QuestionQUESTION: My honda Prelude 1997 Vti-r 156-000km. ATTS light and engine light come on after i drive it for about 20 mins. this malfunction happened after i had the clutch replaced. mechanics computer tells him there ia a vss problem and that i need to have the vss sensor replaced no gurantee that its the actual problem . or is there a different issue
ANSWER: The ATTS is a common quirk with the last generation Preludes, considering most Hondas don't have quirks!
The VSS is located on top of the tranny, if I am not mistaken, the power steering fluid hoses reside right above it, check to see if the connector is broken and or fluid may have leaked onto the sensor connector, also check the condition of the wires connecting to it to see if it is OK. The Sensor is approx. $80 and up but a VSS code 17 can be a bunch of other related problems.
I am also curious to know wether your speedometer went out as the problems occurred, that can also be a confirmation of a necessary VSS replacement.
The Preludes transmission system (SH) is a fairly complicated piece of machinery and is not your typical tranny. I would get the car diagnosed using an OBD (On Board Diagnostic) scanning tool to see if there is only one or multiple codes.
Mechanics who work on 5th Gen Preludes should be very aware of its design but if they aren't, they may inadvertently cause harm to a Preludes complicated tranny system.
The Vehicle Speed Sensor sends signals to your speedometer and the ECU in order to let the car know when to shift. When the VSS is out, the car in a sense has no idea what engine and transmission decisions to make because it does not know how fast it is going.
The bad news obviously is that the car is not running right until the problem is fixed.
I wish it were just a simple fix to have you get your car up and running but due to the complexity of the Honda ATTS system, not being there to see and take a look at problem makes it difficult for me to make an accurate judgement call.
Check to see if you're speedometer is working and then go from there.
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QUESTION: i forgot to tell you that if i drive it with the ATTS light on after about 5 mins the speedometer bounces up and down then stops working. when i turn it off and on again everything is normal system resets i suppose until the light comes on approx it comes on after 20 mins of driving and steering pulls to the left. is a obd the computer that they plug in the console aside the passengers seat im finding it hard to find mechanics that know anything about my prelude. does $350 AUS dollars to replace the vss sound correct
ANSWER: OBD is the port that they plug the scanning tool in to diagnose the vehicle, it is that plug that you mentioned.
The currency conversion currently is 1.3 AUS to 1 US. If your part were $100 US, it would $130 AUS.
The VSS most of the times is screwed into the tranny and all you have to do is remove the molex connector, get a deep socket wrench and remove the old VSS then put it in the new VSS and connect back the molex connector and VOILA!
$350 sounds tooooooo steep for a procedure that takes less than 20 minutes to do....350-130 = $220 for 20 minutes of work? I think not. I say look for another mechanic.
BTW, you can reset Hondas just by simply removing the Positive battery terminal for 10 minutes and reconnecting after 10, you may want to do this after the parts replacement in order to remove the code from the ECU (engine control unit).
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QUESTION: thanks for all your sound advice do you know a site i could pick up a vss from.
Also 1 other problem with my prelude is that one fan works and auto electician couldnt find a problem when tempreature rises the small fan turns on but even wen i put the aircon on the other fan stays off and if i have the air con on in summer the car overheats. do i need a new radiator or thermostat or is something not connected.
AnswerFirst order of business is to find out wether the fan is working or dead. Remove the connector leading to the fan that is not working, and get a long piece of wire and run a direct line form the battery to the fan. If it works then you know its a good fan, now the next step is to check to see if the problem is a bad wire or your fan relay(usually located in the engine bay).
Start by checking if the fan is OK, if it is, try the relay next, if it still does not work, then hunt for a bad wire.
As for a site to pick up a VSS, no, most parts for Hondas are dealer only, especially a VSS....plus the fact that you are writing from AUS
