Speed Sensor Gone?

[Mopar318]

My car has always idles high when I would push in the clutch, then go down after about 5 seconds. Well today I went on a 250 miles trip to an inteview, on the way back I stopped to get something to eat. Started my car up, and the speedo no longer is working. At that same point the idle speed went to how it should be. Idled down as soon as I pushed in the clutch.

Sounds like the speed sensor was on its way out maybe, and now it completely gone? I just doesn't seem like it would be something to gradually go out.

I also smelled a stron burning rubber smell about 5 miles away from home. When I got home I checked it out and my alternator was smoking. Looks like it got some rubber in it some how...maybe I hit a piece of tread and it got thrown into my alternator...but thats unlikely Ill probally be needing a alternator here soon.

On a good note I got the job!

[cordes]

Congrats on the job.

If you have cruise control jump in the car and set it for whatever speed you want. If the SDS is bad it will be hunting really hard for the actual speed. The speed will drop down, and then eventually try to race back up to where you set it. If that is happening, or the cruise doesn't work at all it is almost certainly the SDS itself or the wiring.

[Mopar318]

Congrats on the job.

If you have cruise control jump in the car and set it for whatever speed you want. If the SDS is bad it will be hunting really hard for the actual speed. The speed will drop down, and then eventually try to race back up to where you set it. If that is happening, or the cruise doesn't work at all it is almost certainly the SDS itself or the wiring.

I dont have cruise control. Any way to test the sensor...Il check first my checking the continuity. Actually I must ask where the hell is the sensor?

[cordes]

I dont have cruise control. Any way to test the sensor...Il check first my checking the continuity. Actually I must ask where the hell is the sensor?

It's on the snout on the pass side of the trans. It can be a kick in the pants to get to depending on which version of it you have on there. It is a 10mm bolt that holds it in. If you pull it out you should be able to leave it hooked up and check the voltage. It should go up to about 5v and there should be 8 dead spots as you rotate it.

[Mopar318]

It's on the snout on the pass side of the trans. It can be a kick in the pants to get to depending on which version of it you have on there. It is a 10mm bolt that holds it in. If you pull it out you should be able to leave it hooked up and check the voltage. It should go up to about 5v and there should be 8 dead spots as you rotate it.

Ok thanks for the info Ill check it out tomorrow.

[mcsvt]

The first time for them is the worst, after that you can do it blindfolded as you can't see anything anyway They some times need slight persuasion to come out of the hole once the bolt is out.

[Mopar318]

I confirmed the alternator is toast. Windings are shot, and smoking like a chimney. Good news though theres a receipt for the autozone alternator with a warrant so I should get one free.

Took the car out for a drive and the speedo works again.

[GLHNSLHT2]

The rpms are supposed to go up when you push in the clutch and the SDS works properly. Helps on clutch wear when idiots that don't know how to drive a stick properly put it in a lower gear and then drag the clutch to get the rpms up. It's all in the factory programming.

[Mopar318]

The rpms are supposed to go up when you push in the clutch and the SDS works properly. Helps on clutch wear when idiots that don't know how to drive a stick properly put it in a lower gear and then drag the clutch to get the rpms up. It's all in the factory programming.

Oh I did not know that. I have always been used to driving tractors, and big rigs, where you have to match RPM's on your down shift. When I first got the car I would keep over revving it when I down shifted!

[cordes]

Oh I did not know that. I have always been used to driving tractors, and big rigs, where you have to match RPM's on your down shift. When I first got the car I would keep over revving it when I down shifted!

On all of my properly working cars, I have never had the idle stay up there for that long (5 seconds) after pressing in the clutch except for when the SDS was on the way out. Normally it will go up a couple hundred RPMs for about a second and then come back down to idle speed.

[87glhs]

Two things--noticed the speed sensor between a T1 Charger and a TII are completely different--the TII having a 2-wire pigtail, and the T1 having a built-in socket. Why the difference?

Second thing was I noticed the wire (pigtail style) on mine was brittle and hanging on by a couple of strands right at the base of the sensor. Had to operate (solder, epoxy, and heat-shrink) to repair it--

The car had had some intermittant stalling issues (no trouble codes) prior to this, now it runs fine.

[GLHNSLHT2]

Lbodies have cable operated speedo's and the wires tell the ECU how fast the car is going. Non-Lbodies (I assume your T2 car is one) have electronic speedo's so they don't need the cable and just get their signal from the ECU.

[87glhs]

Both are L-bodies (chargers); car with the two-wire pigtail sensor is a T2. Car with the socketed-style sensor was a T1, both 87's.

Odd they would have done this--both cars having mechanical speedo's with fitting on top of the sensors.