QuestionHello Roland,
I phoned the dealer parts to see what the part would cost and they have an Output Speed Sensor and an Imput Speed Sensor, both located on the Transaxle side and both with 2 pins & they faxed me a diagram. Which of these would be the correct part or have I gotton a bit confused and the correct part is located elsewhere on the transaxle.
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Again, thank you for your prompt responsive answer. I checked the codes with the ignition key prior to emailing the initial question and I had no codes stored. I have not had CV joint work done lately either. When I jack up the right front wheel, is that on the passenger's side or the driver's side? How difficult do you think it will be to find the sensor on the top of the transaxle? It sounds to me like it is most likely the sensor or the gear within, but it could be the speedometer. I'd feel a bit better if I had a code from the ignition switch to go with. Please comment as you feel appropriate.
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We had 19 degree weather this morning, very cold for Atlanta & our speedometer on on our 1996 Chrysler Town & Country does not work. The speeedmometer is a traditional one that has a needle that sits on the speed you are going. I am not sure if this is considered electronic or cable, which is it? If it is electronic, where is the speed pick up sensor & how do I test it? I have a multi meeter and can use it. Chilton shows either an electronic or a cable for this vehicle. When I called to see hat a cable or part of the cable would cost if that is the problem, the dealer said they thought this was electronic.
Thank you in advance for your help,
Answer -
Hi Arnie,
The speedometer is electronic in that there is a distance sensor mounted on the top of the transaxle housing (the part of the powertrain out of which the half axles extend.
It is held in place by a single bolt and can be tested by disconnecting the plug near by to it in the wire that runs to the engine controller. If you place an ohmmeter across the two pins of the disconnect you would see 8 pulses in the ohm reading for every full rotation of the the front wheels.
If the disconnect is clean and tight, then I would do the ohm reading, but you would have to jack up the right front wheel and turn it by hand. The sensor has a gear that is driven by the right side halfshaft. It can be damaged if, when the half shaft is removed to service a cv-joint, and the mechanic fails to remove the sensor first, then the gear will be damaged when the halfshaft is pulled out of the housing.
You could also check the engine controller to see if is has recorded a failure to receive the pulses from the sensor. Just turn the ignition key: on-off-on-off-on within a 5 second or less time elapse, and leave it in the on position. Then watch the check engine light to begin flashing, pause, flashing, pause, etc. Count the numbers of flashes between pauses and note them. If the first two groups of flashes are 1 and 5, then that means the pusles are not being generated or not getting to the controller where the pusle rate is used to generate a signal that runs the speedometer and odometer. The last two flash groups will be 5 in each which means end of code readout. If code 15 is not produced, then that would mean most likely that the speedohead in the dash is broken or the connecting plug is loose behind the dash. If 15 is produced then either the sensor, the disconnect plug or the wire to the engine controller is bad.
Roland
Answer -
Hi Arnie,
If you have successfully readout codes in the past using the ignition key, and if this time you got only the 55 code, then I would agree that it would be more confirmatory to have gotten the code 15 to 'pin it' in on the sensor. So, if all that is true, then you might want to remove the dash and check the plug-ins for pin contact connections and full insertion into the board.
The sensor is pretty easy to find. There should be one wire harness (2 conductors) that runs down behind the engine from the drivers side toward the midline of the body because it is located on the top of the transaxle housing extension which is at the level of the drive shafts. There will be one disconnect in the harness, near the sensor. You might be able to look between the engine and the firewall to see the sensor and its harness, if not and if you can find the harness you can trace it with your fingers to get to the sensor. You would have to open the disconnect to do a resistance test on the sensor without removing it. You would turn the passenger side wheel to rotate the gear on the sensor. You would also gain access to the signal at the instrument cluster plug (white/orange wire) and see if you get a voltage pulse there when the wheel is being turned (measure between the wire and ground). If you get the pulsing then the speedo head itself is not working; if not then the signal is not being generated or is getting lost along the wire from the sensor to the dash.
AnswerHi Arnie, I can understand the confusion.
Those two sensors are dealing with the torque converter and the internal gearing of the trans, and they are called speed sensors. The one that is central to the speedometer is however called the "distance sensor". The other ones are located on the main body of the trans on the front side. The distance sensor is on the back side, on the housing out of which the half shafts extend. While you are wise to check out the price and availability, I would not encourage you to buy one without checking that it is not putting out the signal (or pulsing resistively if you measure it at the disconnect plug without a voltage supply on it) and also taking it out and inspecting the gear on the end of it for damage, which can be bought less expensively as a separate part compared to the cost of the entire sensor.
Roland
