Speedometer, odometer and cruise control do not work?

DWMACKE

MEMBER
1993 TOYOTA PICKUP
2.4L
4 CYL
4WD
MANUAL
173,732 MILES

After driving in rainy weather for several days, I noticed the speedometer drop to 0 MPH while traveling at around 60 MPH. It quickly returned to 60 MPH, but from there started operating intermittently. Whenever the speedometer was registering the correct speed, both the odometer and cruise control would function. When the speedometer dropped to 0 MPH, they both stopped working. The speedometer is now permanently at 0 MPH regardless of the velocity of the truck or the weather.
Online forums I've read suggest that if the cruise control also stops, along with the speedometer and odometer, then the likely cause is the speed sensor. Before spending $415.00 for a genuine Toyota part, what is the likelihood that either the wiring harness, speedometer or ECM may be the cause instead? Thanks in advance for your help.

6 Replies

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
47,702 POSTS

This truck says it has a gear and cable which I would replace to fix the problem. Can you get an image of the tail shaft so I can see if there is a sensor? Check the images below to see what I am talking about.

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Wednesday, August 31st, 2022 AT 7:53 AM

DWMACKE

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4 POSTS

Apparently, part way through the 1993 model year Toyota changed from a cable to a sensor. Mine has a sensor and it's located on the rear of the transfer case on the passenger side of the truck.

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Wednesday, August 31st, 2022 AT 11:40 AM

DWMACKE

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I bought this cheap ($18) sensor off of Amazon. I had to swap nylon gears because the replacement had the wrong number of teeth and pitch. Once installed, it worked for a few miles and then, like the original, stopped working. I put the original back in. I have to figure that if my Toyota Dealer in Anchorage is selling the Toyota OEM part for $415.00, the cheap Chinese knockoff might not be built to the same standards.

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Wednesday, August 31st, 2022 AT 12:15 PM

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
47,702 POSTS

Yep, good call. I looked at the wiring diagrams for a 94 and there is nothing in-between the sensor and the cluster in case you were wondering. So, it could be the speedo head is going bad FYI. You can get a used cluster and try it.

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Friday, September 2nd, 2022 AT 9:02 AM

DWMACKE

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Thanks, Ken. I did some further testing and found OBD1 Code 42 "Vehicle speed sensor circuit" when I jumped the TE1 and T1 terminals in the diagnostic connector. I guess I'm not understanding how this circuit is laid out. From where does cruise control get its signal input? Does it receive it from the Speedometer cluster? How does the ECM figure in all of this?