Hello,
My 99 SE has an intermittent tranny problem. At times the speedo drops to zero for no apparent reason and the tranny does not shift to the next gear ( OD selected position) as it should. Eventually it does shift on its own but at a higher RPM. The first time I noticed this problem I was on the highway with the cruise on when the speedo needle dropped and kicked off the cruise. It returned to normal almost immediately. Later (some time) my wife said it would not shift properly. The service engine has been on also but clears the next time we start the car. It seems intermittent because most of the time it runs and shifts just fine. I checked the voltage on the VSS and it was fine by my Haines manual. There is what appears to be a sensor on the top of the tranny near the filter box which I found had some fluid inside the plug....could anyone tell me what this sensor is?
Thanks Ya'll

 

Hey , the sensor you are refering to is the transmission range sensor TRS for short .

 

VSS for AX4S, and AX4N transmissions..

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I had the exact same problem on my 98 3.0 taurus. whenI was replacing the vehicle speed sensor I noticed the pigtail for the vss was bad.I purchased a new pigtail from the dealer for about ten dollars.
I would carefully check the harness because of the location ( under the rear exhaust manifold ). I am also adding a heat shield as a sleave to slide over the wires for a bit more protection..

 

hey lamisun, you are loosing signal to and from the vss.every trans i do for a taurus i change the vss and the connector.they both go bad because of the heat from the exhaust...best bet is change both.........