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99 Taurus SE /Shifting troubles

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Old Sep 10, 2008 | 08:32 AM
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Question 99 Taurus SE /Shifting troubles

I just bought a 99 Taurus SE with 81,000 miles, that's in really nice shape. The car runs real well, but sometimes wont shift out of 1st gear. This happens once in a while, but other times, it shifts perfectly. This leads me to believe that it is probably electrical in nature- maybe a sensor or something.

Also sometimes the speedometer quits working, but then seems to restore itself automatically. This also happens when starting out from a complete stop, just like the erratic shifts to second gear, but not always at the same time as the shift problem.

This is the first Ford I've had with a computer and sensors, so I don't know much about it. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
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Old Sep 10, 2008 | 11:15 AM
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I have 98 mercury sable that does the same thing. I have changed the fluid. didnt help. it seems to hang between first and second. It as a 177,000 miles. could'nt tell you how to fix it or what is wrong. But i have been driving mine for a while now and nothing more as happened. so your not the only one out there with the problem.
 
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Old Sep 10, 2008 | 12:24 PM
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You need to pull any stored codes.
 
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Old Sep 10, 2008 | 03:02 PM
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OK, I went to my local auto zone, and they put a scanner on it. The code that came up was for the vehicle speed sensor, which according to him, mounts somewhere on the transmission, but he didn't know where. They had two part listings, of which one was for the electronic speedometer, and the other was for a mechanical unit. How would I know for sure which one I have? My other question is, does anyone know exactly where this is located on the tansmission? Thanks for the replies.
 
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Old Sep 10, 2008 | 03:31 PM
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From: Cook Forest and Irwin PA
the vss is on the drivers side, towards the rear and they are some sort of inferior aluminum that corrodes away - I find the cruise gives it up first, then the shifting. the speedo however, seems to get its pulses from the assumed gear and the rpm of the engine!

I mostly find them bad in escorts with the 4EAT-ME tranny
 
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Old Sep 13, 2008 | 12:33 AM
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I just got the car back from my friends shop tonight. He replaced the vss and said it fixed both problems. He also said it's a pretty common thing with these cars. I will be putting a couple hundred miles on it in the coming week, so I will let you all know. Thanks for the help, it is appreciated.
 
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Old Sep 22, 2008 | 08:00 AM
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Hey guys, got an update. I've put 400 miles on the car since the new vehicle speed sensor was installed, and have not had the speedometer or the transmission miss a beat.
 
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