Circuit/System Description

Vehicle speed information is provided to the engine control module (ECM) by the vehicle speed sensor (VSS). The VSS consists of a hall-effect sensor mounted to the transmission case which interfaces with a rotor pressed onto the transmission output shaft. The hall-effect sensor contains a permanent magnet and a semiconductor plate to which ignition voltage is applied. As the output shaft spins, the rotor directs the field of the permanent magnet either toward or away from the plate. The VSS produces a frequency signal that is proportional to vehicle speed. The ECM converts the VSS signal to vehicle speed, displayed on the scan tool in kilometers per hour or miles per hour. The ECM also uses the VSS signal to generate the 4,000 pulses per mile vehicle speed signal used by the instrument cluster.