Symptoms:

ATS customer said that his 1999 Ford Taurus Tranny code was P0500, the transmission does not shift from 1st gear and it stayed in first all the time. The speedo does not work and he suspected the speed sensor; when he checked it, there was some resistance values but the connection from the computer terminals don’t have any voltage.

Diagnostics 1999 Ford Taurus Tranny Problem:

P0500 means vehicle speed sensor (VSS) fault and must be tested. It is located in the tranny and has 2 wires running on the passenger side of the engine. When testing, checked the integrity of the sensor ground wire (color pink orange). The 2nd wire is the VSS input signal to the ecm terminal which must be tested for continuity and AC voltage.

The car front end can be raised and with tranny in gear, measure the VSS signal wire (color gray black) and increase the speed at least 10 miles an hour. An AC voltage signal should appear using a frequency meter. If no readings are taken, the VSS can be taken out and tested for physical appearance like wear in the gear drive inside the tranny housing. If OK, replace the VSS sensor from Ford parts dealer. When replaced, reset the code by disconnecting the battery negative terminal for 1 minute and reconnect. The car can be started and run on drive again to see if the speedo is working.

The P0500 VSS code should also stop when reset. If not, the speedo electrical circuit must be checked at the instrument cluster. Check for power supplies and continuity to make sure the wires are not broken. If the wires are OK, replace the odometer gage itself.

Notes for 1999 Ford Taurus Tranny Fix:

This repair requires a wiring diagram of the VSS circuit, engine control module (ecm) and instrument panel. The color of the wires and location of the suspected parts can be found using this wiring diagram.

Please do not attempt to repair this 1999 Ford Tranny problem on your own. When raising the car front end, take precaution for your safety by making sure the car is secured and get somebody to assist you when testing vss wires.

Final fix for this tranny code will be supplied later. Please post your comment below if you have any Ford tranny problem. ATS provides FREE trial service service to help you save money in car repairs.

Thanks,

Richard