[KentuckyLegend]

Picked up my Legend last night from the mechanic I use. I had the timing belt/ water pump done. Joe Jackson imports here in Louisville (this guy was a mechanic for honda racing). However he has mechanics working for him so he doesn't do all the work. Price paid was $490.

Driving home I got pissed. D4 started flashing, check engine light came on and speedo didn't work. Also noticed my Auto Legend was shifting with a sling shot effect instead of the normal crisp shifts. Got it home check the engine code and after a little troubleshooting found the VSS was left unplugged along with another cable just next to the VSS cable (?). Cool found the problem! Legend started shifting crisply again. Yes!

Question what about the speed sensor not being hooked caused the car to shift with a sling shot effect? Any ideas?

 

[WhiteLegend]

yes, the transimission is also tied into the VSS. w/o the VSS the tranny would not know the shift points.

 

[ThaAcStangSwerver]

Think of it like this........your VSS controls tranny shift points also. So if your VSS isn't hooked up the tranny is like............(upon Acceleration) "Alright, we're rolling but where that ****ing signal from the VSS? Because it's time to shift." (At the shift point, still no VSS. So your tranny is like.....) "Im'a wait just a little longer!!! If he don't send that signal, i'm just gonna shift out myself. I might be a little late but I can't wait forever for Mr. VSS...Remind me to write him up!!!!" (After the ideal shift point has come and gone........) Tranny says...." Ok, that does it!!! VSS ain't sending the signal so i'll just shift it out my **** self!!!!!!"


- Thus the delay and harsh late shift.

-The End

 

[KentuckyLegend]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Sean L]

VSS=vehicle speed sensor, it tells the car's computer how fast the car is going, and that affects the transmission, as well as the electronic speedometer.

 

[Alexg]

Hi there,

I have a 1998 RL with 87500 miles.
I've been having the same problems, the D4 starts flashing and the engine light comes on. the shifting is bad and the car just will not go.
After tunrning the car off then back on the transmission works again, but the engine light stays on.
I took it to the dealer and they replaced a "bad selenoid, shifter" for about $550.
A week later it happened again. Called the dealer and I was told that I needed to replace the transmission.

Could this be happening because of a bad VSS???
Any ideas??

Thanks
Alex

 

[wtobiasjr]

I had the timing belt/ water pump done. Price paid was $490.

Wow. That's a great price, even with the VSS hiccup. I paid about $900 a couple years ago...

 

[legend1975]

Picked up my Legend last night from the mechanic I use. I had the timing belt/ water pump done. Joe Jackson imports here in Louisville (this guy was a mechanic for honda racing). However he has mechanics working for him so he doesn't do all the work. Price paid was $490.

Driving home I got pissed. D4 started flashing, check engine light came on and speedo didn't work. Also noticed my Auto Legend was shifting with a sling shot effect instead of the normal crisp shifts. Got it home check the engine code and after a little troubleshooting found the VSS was left unplugged along with another cable just next to the VSS cable (?). Cool found the problem! Legend started shifting crisply again. Yes!

Question what about the speed sensor not being hooked caused the car to shift with a sling shot effect? Any ideas?

Same problem here in KY. This just started. My D4 light flashes even when taken out of D4 and put in park or neutral. Speedo starts going whacko. It was doing it real bad although it never effected my shifting. Before I could get it in the shop, it stopped and has worked fine for several weeks now, ODD!

$490 for that. I need a water pump. Where in Louisville? Did he do a good job? I use to take my BMW to Scott Hall Imports, he always did an excellent job, he does work on Acura's but is primarily a German Import mechanic. I'm looking for a reliable won't rip you off non-stealership Acura mechanic.

 

[OverDrive]

well crap... Mine D4 light blinks and the speedometer fails on the road when its raining, But when its dry it drives just fine, A couple days ago the speedometer was working just fine but the d4 light began to blink right after 30 mph???? any thoughts

 

[pasha95GS]

LOUISVILLE REPREZENTS!!!! WOO HOO!!!

This is by far the most Kentucky members I've known to be on this forum. Didn't think there was that much representation here. Anyway, legend1975 welcome to the forum. You'll find all the help that you need right here. Too bad I'm selling my car or we could have had a mini meet. In what part of Louisville are you?

Your issue is a very common intermittent problem with the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) as mentioned. It's expensive to repair the entire VSS assembly so Acura has a VSS repair kit which solves the problem and costs much less. Cheapest I've found is on Ebay for $75.00 (Click here).

Best part is the directions to replace the unit come with the kit. One thing you'll need though is a Torx T20 tamper-proof driver (star-shaped head with hole in the center). I've got one if you want to borrow it but they're not too expensive. This repair should probably take about an hour. Check out THIS thread for a good DIY.

I don't have any experience with them but Scott Hall Imports' price sounds good but that may not include parts :dunno: You may want to check it out and price parts from Acura of Augusta. I usually take my car to St. Matthews Imports. They're a little pricey but they know their Hondas and Acuras. I would stick with genuine Honda belt and WP but that's just me. Good luck.

 

[truonghthe]

wow my car has no d4 light and the gear were shift correctly and the speedometer were not work and it still running right. J/K i had a bad VSS but my Legend is a 5spd MT so thank god it has no relation to the tranny after the vss decide not work. I had changed my VSS about two week ago every thing is back to normal now. it took me 1h10m to do the vss it was very easy and simple lol.