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Speedometer problems?

Tiny
OZZX2
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
Finally! This is the correct wiring diagram for my instrument cluster. Thanks. The one in my Haynes Manual does not match. Neither did the one from the ARRC database (or any I have found online).

The voltage at the instrument cluster for the VSS is showing 8.5 volts. Is this correct?
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
AGAGAL
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  • 2 POSTS
Thank you! So there is no wire that plugs into the vehicle speed sensor? It looks like something plugs into it. Thanks for the help. :-)
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
OBXAUTOMEDIC
  • MECHANIC
  • 3,711 POSTS
I found this. Not sure it will help. Have not been able to find volts for the VSS at the cluster, but shows Ohms in tests below.

TEST D: SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER INACCURATE

Coupe

1.Turn ignition off. Connect scan tool and retrieve Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) following manufacturer's instructions. If no DTCs are present, go to next step. If DTCs are present, see appropriate SELF-DIAGNOSTICS article in ENGINE PERFORMANCE. Repair DTCs as necessary, then retest system.

2.Using scan tool, observe Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) output Parameter Identification (PID) while assistant drives vehicle over range of speeds on various road surfaces. If VSS PID varies smoothly with vehicle speed, go to next step. If VSS PID does not vary or is erratic, see appropriate SELF-DIAGNOSTICS article in ENGINE PERFORMANCE to diagnose VSS.

3.Remove and check OBDII 10-amp fuse in engine compartment fuse box. If fuse is okay, reinstall fuse and go to step 5 . If fuse is blown, go to next step.

4.Turn ignition off. Remove instrument cluster. See INSTRUMENT CLUSTER under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Disconnect all instrument cluster electrical connectors. Measure resistance between ground and instrument cluster harness connector C253 terminal No. 1 (Green wire). See Fig. 7 . Resistance should be more than 10 k/ohms. If resistance is more than 10 k/ohms, replace OBDII 10-amp fuse and go to next step. If resistance is less than 10 k/ohms, repair short to ground Green wire between instrument cluster harness connector and fuse. See WIRING DIAGRAMS .

5.Turn ignition off. Remove instrument cluster. See INSTRUMENT CLUSTER under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Disconnect instrument cluster electrical connectors. Measure voltage between ground and instrument cluster harness connector C253 terminal No. 1 (Green wire). See Fig. 7 . Voltage should be more than 10 volts. If voltage is more than 10 volts, go to next step. If voltage is less than 10 volts, repair short to voltage in Green wire between instrument cluster harness connector and fuse. See WIRING DIAGRAMS .

6.Turn ignition off. Disconnect Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) harness connector C132. Measure resistance of Blue wire between VSS harness connector and instrument cluster harness connector C252 terminal No. 11. See Fig. 6 . Measure resistance of White/Black wire between VSS harness connector C132 and instrument cluster harness connector C252 terminal No. 1. Resistance in both tests should be less than 5 ohms. If resistances are as specified, go to next step. If resistances are not as specified, repair open in White/Black or Blue wire. See WIRING DIAGRAMS .

7.Measure resistance between ground and instrument cluster harness connector C252 terminal No. 1 (White/Black wire). Measured resistance should be more than 10 k/ohms. If resistance is more than 10 k/ohms, go to next step. If resistance is less than 10 k/ohms, repair short to ground in White/Black wire.

8.Turn ignition on. Measure voltage between ground and instrument cluster harness connector C252 terminal No. 12 (Black/Yellow wire). See Fig. 6 . Voltage should be more than 10 volts. If voltage is more than 10 volts, go to next step. If voltage is less than 10 volts, repair short to voltage in Black/Yellow wire between instrument cluster connector and fuse. See WIRING DIAGRAMS .

9.Turn ignition off. Visually inspect instrument cluster printed circuit for damage, cracks or hot spots. If instrument cluster printed circuit is okay, replace speedometer. If instrument cluster printed circuit is damaged, replace printed circuit and gauge contact clips.

