Nissan Repair: vehicle speed sensor, vehicle speed sensor, haynes manual

Question
i have a 96 nissan pickup, the speed sensor is on the differential, the speedomiter and odometer do not work, if i unplug the vss/abs sensor the abs light goes on, i took a voltage reading of 4.87 volts dc at the vss/abs sensor harness, is this correct or should i have 12 volts there, i am trying to determine if the vss/abs sensor is faulty, perhaps the combination meter has failed, do i have a combination meter on this vehicle, maybe i have a open or shorted wire somewhere along the way, how can i dererminethe problem before i spend $300 for a factory sensor i don,t realy need. i took the vehicle to auto zone  for a diognostic. i beleave the code was po5oo, faulty speed sensor, but i want to be sure. do you have a series of tests to pinpoint my problem

THANKS

Answer
Andy,

I would check the sensor for the square wave that the sensor generates.  Get a Haynes manual and they have the correct value for your sensor.  Jack the truck up and spin the wheels and you will find if the sensor is defective.  I bet the sensor is defective and not the cluster.