# Replacing Speed Sensor



## jamesd3rd (Jun 10, 2004)

Is replacing the speed sensor a Do-It-Yourself job or is it better left to the experts??

If it can be done, where do I find it? How much ground clearance do I need to get to it? Does it need to be torqued to any spec?


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

you can do it yourself. there is only one bolt holding it into the tranny. im not sure what the torque is, but seeing as how its only a 10mm bolt, its not that high. you just need enough clearance to slide yourself underneath the vehicle. just be prepared though - when you pull the sensor out, you will lose some gear oil and make a nice mess of your driveway.


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## jamesd3rd (Jun 10, 2004)

After getting under the car and looking around for about 20 minutes, I found the speed sensor. My mechanic swore that was the reason my 'Check Engine' light was staying on because I explained to him that when the speedometer decides to work, the light goes out.

The issue almost seems to be heat related because when the car sits in the sun the speedometer flutters after a while the starts registering speed and the 'Check Engine' light will go out.

Anyway I replaced the sensor which needed to be replaced anyway as it turns out because the mounting tab had broken and I guess the thing could have vibrated loose. Replacing the sensor DID NOT change anything however. The 'Check Engine' light is still blazing away at me.

A few years back (yes you read correctly, years) I had another mechanic take a look at the problem and he said it was the speedometer head. I guess my current guy didn't buy it because he was sure it was the speed sensor.

If it is the speedometer head. What would I be looking at in terms of replacement? Or is it even worth it on a '93 car. That would mean I wasted $150 on a speed sensor though. How simple of a job is it?


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

to tell you the truth, im not even sure what a speeo head is... ill check my fsm and see what i can come up with. imo, if the vehicle runs good otherwise, the cost of the head will still be worth doing. you can expect to get 200K+ miles out of your altima with regular maintenance, so why not just fix it? for all intents and purposes, a 93 model year car is still worth maintaining when you consider the costs of new cars these days. right?


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## KA24Tech (Feb 2, 2004)

I posted how to test the speed sensor in this thread;
http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=61543
If the tab was broken off then it should have been replaced or else you could have lost the tranny as well if it would have fallen out.

The speedo head seems to be a rather common problem on the 93-95 Altimas. You can replace it yourself but I would try to fix your other electrical problem first if you haven't got the blown alternator dilemma rectified yet.

Troy


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## jamesd3rd (Jun 10, 2004)

The other electrical problem was taken care of. I took the car back Wednesday and told them that the 'new' alternator was only driven on for about 2-3 hours and the Brake & Battery light was ALREADY coming on.

It turns out that the alternator was defective. So I'm back on the road with a new Optima Redtop also. My previous battery had completely dried up. Here I am thinking over the past year it was a maintenance free battery but it wasn't. I guess I had that coming. I can't remember when the last time I ever put water in a battery.

I've read a couple things about speedometer related issues on this forum. One guy mentioned something about a capacitor on the speedometer that goes bad and can be replaced. At least it worked for him. He had been dealing with a flaky speedometer for a few years like me. There are sellers on eBay that have Altima instrument clusters for less than $50. I may call a few junkyards and do some price comparing to decide which route to take. Although the odometer reading will be off.


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