This article was co-authored by Nick Psaros. Nick Psaros is an Automotive Expert working to encourage people to become car enthusiasts and share useful automotive content with people around the world. He has spent the past six years building an online following and community dedicated to automotive excellence. He has a follower base of over 10,000 YouTube subscribers and has garnered over 1 million views on his channel.
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A vehicle speed sensor, or VSS, is a sensor that is used to determine how fast your vehicle is traveling. If your vehicle’s speedometer stops working or isn’t telling you the correct speed that you’re traveling, you likely have a faulty VSS. You can test your VSS to make sure it’s functioning properly by using a device called a multimeter. Start by disconnecting and removing the VSS from your engine so you can test it. You can then connect it to a multimeter and set the multimeter to the AC setting. Connect the VSS to a power drill so you can simulate the rotation of the vehicle’s transmission and read the multimeter to see if the voltage increases as the speed increases to check if the sensor is working properly.
Tip: If you don’t have your owner’s manual, or you’re unable to find your vehicle’s VSS, search the make and model of your vehicle online to locate the VSS.
Tip: If the signal wire and ground wire are completely covered in sheathing, use a knife to strip about 1⁄4 inch (0.64 cm) of the wire sheathing to expose the wire beneath so you can clip your leads to it.
Tip: Rotate the VSS at varying speeds to make sure the multimeter is accurately detecting speed changes.
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