honestly, you could need a new battery. but it depends, is it just your speedometer, or do all of your needles go down to nothing and then go back to normal?

 

Hi Have you sorted the problem as i have the same problem on a 1999 1.4 focus

Thanks

Craig

 

Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) possibly? :dunno:

-Brian

 

Speed control sensor. Ive done one.. Its semi hard but that prolly what it is... I was on mine.

 

My speedometer goes out on my 02 SPI also. Where can I find this "speed control sensor?" And since it goes on and off, would I need to replace or just try to fix it?

 

hi im new to this... same problem with my 2001 focus.. how do i get it fixed cuz its doin my head in

 

Double check the strength of your battery folks. Since a lot of you seem to be posting with cars that are between 2000 and 2002, batteries tend to last an average of five years. It's been known that a weak battery can cause the zeroing speedometer.

If the radio is going up and down, that's probably the automatic volume control kicking in and out of the radio. If that also happens, it could indicate the speed control sensor is going (the AVC feature automatically increases/decreases volume as speed increases/decreases).

If it is possible, take it to someone (dealer, mechanic) who has all the proper diagnostic/computers. That diagnostic fee associated might just well save you some further aggravation in replacing parts left and right.

 

under misery loves Company...I have the same speedometer problem. Guess I'll trade out batteries first since that's easy and relatively affordable. How much should I expect to pay to have the engine speed sensor replaced?????
-dh

 

new battery. same old problem. somebody owes me $100.00.

 

I'm having the same problem with my '02. I took it to a local dealer yesterday to have them check it out. They replaced the VSS, speedometer is still broken.
They didn't troubleshoot anything, just replaced the part.
Since no manager was on duty, I have to call back in the morning.
I expected better service.

 

As far as i know replacing the VSS most often solves the problem.
Have the same problem - the pin that secures the VSS can be very difficult to get out - Need to have the car on a lift to get to it so havent gotten to it yet...

Some also solved similar problem by isolating two wires attached to a heat sensor located by the spark plugs. On some cars it is too close to the spark plug wires an cant handle the el. interferrence from the spark plug wires. (Info came from a Ford Service Bulletin)

 

I had the same problem too. I removed the VSS and found metal sludge on the bottom of the sensor. I cleaned it off with brake kleen and a rag, and it worked fine. That was about 60,000 miles ago. Thats just my 2 cents.

 

does anyone have a diagram of where it is on 2000 ford focus se. heard it might be under battery box ?? is it hard to replace help please

 

I'd be interested in a diagram if anyone has one, I'm seeing the same problem on a 2003 ZX5.

 

:banana:Yes! Im not the only one!!! I cant believe it, I have taken my car from place to place...including ford...and no one wants to touch it!

My Speedo goes to zero...the music turns down and nine times out of ten during this my car completely loses power, the steering stiffens up and the car switches off! Quite scarey when you have semi trailers behind you, to the left of you, and cars screeming down the right of you. After taking my car to numerous ford dealerships, repair centres, mechanic and electricians...they all say the same thing..."I dont know...Ive never heard of it before" they all explain ways in which we could try and find what the problem may be....and after taking up some of these offers it always proves to be expensive and worst of all never fixes the problem.

I have made a formal complaint to Ford and they have opened a case. After finding this forum on the net, I have informed ford that Iam not the only case, and that it seems to be fiestas and focus' manufactured in a certain time frame, say 1999-2005. They are looking into it and if a few more complaints are placed maybe if we all work together these things can be sorted out.

My car has an endless stream of problems most of which are related to my intrument cluster and the internals of my dash, but also include faulty break and clutch pedals in which on two seperate occasions they have both completely dropped off...yes it was terrifying!!! Trying to get these problems fixed even whilst under warrenty has been like banging my head against a brick wall :bang: Im so frustrated and upset...there has been no answers for so long!!!...surely this would warrant a replacement car...Its an accident waiting to happen:dunno:

I bought the car from Dominelli Ford in Kirawee and feel as thought I have been taken for a fool. Im wondering if anoyone else has similar stories like this and if so what they have done to get some answers. Has it been sorted out yet?



Fifi the ford fiesta

 

I had this problem for a few years(!) - first, the speedo would drop to zero for a fraction of a second per journey, then over time the zero-ing got longer and longer - to the point where I was lucky if the speedo registered anything at all during a journey.

Most of the symptoms mentioned by others also happened to me and it's all down to the vehicle speed sensor (VSS)!!

The symptons all make sense: VSS stops working = No speedo reading, the engine management assumes the car isn't moving - so why do you need all that power?, the radio dims slightly because there's less road noise when you're not moving! This is a nice touch from the radio manufacturers/Ford and is generally not noticed when everything's working. My odometer would also show nothing but dashes and the engine warning light would come on at times.

