Questions and Answers

Jeep Wrangler VSS Broke? Q. Hi, I was driving my Jeep today, which I just purchased a week ago, and the speedometer jumped to 100 (max speed) then went to 0. It stopped working from this point on, I also noticed that the odometer and the trip odometer had stopped recording miles. About an hour later the check engine light turned on.

It seems to run fine, but I can't tell how fast I am going and how many miles I have traveled. What could be some of the possible problems and potential fixes for this? It is not covered under warranty, so what could the average cost be?

• 1999 Jeep Wrangler
• 4.0 liter 6 cylinder
• 5 speed manual transmission
• 50,000 miles
• A/C, no cruse control

Thank you and have a great day!
Theo

A. The first thing to do would be to pull the codes from the computer and see what they are. I would not be surprised if it were a P0500 "No Vehicle Speed Sensor Signal".

If that's the case then replacement is fairly simple. Here's what you do:

Removal:

1. Raise and support vehicle.
2. Disconnect electrical connector from sensor.
3. Remove sensor mounting bolt.
4. Remove sensor (pull straight out) from speedometer pinion gear adapter. Do not remove gear adapter from transmission.

Installation:

1. Clean inside of speedometer pinion gear adapter before installing speed sensor.
2. Install sensor into speedometer gear adapter and install mounting bolt. Before tightening bolt, verify speed sensor is fully seated (mounted flush) to speedometer pinion gear adapter.
3. Tighten sensor mounting bolt to 2.2 Nm (20 in. lbs.) torque.
4. Connect electrical connector to sensor.

Before you replace the sensor, check the wiring to make sure to connector is in good shape and that it is clean and tight.

Vehicle Speed Sensor Location

Sensor Removal/Installation