Speedometer and Odometer not working...sometimes

[adaMKIII]

Title says it all. Sometimes my speedometer and odometer work just fine, then suddenly the speedometer will drop to 0 and the odometer will not lapse.

When this first happened, the MIL came on. I got a code that said engine speed sensor.

I'm not sure where to go from here.

Thanks.

[greyhare]

What year car? What was the actual code?
Engine speed sensor or vehicle speed sensor? The engine speed sensor is not used for the speedometer.

Possible causes: VSS, cluster, wiring.

[Anony00GT]

The code was probably for Vehicle Speed Sensor. If it was Engine Speed Sensor (crankshaft sensor), the engine would have stalled.

Check the wiring for the vehicle speed sensor. If it checks out, replace the sensor.

[adaMKIII]

The car is a 96 Jetta, 2.0 with a 5 speed.

I don't have the exact code with me. It could have very well said "vehicle speed sensor" and not "engine speed sensor". It has been a few weeks since I read the code. I've just been living with a bi-polar speedometer since then. Inspection is up soon and I want my MIL off when I take the car in.

My gut is telling me it's a wiring issue because bumps in the road seem to turn the speedometer on or off. Is the VSS attached to the transmission? Would the big red Bently Jetta Bible tell me where the VSS is?

Thanks!

[greyhare]

Yes, the Bentley shows the sensor. The VSS is in the top of the trasaxle near the differential.

The VSS is not very expensive and very easy to replace. Pull wire connector, remove screw sensor, lift out. Make sure the drive gear is all there; if not you will need to fish it out with long nose pliers.

http://www.germanautoparts.com/super...40f76a181b1a85

[adaMKIII]

Bringing back this old thread because I finally got around to doing this.

I visually checked the wiring for the VSS. No cracks or splits in the wire.
Replaced the VSS last night. Speedo still doesn't work. The old VSS still had the gear attached and spun freely. Is there a way to test if the new sensor is working properly? Ive had several parts that were dead on arrival before. Just wanted to rule that out before digging further.

Thanks!

[Michael Cahill]

I had this same issue awhile back.

Turned out it was the cluster itself. (pretty common in the MK3's)
I sent it to a guy here on the forums along with $100 and he replaced a few parts inside, its been working fine ever since.
Look him up, its been 2 years, but i'm sure he'd still be happy to do it.
User: a3clusters

Do some searching, theres a thread on here somewhere with diagnostic and testing procedures for the cluster, and for the actual speed sensor.
I forget what its called however.

Good luck