Sedan & Wagon

1.Turn ignition off. Connect scan tool and retrieve Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) following manufacturer's instructions. If no DTCs are present, go to next step. If DTCs are present, see appropriate SELF-DIAGNOSTICS article in ENGINE PERFORMANCE. Repair DTCs as necessary, then retest system.

2.Using scan tool, observe Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) output Parameter Identification (PID) while assistant drives vehicle over range of speeds on various road surfaces. If VSS PID varies smoothly with vehicle speed, go to next step. If VSS PID does not vary or is erratic, see appropriate SELF-DIAGNOSTICS article in ENGINE PERFORMANCE to diagnose VSS.

3.Remove and check OBDII 10-amp fuse in engine compartment fuse box. If fuse is okay, reinstall fuse and go to step 5 . If fuse is blown, go to next step.

4.Turn ignition off. Remove instrument cluster. See INSTRUMENT CLUSTER under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Disconnect all instrument cluster electrical connectors. Measure resistance between ground and instrument cluster harness connector C252 terminal No. 12 (Green wire). See Fig. 6 . Measured resistance should be more than 10 k/ohms. If resistance is more than 10 k/ohms, replace OBDII 10-amp fuse and go to next step. If resistance is less than 10 k/ohms, repair short to ground in Green wire between instrument cluster harness connector and fuse. See WIRING DIAGRAMS .

5.Turn ignition off. Remove instrument cluster. See INSTRUMENT CLUSTER under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Disconnect instrument cluster electrical connectors. Measure voltage between ground and instrument cluster harness connector C252 terminal No. 12 (Green wire). See Fig. 6 . Voltage should be more than 10 volts. If voltage is more than 10 volts, go to next step. If voltage is less than 10 volts, repair short to voltage in Green wire between instrument cluster harness connector and fuse. See WIRING DIAGRAMS .

6.Turn ignition off. Disconnect Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) harness connector C132. Measure resistance of Blue wire between VSS harness connector and instrument cluster harness connector C252 terminal No. 7. See Fig. 6 . Measure resistance of White/Black wire between VSS harness connector C132 and instrument cluster harness connector C253 terminal No. 9. Resistance in both tests should be less than 5 ohms. If resistances are as specified, go to next step. If resistances are not as specified, repair open in White/Black or Blue wire. See WIRING DIAGRAMS .

7.Measure resistance between ground and instrument cluster harness connector C253 terminal No. 9 (White/Black wire). Resistance should be more than 10 k/ohms. If measured resistance is more than 10 k/ohms, go to next step. If resistance is less than 10 k/ohms, repair short to ground in White/Black wire.

8.Turn ignition on. Measure voltage between ground and instrument cluster harness connector C252 terminals No. 8 and 4 (Black/Yellow wire). See Fig. 6 . Voltage should be more than 10 volts. If voltage is more than 10 volts, go to next step. If voltage is less than 10 volts, repair short to voltage in Black/Yellow wire between instrument cluster connector and fuse. See WIRING DIAGRAMS .

9.Turn ignition off. Visually inspect instrument cluster printed circuit for damage, cracks or hot spots. If instrument cluster printed circuit is okay, replace speedometer. If instrument cluster printed circuit is damaged, replace printed circuit and gauge contact clips.

Fig 6


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/188069_99escortzx2clstrc252_1.jpg



Fig 7


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/188069_99escortzx2clstrc253_7_1.jpg



.
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
OZZX2
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
Thanks. I am still working on it. My A/C went out at the house and currently dealing with that. Also took a few days off. Fixed my horn problem though. Lost the ground. Ran a wire to the frame.
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
OBXAUTOMEDIC
  • MECHANIC
  • 3,711 POSTS
Congrats on the horn fix.

Sorry for home A/C problem especially this time of year.

