft that is part of the gear, the gear assy is probably around 4 inches long. You should be able to grasp it with a pair of crooked needle nose pliers, but it would be one hella tight fit!!

- Once the sensor is out of the case and you have removed the gear assy from the sensor body, use a rag to wrap around the body of the sensor base. This part of the sensor is metal, so we don't want to damage it. Use a pair of pliers and grasp the metal part of the sensor. LIGHTLY! Do Not Squeeze Hard!! Just apply a small amount of pressure here. And use a 1" wrench on the plastic part of the body and seperate the two halfs.

- At this point, you get simply reverse. But something that I should note here... There is a seal on the metal half of the sensor base. Be sure to inspect this seal closely or better yet, just replace it. Also, be sure to clean everything really good and lube everything down with CLEAN ATF before putting it all back together.

Part number of the sensor - F-F5RZ-9E371-BC (correct part number is F5RZ-9E731-AC)

Cost of part - 44.67 + tax = 47.80

Part was purchused from local Ford Dealer

Reason for sensor replacement - Notice about a week ago that when traveling over bumpy roads, that my speedometer would fluctuate +/- 5mph. Monday, of this week, it progressivly got worse (of course) and the speedo would actually stay at 0 when taking off from a stand still, as well as droping to 0 when I let off the gas. In only 60 miles of driving, on that day, it managed to toast the ATF I had in there, which only had about 5K on it. Yes, I have also changed my ATF as well."

From Autozone for VSS change
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...3d801bcbad.jsp

You can also purchase the VSS from www.teamfordparts.com

F5RZ9E731AC CEG Price $28.85
Electrical - Powertrain control - Vehicle speed sensor
VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR, Contour, Mystique, 2.0L, 2.5 L, Automatic Trans., From 2/1/95 1995 - 2000

Edit. Last post on this thread for VSS wiring issue.
http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/sh...ue#Post1165885

[DanB]

Thanks Tony!

I will give it a go this week when I get a chance.
Do you know if the 1998 and later VSS will fit the 96. It seems they are about half of the cost – about $28 versus $14 on the net.
Also, is the method given on the AutoZone website for measuring the VSS resistance a valid way of checking the sensor?
I certainly hope it isn’t the wiring, but I will look into that too. The Ford dealer where I bought the car in Florida supposedly checked the wiring a few years back per the TSB and said the wires looked OK! I bet!

[DanB]

Ok, I took a look at the VSS last night from beneath the car.
Its a very tight fit in there with some tubing and a bracket very close to the sensor.

Question – I could not budge the connector. Is the entire black plastic piece the connector or does the top half separate from the bottom half? Does it twist off or pull straight off?

My sensor does not look exactly like the diagram from the AutoZone website.

[Tony2005]

I suspect the Autozone picture is a 1995 sensor.

Unscrew the top part (sensor) and leave the bottom part alone.

As for the wiring and Ford's check a few years ago, well, you answered that yourself.

[DanB]

I got the connector off by first taking the sensor out of the transmission case. I used two pliers to twist the SOB off - what a pain!
Bad news - The insulation has become very brittle and has broken off the wires which have probably been exposed for some time.
I am not sure what step I should take next. I am thinking about putting some silicone around the wire strands and then putting the ols sensor back in. There is really nothing to the sensor itself - it is only a rotating magnet with probably some sort of pick-up within the connector head.
BTW, the MAF sensor on the air cleaner have exposed wires also. The damn wires are shot!

[Tony2005]

My advice.

1) Splice the wires for both the VSS and MAF sensors.
2) Put a new VSS sensor in.

[RoadRunner]

Bad news - The insulation has become very brittle and has broken off the wires which have probably been exposed for some time. ..... BTW, the MAF sensor on the air cleaner have exposed wires also. The damn wires are shot!

Sounds like you haven't had the wiring harness recall done.

This recall was a few years ago and may have expired by now.

Check with your dealer if the parts are still available, or check with a wrecker.
They may have a vehicle on the lot, that you can salvage the harnes(es) from.
The salvage yard will most definitely be the cheaper of the two.

[DanB]

Unfortunately, the wire insulation has cracked off at the connector itself, so splicing is not an option. I will trace the VSS back towards the harness to see if there is another inline connector. If so, maybe Ford sells that piece, otherwise junkyard it is.

Equally as unfortunate, a few years ago I did take the car in to the dealer where I bought it from. Of course, they said the wires were OK. It was the same place that said they replaced the splash shields by the belt pulleys, but they didn’t. That was a real easy job, especially when compared to changing the wires. Crooks!

PS – We are looking to buy a new car soon. Based on my poor experience with the Contour, it won’t be a Ford.

[DanB]

Success!
This past weekend I taped and silicone sealed the bare wires on the VSS connector and let it cure for a few days. Last night I re-attached the connector and then drove my Contour.
Viola! I have a speedo reading now!
Apparently the exposed wires were shorting eachother, hence no speedo indication.
It is really unfortunate for me that the entire wiring harness appears to be in bad shape with many areas having the cracked insulation. The SOB crooks at the Ford dealer probably never even looked at the thing; they didn't see any money in it for them.
Little wonder why the car dealers are hated as much as lawyers!