legacycentral bbs

My speedometer cable went out earlier today while driving and very shortly afterwards it started throwing a CEL. I havent gotten the chance to pull the code from the ECU yet but from my understanding it is my vehicle speed sensor?

I have replaced part of my cable already, cant remember which half, I think the part that goes to the tranny.

But what I was really wondering is do you think the CEL is related to my speedo going out?

Yes, I'm sure the CEL is related to the speedometer going out. The VSS is built into the speedometer. If the speedometer isn't working (either because the cable isn't working or because the speedometer itself isn't), then the VSS signal will be missing.

alright, will that cause my ECU to go into limp mode?

Yeah, these ECUs really do seem to need a good VSS signal to work right.

Alright, Becuase I noticed that my exhaust seems to be popping a lot more than usual (straight pipe) and I thought that it might be because of possibly over fueling?

It's possible. I don't know why, but the VSS does seem to influence fuel mixture somehow.

As Vikash mentioned, these ECU's are extremely tempermental without a VSS input. Check the cable and the base piece that screws into the tranny (assuming it's an AT).

It is a 5 speed and I have replaced the base piece once, when it went out like a year ago.

I'd check the speedo cable. Also, I've heard where the cable has become unplugged from the back of the dash. So that may be something else to check.

alright, I need to pull my cluster anyways because most of the lights in there are dead.

vss?

vehicle speed sensor.

Put the car on four jackstands. Pull the cluster out and remove the speedo cable. Put it into gear and it should be obvious if the shaft is spinning or not.

My bet is a problem in he mechanical portion that screws into the transmission.