I purchased a 98 Accord 5 speed new and now it has 143K miles w/o problems to date except one. On a trip this week the speedo stopped and so the Cruize also stopped. The cruize won't work if the speedo won't. When I retured home yesterday I pulled the code and as suspected it was P0500, VSS malfunction. I have two manuals and both reference the location of the VSS as being on the drive axel, however neither tell me where the VSS is actually located. Assuming it must have an electrical connection to the PCM, I looked for sensors with wires near the drive shafts on both sides and did several searches but couldn't find the VSS. I know this is somewhat stupid as it should be located close to either shaft but the only sensor I found was at the front of the engine (driver side) which I suspect is the Cranshaft positioning sensor as the wires went into the cover. The VSS must meter axel rotation to calculate speed.

Can any one with information on the location of abovementioned sensor please detail how to locate it.

Thanks, Dio

 

It's near the back under the intake manifold. It's actually on top of the tranny where the differential is. You'll see a wire connector going to the top back of the trans where the axles connect and then you'll be in business.

 

Thanks for the info. I noticed a sensor on top of the differential but reading suggested is was a back up light switch. Is this the spot your are referencing?

Dio

 

the backup light sensor should be on the front of the tranny and the vss should be behind the tranny mount.

 

That should be it. There should be 2 or 3 phillips screws holding it in. Like lightshow said, the back up switch should be right on the front of the transmission.

 

Ok, I found the VSS located under the intake and forward on the transaxel on the firewall side. Unfortunately it's nearly impossible to reach or see. It appears to have a probed shaft going into the transaxe held in place by a pressure lever bolted to the transaxel, similar to that of a distributor where the "U" pressure lever applies pressure to the shaft of the distributor. This is the best I can see.

I can remove the bolt and I suspect the probe will come out however having never attempted this before I suspect there is an "O" ring at the base which should be replaced and today is Sunday and all Honda shops are closed. My wife needs the vehicle for work tomorrow so I'm not feeling exceptonally experimentive.

Can anyone confirm what I think I'm seeing? Are there any docs that describe the removal and installation process that you may be aware of?

Thanks... Dio

 

If i'm picturing what you're talking about correctly, it sounds like you found it.

Did you remove the electrical connector from it? If so, then there would be the phillips scews that come out (2 or 3) and then the electrical part comes off. The electrical part has a coil inside and that little shaft sits in the transaxle and goes inside that electrical unit. If you pulled that electric part off, that is most likely the part that needs to be replaced. You can leave the shaft and everything else alone and just replace that electric part.

 

The space is so tight I can't get to the vss from under the engine and the sensor is located behind and down on the transaxel so that it's almost impossible to see. I tried removing the electrical connector but limited space made it impossible and I'm not excited at removing other parts to get to it but it appears I have no choice at this point.

I searched several online sites for a replacement vss hoping to see a pic of the unit. All I found were vss units up to '97. I even called a couple stores and they don't stock the '98 unit. The vss for the pre '98 costs about $35 online. I found a vss for the '98 at a local dealer but they want $106. I'm guessing the vss is very different for the '98 accord. Honda ended the model run in '97 and started a new model in '98 - '02. While I can't confirm they changed the vss I know Honda is famous for changing engine design and accessory components on what appears to be a whim.

What dealers does this forum recommend for Accord online parts?

Dio

 

I finally found a pic of the device I was trying to describe w/o removing it. Unfortunately this displays only the drive mechanism and not the electrical components but at least I have a better picture of what I'm dealing with before attempting a removal.

I'll try embedding the pic.

 

[quote]ORIGINAL: dioalp

I finally found a pic of the device I was trying to describe w/o removing it. Unfortunately this displays only the drive mechanism and not the electrical components but at least I have a better picture of what I'm dealing with before attempting a removal.

I'll try embedding the pic.


Well it didn't work. The pic I copied to MS word and saved but can only save with a word extension and I can't upload or embed. Oh well I tried.