My check engine light just pops on and throw a code 17. its a vehicle speed sensor (vss). my speedo was acting up before and now its completely stop working. i wonder how u guys fix it? change the vss or is there anyway to clean it and make it work like before? i tried to unplug the plug and plug it back in but no luck. help me out guys!! i need to bring my car for inspection soon. btw car is a 98 gsr!

 

Take a look at the wires that go into the connector. Check for corrosion. I have had a few integras w/ issues of corrosion on the wires going into the connector.

 

i just did that. took the wires off the connector and put them back in and also apply some dielectric grease around them but still no luck. so now do i have to take the whole sensor out? and what to look for? i want to make sure if its still working or not before i buy a new vss.

 

Switch it out with someone who has a known good working Vss. With corrosion the speedo should work from time to time but if the Vss itself is bad then you'll get nothing on your speedo.

 

yea before it was acting up like it run back and forth even when the car was not moving. now it just stops working completly and the cel code 17 is on. all 94-01 teg vss all the same right? where can i get one for cheap? so u think the sensor is completely gone?

 

Well you could try cutting out the old VSS plug and wire a new one in to test if its just the plug. Or you could post a wanted thread in the h-t marketplace to see if anyone has one for cheap. Trouble shoot is your friend. Like i said if you know anyone who could switch Vss's with you then you should be good, if you dont then gotta do it the hard way.

 

ok this is what i just found out. i unplug it again and saw one of the pin in the plug that on the tranny is broken so i assume that 1 wire isnt connected since the pin is broken thats why it doesnt work? so that mean my vss is done? the plug with wires look fine. and i tried to take the whole sensor out but its just stuck there. i unscrew all 3bolts i could take the top part out but couldnt take the bottom part out the one that holds 1 bolt.

 

Yeap if the internal pin on the Vss is broken then that could be the cause of your speedo not working. You could buy a broken one for cheap and just replace that piece or buy a new one used and unbroken. Sometimes the vss is a bitch to pop off try prying it out with a flathead. Just be easy on it.

 

can i spray some wd40 or brake cleaner around it to clean the grease off then maybe it would come off easy? yea but idk if thats the real problem. so where can i get that part just the plug that holds up with the sensor on the tranny.

 

You can or just wipe it down and for the sensor, you just gotta look for one.

 

u happen to know where the fuses are for the vss?

 

Check under the dash or in the engine bay. It does not have a specific fuse for the Vss itself

 

the thing is idont know which one to check.

 

is it true that if speed sensor doesnt work i cant rev pass 4k rpm? and wont have vtec??

 

You can rev pass 4k but Vtec will not engage.

 

OP and i have been communicating via private message, and i decided to move our conversation here since my replies are getting long and could possibly help others.

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your shifting patterns and symptoms will be different since my car that had this trouble is an automatic, and relies on electricity and the computer to shift.

i would check all the fuses in both fuse boxes--that's something that is very easy to do in 10 or 15 minutes. my problem was the VSS/alternator fuse would blow when the auto trans shifted from 1st to 2nd.

i would then limp my car back into the driveway, replace the fuse, reset my check engine light, and try again. the fuse continued to pop that way so i started reading the forum some more.

it sounds like you know how to read codes. if you don't know how to reset them, now is a good time to learn. each time you attempt a fix, you want to clear that code and see if it comes back.

here's how i do that: there are two fuses in the top left corner of your engine bay, (ECM and RADIO BACKUP i think) that you can pull, wait 10 seconds, reinstall, start car and let it idle for 5 minutes without pressing the gas pedal.

i had a brand new battery installed a week prior to my tests, so that was eliminated from the pool of possible problems. you could put your voltmeter probes on the battery terminals and check to see how many volts your battery is putting out with the car off. again, something simple.

on to this issue of the voltmeter. if you don't have an instruction manual, post the make and model of the unit and ill see if i can find instructions for you. does it have a digital read out or is it an older needle style? if it's old, you may consider a 10$ or 20$ purchase at walmart for one that has an LCD read out so you can get exact decimal values.

no, a bad ground will not prevent your car from starting. cleaning your grounds wires is easy to do, too. there's three main ground wires in your engine bay, and they are all a simple 10 inch wire. cleaning them means disconnect them, scrub the mating surfaces with a wire brush or steel wool and replace. a voltmeter with a continuity test would enable you to skip this step if they were ok.

engine bay grounds:
1. negative battery terminal to chassis (remove positive wire first, you'll need radio code after disconnecting the battery if you have OEM head unit)
2. transmission to chassis
3. valve cover to chassis

my problem was the battery ground. i used a voltmeter with a continuity check setting to determine there was a bad connection to the chassis. cleaned it, replaced fuse, reset code, drove around the block, parked, cracked beers.

i was doing all kinds of weird things that i had never done before--a lot of it felt like shots in the dark. i remember testing the different in voltage between the battery and the back of the alternator with the car off. i read and read and read about the ELD and considered buying a whole engine bay fuse box because that's how you replace it. lot's of BS for a simple fix. i spent hours reading this forum and only a few bucks on fuses and a voltmeter--i fixed my car in my driveway when a whole shop of guys had no clue wtf was wrong.

 

98-01 under dash fuse box:

VSS is a part of the circuit that runs through fuse #15

"Alternator, VSS, ELD unit (USA), TCM, charging system light"

 

***** told me he fixed his car with a new VSS. i'll leave all my BS above in case it is useful to someone else.

 

thanks alot follie gatts and mouab18c1. it was the sensor i just got a new working vss and put it in, it works now!!!