.
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
SASSEYBOO
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  • 1 POST
  • FORD ESCORT
1998 ford escort 4door sdn, speedometer works sometimes, believe it may be speed sensor, unable to locate on vehicle. Can you help? Thanks
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Located at lower rear of the transaxle
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
K_NUKEM
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  • 1 POST
A P0500 code is your wheel speed sensor, simple as that, which is actually I believe the second picture you uploaded, here in Ontario it is a $60.00 part and like.4 hours at a mechanic, so like $15.00 or so, or do it yourself, not hard at all. And that is definitely why your speedometer does not work and in turn causing your odometer not to work

I do not know where everyone else is getting these crazy responses from, I have personally gone through this on my ZX2 and know first hand what it is though, hopefully you get it fixed, good luck

Note: Or tough it out, pay attention to your RPM's or buy a GPS for an speedometer and you save putting mileage on your car, keep the resale value, lol.
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
OZZX2
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
Oh yea, I forgot to update this thread. I found the issue.

I pulled out the battery to charge it and a few weeks later the speedometer started acting up, then quit. The VSS blue wire is grounded about four inches down from the negative battery terminal on the cable. It must have slowly worked its way out of the plug.

All the wiring diagrams said it was grounded "near starter motor".

Previously I replaced the VSS twice. Other people have found the issue when they lost a ground to the instrument cluster, or bad wire to the VSS or PCM. I was working with a few guys from Team ZX2 also.

The biggest reason I am fixing it is I cannot pass emissions inspection with the CEL on lol.

Thanks for everyone's help!
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
OP_BOARD1984
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I am having the same problem as well. I was wondering if by chance what the problem was with the speedometer odometer? Also, did you ever have problems with your fog lights, as well as your cruise control? I would really appreciate the advice.
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
SSXT
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
My Fix 7-2018:
Speedometer goes to 0- zero - when I try to set the cruise control.

This only applies if you do not have a DTC (code) and the service engine soon soon light is not on. If a code specifically the VSS P0500 is present it may be the vehicle speed sensor and this is not relevant. However, this fix is is only a couple of dollars verses more than $50.00for a new VSS sensor, so it may be worth trying first.

Check and clean the ground block attached to negative terminal on battery. I had severe corrosion on the wires (not just the terminal) that attached to the negative terminal (1999 Ford Escort ZX2). I cut the wires, reattached with a ring terminal to the negative battery terminal and it fixed my speedometer and speed control/cruise issues. Still works great a month later.

The attached picture shows how I cut-off the ground block and used ring terminals to attach the ground wires back to the negative battery terminal.
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
SEGGFAMILY
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1998 FORD ESCORT
  • 99,254 MILES
I went to advance auto yesterday inbetween jobs to pick up a battery and they installed it. Before they installed it the speedometer was working and now it isn't. I need suggestions on how to fix this. It is a manual if it helps with suggestions.
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
CJ MEDEVAC
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,004 POSTS
AN EZ ATTEMPT, WOULD BE TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY FOR MAYBE 10 MINUTES AND THEN RE-CONNECT

CHECKING FUSES MAY ALSO BE A POSSIBILITY

SOME NEWER RIGS MUST "RE-LEARN" DRIVING.I'M AN OLD JEEP AND FORD KINDA GUY, I DON'T KNOW THE SPECIFICS INVOLVED WITH THAT AREA.

SOMETIMES THINGS HAPPEN WITH COMPUTER CONTROLLED RIGS. MAY NOT BE ANYONE'S FAULT!

THE ENGINEERS KNEW THAT AT SOME POINT IN TIME, THE BATTERY WOULD NEED CHANGIN'

IF YOU NEED MORE HELP, AND NO ONE ELSE JUMPS IN, I'LL FIND YOU SOMEBODY!