The VSS is located on top of the gearbox and is a GBP 25 (approx) part. On my 2001 focus zetec 1.6, it's held in place by a steel pin that really does not want to come out! It's a hell of a job, (my partner knelt on top of the engine and hammered at the pincers that I had the pin gripped with from underneath the car - for about an hour!!) but once it's out the VSS pulls straight out vertically with very little oil loss. Be careful not to break the VSS in half when pulling it out - they're fairly tough, but leaving the bottom half in the gearbox would be very bad indeed... The new VSS slides right in and the pin can be tapped back home - reconnect the wires and - job done.

 

My 2006 Fiesta has the same problem. Useless service centre didn't want to know about it.

They replaced the battery but it was worse after they did that.

Where can you get the part from? I'm in Australia btw.

 

...
Where can you get the part from? I'm in Australia btw.

A local parts retailer or your local Ford dealer can order this part for you.

 

Focus Speedo Fault - The answer you all your questions

If you are experiencing the following problems:

Speedo needle dropping to zero
sound turns down on radio
digital display goes off
loss of power
stiffness of steering

Then it could be that your car is suffering from a failed speedo sensor.

There are two different parts for two different gear boxes. The price here in England for an IB5 gear box type speed sensor is around £35.00. The other type which is for MXT75 gearboxes, that is the 1800cc diesel engine and 2000cc petrol engine sells for around £95.00 for genuine Ford parts.

Hope this helps y'all!

From Car Chick
ENGLAND

Errors and Omissions Exepted. Thanks.

 

One problem is the cylinder head temperature sensor and ignition cables occasionally touching. This causes a slew of electrical problems on Focus including the speedo jumping or dropping to 0, wipers not working, electric mirrors, interior lights blinking... The fixes are reroute the cylinder head temperature sensor away from the ignition cables and secure.
Prevent contact between the hot wire to the cylinder head temperature (CHT) sensor and the ignition lead for the second cylinder by cable tying it the low pressure line bracket. Check alternator for bad diodes... if it is making ac voltage, replace. It is also one of the causes of this erratic spedo hastle.
Mine is a 2001 ZX3 & it had this problem, but these fixes cured it;
It used to die, or runs at 3000 rpm then won't idle, tries to die also.
Hope this helps.
Just joined.
I'm a Ford nut/mechanic

 

pictures to remove the pin...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/57812796@N05/5327075905/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/5781279...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/5781279...n/photostream/


2000 Ford Focus SE Manual Transmission..

 

My speedometer and instrument problem was corrected in the most unusual way.

Our 2003 2.3 SE problem began by the door locks cycling and the instruments zeroing out.

This only lasted a few seconds at first, then the instruments started staying out longer.

Eventually the speedometer needle just stuck at about 57 mph, no fuel gauge no temp.

I checked all the grounds and cleaned them up. No improvement.

We ordered and installed a new vss. No change.

A few days later as I stopped at a friends home I did something I very, very rarely do:

I shifted into park before a complete stop. As the transaxle "parked" The speedometer immediately dropped to zero.

From then on the speedometer worked and I have had no problems with any of the instruments.

Shifter position sensor on the transaxle? Jarred back into service?

Art

 

When my wife had an SPI, it was experiencing the same issues. Only remedie was to replace every ground, and even added an extra to the motor. after that, no more shutoffs.

 

Doin,

I think you are right about the grounds. They are key. I will soon redo my grounds.

There is an article about this, 'focus hacks:" maybe. . .

 

Hi there, I found my 2003 Ford Focus SE was having the same problems as described on this forum. I have now had no problem for about a week, previously my speedo was zeroing very frequently, sometimes several times during my short 20 minute drive to and from work.

Here’s what I did:

I found on another forum that separating the cylinder head temperature sensor from the ignition leads might help, so I did this (see picture). This worked initially, but about a week later, much to my frustration the problem started to happen again.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3xwqt25c2mita1l/2014-02-25 04.32.25.jpg

So after researching a bit more I came across this forum where it mentioned the vehicle speed sensor as a possible cause of the problem. This youtube clip kind of shows where the sensor is located:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yOVAj8ED0kk

Fortunately my sensor was easy to remove, even though others have said it can be a major issue due to a small pin that holds it in place being stuck or stubborn to remove. My pin came out very easily, and then I wriggled the sensor until it came out. Before removing the sensor from the transmission it would be a good idea to clean around the area as the sensor slots directly into the transmission, any dirt will fall straight into the transmission otherwise.

The sensor was expensive from a parts distributor such as Repco (New Zealand), I found one at an auto-dismantlers for a reasonable price. Once replaced the car has been running without a problem since.

Hopefully this will help someone experiencing the same problem.