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On My 1976 E150 Suddenly the digital Odometer is dead the speedo no longer works it won't move out of park if you start it up in park, as soon as I use the foot brake the abs light starts flashing. If I move it to "N" before starting everything runs ok/drives ok except no speedo no odo and abs light flashes continually the first time I use the brake pedal ... this must be all related it all hapened at once ... Help Pls
Do you mean 1996
I dunno if a 76 has abs and digital display
If it is 96, check the sensor in the top of the diff housing on the rear axle. Undo the bolt and clean off the debris on it. If not this then it may get expensive. Good luck
If the odo display is BLANK, then it's a power issue, and you should start by checking fuses & grounds. If you don't have one, get a Haynes manual - it shows all the ground locations.
The sensor in the rear axle wouldn't shut off the display.
most likely its the VSS on the tailshaft of the tranny. if the VSS fails, both the speedo and ABS wont function, along with cruise control. try going on the highway and try to set the cruise control. if it wont set or acts erratically, your most likely bet is VSS
Firstly I don't have cruise control and the odo is completely blank, I checked the fuse, it's ok as is the live and ground feed to the speedo/odo unit tested on the plug on the rear of the unit. the van is a 1996 (typo) in line six with a 3 speed tranny. I have yet to check the rear axle sender as suggested and also the tailshaft unit because of the fourth July/ beer/wine/ etc. is there any way of testing the transmission tailshaft unit? I have a haynes manual but the wiring diagrams are poor to say the least, they are too basic for this kind of fault finding. Hope this clears up a few of your questions, and thanx for your ongoing assistance. I will let you know of I break any ground
I've studed the funtions and operation of the ABS. ABS must rely on the VSS as basically a reference signal for the WSS at each wheel (or on RWD, the 2 front wheels and the axle sensor). The abs control module compares the difference to the VSS and the WSS to determine what wheel is locking up for even for Traction control, what wheel is slipping. the VSS plays a big role in that
now if the speedo doesnt even light up, thats more likely just a power issue. usualy if the VSS fails, it will constantly read Zero, nor will the odometer move. I dont know if thats true for the E & F series, but I know thats how it works with the CrownVic & GrandMarquis 1995 and up.
LTD
You're confusing the Output Shaft Sensor (OSS) with the VSS. The 4-channel 4WABS on a '96 CV has 4 wheel sensors, and doesn't use the OSS or VSS for anything. The OSS is only used for shifting (thru the EEC) and the VSS (also mounted to the tailshaft) is shared by the cruise servo, speedo, and EEC. The ABS doesn't share either of them.
'87-96 pickups & vans don't have 4WABS (only RABS), so they share the ABS sensor (in the rear diff) for all those functions, and '93-96 Broncos have 3-channel 4WABS, which shares the ABS sensor like the pickups & vans.
But back to the topic -
If the display is out, you either have a power problem, or the PSOM is dead. They're known to die for no good reason, but they're easy to change & not very expensive used.
My Van only has rabs and I am now confused as to which direction I should look. If the PSOM is dead would that cause the shift lever to lock in the park position when the engine is running? and where is the PSOM?
Let me list the symptoms Again
No ODO (blank)
Non Moving speedo needle
Shift lever locked in Park
Constantly flashing ABS warning light
I would pull the sensor out of the axle housing and look at it. It is basically a magnet and metal sticks to it. If your rear end makes a lot of metal it will stick to the sensor and render it useless. It is also possible for the tone ring to come off the carrier, but this usually makes a helluva racket and is pretty rare. Your problem really sounds like a deeper issue, but this quick check is easy and free.