[seancaron]

hi folks,

1998 escort se 2.0l sohc sedan auto trans

my speedometer quit a while back, check engine light came on and the code implies that the vehicle speed sensor has failed and i'd believe it because i tried two different speedometers. i've been using the tach and the flow of traffic to gauge my speed ok for now but i'd like to get this fixed eventually.

i've done a little research on this and i've heard conflicting things. some people say you need to lift the car to get to this, others say that you can get to it just by removing the battery and battery tray. my chiltons guide doesn't explicitly mention where it is or how to replace it.

can anyone tell me exactly where this is located, and how hard it is to get to? possible to do without jacking the car? what's the difficulty level? and how much should i expect to pay for the part - i've heard around $50?

thanks

 

[97DragScort]

speed sensor is in the top right of the tranny - it WILL break takeing it out. so be aware..... IIRC replascement is $35..... removal of battery and tray is nessacary. Also a good time to replace the fuel filter if it hasnt been done in awhile.

 

[seancaron]

hey, thanks for the tip. i removed the battery and the battery tray and replaced the fuel filter. i see the vehicle speed sensor and i removed the one bolt that holds that little bracket in, but how do i actually get the sensor itself out? it's really stuck in there. i'd think its supposed to just pull out; is that right? or should i try to twist it out? seems that would mess up the gears. i tried pulling up on it pretty hard and i wasn't able to pop it out. i'm concerned about just breaking the thing in half.. but is pulling the way to go?

 

[97DragScort]

just pull it out, it IS going to break - a replacerment sensor will be neccasary. you may be able to pry it some with a small screwdriver to get it a bit loose. Then just pull it out.