gruven

Anyone know of a cheap(er) place to buy a speed sensor for a 91 Maxima (auto)? Stealer wants $158.11. I think I might start scouring the junkyards for a while before paying out that sum.

«§»Craig B«§»

iTrader: (5)

try calling Courtesy Nissan
www.courtesyparts.com

gruven

Nice. I always wondered why everyone recommended Courtesy. Smart thinking on Maxima.org's part...Was a decent amount cheaper than expected.

They even had a guy that assured me the speed sensor was the issue (being that you can't return electronic parts). So fingers are crossed for the sensor being the culprit.

JDMaxx

hey gruven-
what was it that led you to believe your speed sensor was bad? Is that the same thing as the throttle position sensor? My car is doing some weird things, and I can't figure out what's wrong.

gruven

I did a search on this site and another Maxima site for speedometer. It seems to be a very common problem on the Maxima that when the speedometer AND the odometer fail, yet the tach is working, that the speed sensor is to blame (and not the cluster). However, I haven't tested it or anything, so don't take my word for gold. I'm a gambler when it comes to this car (I'm very well versed in VW, not Nissan), and so far, every bet I've made I've won -- heater core being the jackpot. That was waaaay too much work for the possibility that wasn't the problem. I've actually ended up doing a bunch of work on this Maxima and so far, everything I thought was wrong, was. The speed sensor in this case makes a whole lot of sense, so I'm taking this bet too. I'll follow up when I get the sensor and install it to let people know if it worked or not.

Unlike the VW's which traditionally have used a speedometer cable with gears on both ends, the Maxima uses a speed sensor on the transmission to guage speed, and mileage. The VW's have the same problem, but it's a mechanical issue that easily diagnosed. I don't have a factory manual, so I don't even know if there's a way to throw a voltmeter on the speed sensor and measure resistance. So I'm going to replace it and hope for the best. Wish me luck.