I have a 1996 Accord that the speedometer has stopped working. I have changed the speed sensor but that did not help. I have searched the web and found several things referring to checking the voltage to the sensor. All articles refer to a yellow wire being open. On this vehicle there are two wires going to the sensor. From the sensor plug to the sensor there is a yellow and a white. From the sensor plug back to the wiring harness there is an orange with blue stripe and white with blue stripe. The orange wire plugs into the yellow wire. The white has continuity to ground so I assume this is the ground. There is no voltage to the orange wire. All articles say the yellow wire should have battery voltage but there is none to the sensor. There are references that the voltage should come from fuse 1 under the dash, Fuse 1 is good. I can apply battery voltage to the orange wire but sensor still does not work. I am at a loss here, Has anyone else had any similar problems? I have changed the speed sensor but that did not help. I have searched the web and found several things referring to checking the voltage to the sensor. All articles refer to a yellow wire being open. On this vehicle there are two wires going to the sensor. From the sensor plug to the sensor there is a yellow and a white. From the sensor plug back to the wiring harness there is an orange with blue stripe and white with blue stripe. The orange wire plugs into the yellow wire. The white has continuity to ground so I assume this is the ground. There is no voltage to the orange wire. All articles say the yellow wire should have battery voltage but there is none to the sensor. There are references that the voltage should come from fuse 1 under the dash, Fuse 1 is good. I can apply battery voltage to the orange wire but sensor still does not work. I am at a loss here, Has anyone else had any similar problems? Yes it does have the P0501 code which says it is the VSS. But I have swapped VSS with an old one and it was the same results. using an ohm meter and checking for voltage by passing the vss over a piece of metal it will produce a voltage. If I check it in the car with the wheel jacked off the ground, I get voltage but still nothing on the speedometer. It stays at zero all the time. I have ordered a new vss, but do not want to install it because then it can't be returned if mine are not bad. Could this be a computer (ECM) problem?

OK, Have an update. Drove car this evening just to make sure cruise did not work. When I started down the driveway, speedo was working. Drove the car about 20 miles and all was fine and cruise worked. Got back home, turned the car off. A couple of hours later decided to drive it again, this time speedo did not work. Started up the road and speedo started jumping from 0 to driving speed several times and finally stopped all together. When it was would drop to zero, cruise would cut off somtimes and sometimes it would remain engaged. After I got home, while backing car up to park, speedo would go up to about 20 mph while in reverse and sitting still. If I go to drive, speedo goes to 0. Back in reverse, up to 20. If I put in reverse, back to 20, press the cruise button(On/Off), speedo goes to 0. Not sure what is going on now? Any ideas from the pros?

 

im pretty sure that means the speedo is busted. you'll have to send it to a qualified speedometer replacement place.

dont take this for gospel though, wait for others to confirm that.

 

My speedometer did the same thing. It would work, then all of a sudden, it would stick at 19mph. It would oscillate for a second then work perfectly, then get stuck at 19 mph.

The general rule is that if the cruise control doesn't work, then the problem is with the VSS. If the cruise control works, then the speedometer is the problem.

The main difference between my car and yours is that my cruise control worked without any problems. I sent my speedometer to get repaired through a web search and haven't had a problem since.

 

As of this minute, I am leaning towards a loose connection some where. Since the cruise and speedometer both stop working I assume that the bad connection is before the wires split and go to the cruise, speedometer and PCM. Does anyone know where this split is located physically on the vehicle. I guess I will have to start at the VSS and seperate the wires all the way to find this connection if nobody knows its location. I can get a used speedometer from the local junkyard for 75 dollars if I need one.

 

http://www.dhost.info/accordinfo/

The pdfs at the bottom of that site are the shop manual for a 94 (5th gen) accord. The wiring should be almost identical to your 96. The information that you want is in the electrical pdf page 23-138. It has all of the electrical tests along with pictures. The wire colors might be different, but the order should be the same. I don't think that the VSS is different between a 94 and 96 accord. They should have the same part number.

At the end of the VSS section in that manual, it shows a drive link that can easily be lost or possibly damaged. I would inspect the drive link.

 

PAHonda, thanks for the link. It has a lot of useful info. But as I have said previously, my VSS is different. It only has two wires. There is nothing on this transmission that looks like the pictures of the sensor in the link. Here is a pic of the sensor from autozone web site.


There is a sensor like this on the lower front side and lower rear side of the transmission. I read some where that the one on the back was a balance or counter shaft sensor. I am not sure. Anyway, I ill keep checking here for more answers. I need to go and try to trace the wires down and see if I can find the loose connection.

Barry

 

You should put all of the information of your accord in your signature. We know you have a 96 accord, but is it an EX, LX, or DX? Do you have a 4 cylinder or V6 engine. Also an automatic or manual tranny?

 

it sounds like a bad speedo gauge

 

Sorry about the profile. Maybe this will help. I have looked in the DIY section and have found nothing that helps. Short of stripping all the wires from the harness, does anyone know if the vss wire is supposed to have 12v going to it. If so, how can it put out a 5 volt signal when the car is running. Not sure if this vss would have voltage going to it when the switch is turned on or if it just generates its own voltage when the vehicle starts moving. Again there are only two wires going to it and one has continuity to ground. Sorry for being such a pain, just trying to get my daughters car back running right for her.

Thanks again
Barry

 

Hold on!

Ibelieve you have replaced the wrong speed sensor. There are at least two transmission shaft speed sensors and I believe you may have replaced one of them rather than the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS). You have a VSS code and likely a bad VSS. VSS is behind the distributor and near the thermostat housing.

You should get a manual and understand where the parts are located. Try the suggested download.

good luck