LET ME KNOW HOW IT PANS OUT

THE MEDIC
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
55CHEVYMAN
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1998 FORD ESCORT
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 159,000 MILES
Car sat for 3 years and speedo was working then if you could help locate the sensor maybe it has bad connettion
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
MUSTANG87
  • MECHANIC
  • 261 POSTS
The speed sensor is on the transmission. Just look around to spot it . Its black bout 2 inches long with a wire connection to it. Go here to see a pic of it. Www. Kragen. Com you should first just clean out the connectors may have dirt and corrosion u might not need a new one. If the speed sensor is not the prob u may have a bad speed cluster. Its a bit odd that it was working before and sat for some time then stopped. Also posibly u just need to drive car like that for a while till it un sticks, the needle. Posible just sticky. God luck
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
INDUSTRIFLOW
  • MEMBER
  • 5 POSTS
  • 1998 FORD ESCORT
  • 2.0L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 95,000 MILES
My Escort wagon runs fine, but the speedometer and odometer never move. Speedo stays at zero. No fluctuation. Odo never changes. The rest of the instrument cluster works fine.

OBD II code P0500 (details below).

This car does not have cruise control, so it's not related to that.

Has automatic transmission. Drives fine. I've heard a bad VSS would cause the engine to hesitate. So I'm doubting the VSS itself needs replacement. I've also read the VSS can be very difficult to extract.

I've looked directly at the VSS (removed the battery and air box), and the wires to it look fine and intact. Not even brittle. I gently wiggled the wires--they're solid.

I removed and checked the connectors at the battery's negative terminal. The plastic connectors look fine; not brittle; still have a little bit of that clear gel that I assume Ford puts on them to keep the metal clean.

But I suspect a wiring problem.

I'm skilled with a volt-ohmmeter, DVM and ammeter. Can I probe for certain signals on certain wires to troubleshoot this?

Ford circuit diagrams, schematics, and WIRES' LOCATIONS would be great to have!

Autozone provided this OBD II code: P0500. "Vehicle speed sensor circuit condition."
"The ECM has detected a fault in the vehicle speed sensor circuit."
"Probable cause:"
"1. - Poor electrical connection or short circuit condition."
"2. - Failed vehicle speed sensor."
"3. - Drive gear mechanical fault."

What do you recommend?
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
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The first thing I would do is unplug the speed sensor inspect the connector/harnesses side terminals make sure nether one looks open. Then measure the resistance across the speed sensor terminals with it unplugged from the harness. Let me know what you find?
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
INDUSTRIFLOW
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There are a few connectors atop the transmission. I worked on the only connector with two wires. Held on with one 10 mm bolt.

The connector/harnesses terminals look fine. The two wires do not look brittle or frayed. They feel solid in the connector.

Resistance across the two male prongs on the speed sensor is 399 Ohms while bolted on the trans. Measures 386 Ohms when removed.

I'm amazed how easy it was to remove. After removing the one bolt, I lifted out the sensor immediately--not even a twist required.

Turns out, there seem to be two types of speed sensors listed for Ford Escort 2.0L SPI engines (including for my 1998). One is longer, with a gear that sits down in the trans, and the electrical connector sticks straight upward. The other type (mine) is short, has a copper pulse sensor instead of a gear, and the electrical connector sticks out to the side--at a right angle (photo attached).

Autozone and other parts stores show only the longer sensor with the gear. But, some parts suppliers show the sensor without the gear, listed (for example, at TascaParts) as part # F32Z-7F040-A "Speed Pulse Generator." It's about 107 bucks, instead of 70 for the one with the gear. I'm tempted to pull one from the local salvage yard.
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
INDUSTRIFLOW
  • MEMBER
  • 5 POSTS
I think I made a mistake. That's the turbine shaft speed sensor--the photo in my previous post.

The photo below is looking down. Front of car is to the left. The turbine shaft speed sensor is the gray connector at the photo's bottom center.

Which is the VSS? Am I looking in the wrong place?
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)
Tiny
INDUSTRIFLOW
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I found the VSS, behind the engine, 18 inches below the hood, roughly centered between driver & passenger. The connector's and harness' terminals look fine, and are not brittle or frayed, and feel solid in their connectors.

The resistance across the two male prongs on the VSS is 218 Ohms.
(while unplugged from the wiring harness)

What is that resistance supposed to be?
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Sunday, July 26th, 2020 AT 10:55 AM (Merged)

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