I need help!!! I have a 1995 Buick Lesabre that is having problems shifting. The car stalls and the transmission shifts very slowly. The engine light turns on and at that time the speedometer stops working. I have already had the transmission checked out and the transmission is fine. I was advised that it could be the speed sensor. The only problem is, I do not know if that is the correct problem. I do not want to spend additional money on a sensor to only find out that the sensor is not the problem. Please help me if you can. Also, if you know where exactly the sensor is located please let me know.


Thanks.

 

Nobody wants to needlessly spend money troubleshooting a problem. Unfortunately there are several possibilities that could cause these problems and even skilled troubleshooting takes an investment in both tools and time.

To prepare, collect good information such as , " Fails when hot", fails at speed, this fails first then that quits, hard to start for a while, etc..

Start by ensuring the voltage is stable and proper on the running car.
Clean the battery cables and check for good voltages.
Then get the codes read from the car's computer. (Many parts stores do this for free.)
Keep in mind a bad vehicle computer often can't explain to itself it's sick, and may store false codes.

Beginning with the most obvious unit, the computer, called the PCM (Power Control Module), controls shifting, speedometer and ignition. This makes it a prime suspect to be failing for some reason.

To troubleshoot this unit it's easiest to replace it. Either replace it with a borrowed swap for free from a like model car, a junk yard volunteer ($20-30), or a rebuilt from a store ($100).
If the problem continues, troubleshooting continues by observing other possibilities.

To answer just the "Where is the VSS?" question, the Vehicle Speed Sensor is located on the lower right, just below the oil filter.

Edited by: bassasasin