Not sure of my problem

[lunchbox0029]

When I start up my car and its cold it runs great. When it warms up the speedo stops working and the trans acts up but it still runs good and shifts fine. its a 94

[nailfoot]

Trans acts up but it shifts fine and runs good? Need a bit more info here. Maybe even go by your local auto shop and pull some codes.

[lunchbox0029]

Trans acts up but it shifts fine and runs good? Need a bit more info here. Maybe even go by your local auto shop and pull some codes.


I drives fine but it jerks a little when the speedo quits working. And it seems to do it when I shut it off and then trun it back on after it warms up.

[MichiganTeddyBear]

I am currently experience a similar problem... I am thinkin VSS in the tranny, or its drive gear. as I have a parts car layin in yard, I am not out any $ to replace em, just the time to get the cars (both of em) up in air high enough for my fat belly to get underneath and work on em.

[Steve Moran]

VSS it sounds like to me.

[pro-five-oh]

Yup, bad VSS or the connection at the VSS.

[lunchbox0029]

vss? speed sensor?

[pro-five-oh]

Vehicle speed sensor, yes indeed. Its on the transmission somewhere...its been discussed before, use the Search feature.

[lunchbox0029]

anyone know if borg-warner part # s8058 sounds right

[KENDO & MYRA]

yesssssssssssssssss, its the speed sensor or the plastic gear inside,i had both replaced,the speed sensor controls the tranny,strange if you ask me but thats it

[MichiganTeddyBear]

Actually, the speed sensor don't control the tranny at all.. but it does send speed information to the EEC, which DOES control the tranny. it also sends speed info to the VAPS (Variable Assist Power Steering) module, A/S module (Air Suspension), I/P (Instrument Panel), Cruise Control (if not integrated in the EEC on your model), and maybe a couple more that escape me a the moment.

[KENDO & MYRA]

ok bear,you know what i mean with out getting tech

[MichiganTeddyBear]

no problem Kendo, just the systems on modern cars (and yes, the 88-94 conti's are considered modern) are a lot more involved and intertwined with each other than most people realize.

I will use my father-in-law as an example.. he has been wrenching his cars for ever... Now, he assumes one thing (like speedo is driven by a cable, not electric like 99.99999% of cars/trucks these days), and when my speedo drops to zero, he thinks cable bad... he can't figure out why the steering got stiff, engine don't seem to run right, tranny shifts differently, why the cruise dont work... he thinks now all these are different problems, when in reality, they may be one problem with multiple systems being affected...

for the most part, these cars are NOT hard to troubleshoot, provided you understand what all is going on in them, and how they interact with each other. The killer on the Conti's is of course the labor cost for fixin stuff... as we as most of the V6 or V8 FWD drive cars made today.

The old method of designing a car by making the body big enough to put big blocks in the back seat long went away.. not only fuel economy and safety standards, but by building them smaller, more tightly packed around the running hardware, they save $$ in materials, which in theory gets passed to the customers.

The modern CAD systems used today for designing cars will tell you to the millimeter (or closer) the clearance (or lack of) around any sub-assembly based on the drawings of all parts/assemblies, before a prototype is even thought of being made. Therefore, in reality, the very first hand built prototype could very well be identical to the final product off the assembly line as they already know what pieces fit where, and in what order to put them in. The old days, they had one team design and build a power train, one team a chassis, one team a coach (body), and they all met in a building to see if it would all fit together... didn't happen on first try very many times I bet. Now, with all the different teams working together on the same computer model, with access to each others models, it makes the design process much 'smoother' when it comes to actually putting a car together.


'nuff rambling/ranting...

[towncar95]

wow ! the vss could affect alot of things.
would that be the cause for my intermittent
speedo problem? sometimes when sitting still
it goes up to 1-2-3 mph and back to 0.

[pro-five-oh]

wow ! the vss could affect alot of things.
would that be the cause for my intermittent
speedo problem? sometimes when sitting still
it goes up to 1-2-3 mph and back to 0.

Maybe its on its way out, since a bad VSS usually causes shifting problems (no signal) and trips a check engine light.

Don't worry about it until the speedo quits working or the car starts shifting funny.

[MichiganTeddyBear]

I agree with Pro. the sensor may be going, or the wiring someplace is picking up some noise (good luck finding it).

[towncar95]

are they hard to change?

[pro-five-oh]

are they hard to change?

I think so, do a search for "*VSS" here and in the Continental archives. Well its not a head-gasket swap, but its location is obscure.

[MichiganTeddyBear]

The pics I have seen of the location of the sensor put it on back side trans, kinda up towards top, behind the rear bank of the engine... seems you need to crawl underneath to get to it, I have beeen procrastinating on changing mine, because my jack has gone AWOiL, due to a fill plug that fell out and is lost..... sigh, the joys of working outside in a sand box....

[towncar95]

i looked in my shop manual for it . it shows it on top of the trans but umm. you cant really tell how hard it is to get to cause of how they show it.

[98TC-Cartier]

Under the air pump for the emissions system is pretty close to where it hides. I did see mine when I was changing the head gaskets.

[Steve Moran]

Remove the battery and the battery box/air filter box and you will free up a lot of space to look at the top of the tranny, takes about 15 min tops.
It works well for replacing the P/S hoses too, makes short work of many jobs under the hood of these boogers.

[lunchbox0029]

cool I'm going to try to get tonight I'll let you all know how it goes

[lunchbox0029]

got it in took about 20 min had to drop the y pipe. I'm going to drive it around tomorrow I let you all know if it worked.

[lunchbox0029]

seems to be working great thanks guys

[pro-five-oh]

Sweetness.