Chrysler Repair: speed sensor location, chrysler concord, wire colors

Question
can you tell me where i can find the speed sensor on a 1995 chrysler concord? I need to get my car fixed ASAP so i can get to and from work and take my kids to their doctors appointments...thanks

Answer
Hi Bobbi Jo,
The transmission output speed sensor is located on the driver's side of the powertrain unit, specifically at the far end of it (the very end of the automatic transmission) and I suspect that to get at it you have to be under the vehicle and reach up around the driver's side exhaust pipe/catlaytic converter to find it because that location is behind the firewall so you may not be able to reach down from above in the engine comparment to remove it, much less to see it. If you have the front end of the car on jack stands for safety, and then have a helper move the transmission shifter in the cabin you will be able to find the vertical rod (on that same side of the trans) that has the cable from the shift lever attached to it, via its motion or the sound that it makes. A few inches more to the rear of that vertical shifter rod is the speed sensor, which has a two wire plug-in connector on its tip (lift the tab on the side to release the connector plug from the sensor tip) and then unscrew the sensor from the hole on the side of the trans where it is fastened. The plug's wire colors are light green/white and dark blue/black for positive identification that you have found it. I suspect it may unscrew by hand or if you have a new one to replace the old one you can figure out what tool you will need to grab onto the old one. I would be ready to quickly replace the old one with the new one in the case that trans fluid is above the level of the hole and wants to drain out when you remove the old one.
You might want to verify that the problem is not the wires themselves being damaged or the plug come loose from the sensor, by examining for that before you buy a new sensor but that may not be practical for you. If you have access to a lift, or a shop and mechanic that you trust with a lift, it is probably something that can be replaced in less than 1/2 hour unless there is some dismantling to reach it required. I haven't ever been there to see the working space, just have read the shop manual and looked at the drawings and photos.
But if the sensor has gone bad the speedo won't work and the trans will shift poorly as well. Let me know how this works out for you and how big the job was to do the changeover.
Thanks,
Roland