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94 Legacy Vehicle Speed Sensors


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My speedometer is not working. My AWD is not working. I get codes 32 and 33 for Vehicle Speed Sensors. I have searched out the information that these speed sensors are in the dash with the speedometer. There is a mechanical cable from the transmission. Does getting these TCU trouble codes mean the sensors are bad or is it possible they will work if a mechanical problem with the speedo is fixed? I take it I need to pull out the instrument panel, in any case. Can it be a coincidence that both mechanical and electrical parts have failed? Thanks for any knowledge or experience with this anyone could share.

Erik

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The speed sensor 2, which controls your speedometer is in the dash. The other is in the tail housing of the tranny.

 

More then likely it's the speedo base piece.

 

Here's 2 threads you can look over for more info. Fix the base piece, and then see how things are working.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27614&highlight=speed+cable+base

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=23812&highlight=speed+cable+base

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The speed sensor 2, which controls your speedometer is in the dash. The other is in the tail housing of the tranny.

 

More then likely it's the speedo base piece.

 

Here's 2 threads you can look over for more info. Fix the base piece, and then see how things are working.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27614&highlight=speed+cable+base

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=23812&highlight=speed+cable+base

Thank you,

I saw one of those threads but not the other and your references to that base piece in various places. I now have some hope of this solving my problems and intended to start there when I get a chance today.

I was previously confused by posts about the later model sensors and went looking yesterday to find the speedo cable instead. For some bizarre reason,my (ex) mechanic told me he couldn't find where the speedometer went into the transmission. He was acting really stumped and made some remark, almost joking, that he might have to remove the transmission. I said forget about it, at that point, not knowing about the sensor controlling various things. My fear now is finding that the part that cable base connects to, inside, is damaged. The only sense I can make of the guy's remarks at this point are that he damaged something or thinks he damaged something and has to remove the transmission to fix it and didn't want to eat the labor cost. I may send him a parting gift, for his information, of a picture of the speedometer base in position.

Erik

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The speedo cable is pretty easy to spot. Just follow it where it goes into the tranny.

 

When you pull the base piece off, it should be pretty obvious if it's busted or not. Make sure you get the rubber piece and metal washer out of there as well. What I did was jack up the front of the car and turned the wheel to see if the gear in the tranny was still working. Once I knew that was fine, I just put everything back together.

 

BTW, you can see the base piece in this pic

http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/images/swap/09/DCP_3217.JPG

 

It's just in front of the filler tube on the right side of the tranny/diff.

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The speedo cable is pretty easy to spot. .

 

Right, I found it immediately instead of the sensor I was looking for. I was a little unclear there. That's why it was so bizarre that a mechanic would tell me he couldn't find it , knowing I also worked on my cars to some extent. This is the RHD mail car I mentioned in another thread. Before going out with the mail today I was looking at the cable and base part and it looks as someone was there before me. The little clip was not in place and the cable housing end was slightly angled. Taking it apart, the cable housing end is a bit worse for wear but it all seems pretty simple. I didn't see any reason why it wouldn't work *except* for the fact that the cable itself seemed to pull freely from the firewall end.

2 hours later after fussing with this outside in a snowstorm:

The cable is fine on both ends. The drill makes the needle move on the dash both direct to cable and with base attached to cable. After a few tries thinking things might not be seated properly I checked the slotted part in the transmission. I turned it gently with a screwdriver and it turns freely. I take it this means something is broken. It does not turn on it's own with the jacked up front wheel going. From other threads I have seen that this is a take apart the transmission job.

Is this gear in there something that wears out under normal circumstances? I can't think of a way someone could break it accidentally.

Erik

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Yeah it sounds like the plastic speedo gear is busted. It's not too common for the gears to break, or at least that I've heard of. Far more common for the base piece to break.

 

It's possible it broke on its own, but who's to say, and I'm not sure what the mechanic would've/could've done to break it.

 

On the automatics since the gear goes to the diff, you don't have to take apart the tranny, but it still needs to be removed, the torque converter taken out, and the diff & tranny unbolted from each other. Regardless, not exactly a simple job.

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