2001 Tundra Speedometer and Odometer not working

Hi there, looking for some guidance or tips on issue I am having with 01 Tundra. Last week my speedometer stopped working, noticed today odometer hadn't moved either. I plugged in my simple scan and speed reads 0. I found some youtube vids that stated if I was reading 0 it may be the vehicle speed sensor. Anyone have any issues with this before. I looked at tail end of transmission and the sensor I think is the vehicle speed has a long piece with small white rubber looking gear. Connections look good and when I pulled sensor out it looks in pretty good conditions. Would testing sensor and sensor connection with a multimeter be a good idea, tips? Any one know if this is the right sensor? there is another one directly next to the one I pulled out. Truck does not have ABS wheel sensors so I don't think its that, read that is a cause on some vehicles. Any info appreciated, thanks.

 

I've had this happen on my motorcycle in the past and it was my speed sensor.

 

What magical 1st gen do you have with no ABS/WSS?

 

I guess one of the 2001s that had optional ABS, I didn't see wheel sensor or the octopus looking thing under the hood.

 

Best I can do is from the 2001 FSM for testing.

Mind taking picture....is it similar to this 2001 ?

For future reference, us knowing more than just year can be a big help....2WD or 4WD, CAB type(AC,DC,Reg Cab), Engine(V6/V8)....etc.

You got one of these that was optional ABS ?

from the 2001 brochure....

 

Mine has no ABS as well. I've been around 3 first gens on a semi regular basis and I've never seen one with ABS honestly.

 

My 2000 has 4 wheel ABS. The ABS module is passenger side under the hood behind the power steering fluid reservoir. It was optional though.

 

Unicorns are a lot less special when you all come running out of the woodwork at once

 

Thanks for the wiring info, going to troubleshoot after work today. Here is a pic of the sensor I took out, I did notice the white gear wheel has teeth very worn down compared to what I have seen from new products, thinking maybe that may be the issue and its just that part of the sensor. I'm thinking I could manually spin it and see if odb reader picks up speed.

Here is pic of sensor, i'm going to look up manual to see what sensor next to that is.



and here is a picture of the truck, I bought the thing last year, at pretty good price, one owner in public records, old guy who had passed 8yrs ago and sat in driveway neglected ODO read 72k, son sold to me. Basic paint refresh and changed out most of suspension on weekends, a radiator and spark plugs. hope to keep for another 20yrs.

 

Real nice find and if taken care of properly, many many more miles to go. From the looks of things, in particular the oxygen sensor, frame and other components, that truck ain’t been up north much.

Welcome BTW, won’t find a better group of folks to help you, especially help you spend your money

Consider adding certain info, especially truck description to your profile.

https://www.tundras.com/account/personal-details

 

Thanks BubbaW, central fl truck. Unfortunately I don't drive much now since I started remote work so I try and take long 2-3 hr trips on weekends with kids to get the lungs on truck opened. It's been fun having my 8yr old help me with this truck, even helped me find the crankshaft position sensor that came undone due to cracked plastic, that was a pain trying to figure out why it wouldn't start.

And yes I am starting to see on here many interesting ways to spend my money...I want to do some exhaust work to annoy my virtue signaling prius drivers next door. ....still better than paying 60k for one of these new garbage trucks that don't have v8s.

 

If I'm not mistaken, you must have 2WD(A340E) according to layout showing in your picture. The one you're fooling with is indeed the VSS and the other one is what Toyota calls No. 2 VSS.





If wiring diagrams and factory service manuals will help you out, take a look at below link. In about the first para is links to those items.

So ... you wanna buy / just bought a 1st Gen Tundra, eh? | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com)

 

Yep 2wd...updating my profile with that.

Thanks, I need to go read up in documentation how those 2 interact, wondering if one is the input and the other the output. I'll test both of the sensors, pretty easy to remove, gotta love how much room there is under this truck. I'll be back hopefully with a positive update. Thanks yall!

 

You'll probably run across in your reading but appears No. 2 is the leader and No. 1 is backup.

 

Links to download manuals etc. are a couple paragraphs near the top of this overly-long novel of a reply, many of which are thanks to @BubbaW : https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

One other point about crankshaft position sensor - another common thing that happens, if the wire isn't properly restrained as Toyota shipped it from the factory, it'll rub against the serp belt, develop a nick, or sever a conductor totally. This happens more often than not when the timing belt gets done, the installer doesn't properly secure the wire. Timing belt (per Toyota) is supposed to be done every 9yr or 90k miles, whichever comes first, yours may not have been done yet given the history you just outlined.

Gorgeous truck! And the best cab type!

 

My 2000 4x2 SR5 AC doesn’t have ABS

 

I was gonna bring up the same thing here.

 

Update: Issue fixed

As reported speedometer, odometer and cruise control stopped working and a P0500 VSS error code but no issue with transmission shifting. I started with search on the electrical and speed sensors. No fuses or loose connectors...used info here to test both speed sensors. I didn't think it was the No2 but I decided to test both either way...both checked out okay. The other sensor has the gear that manually spins...I took a close look at the gear wheel and while it wasn't broken it looked far from the way it should, it had concavity in the center of wheel. If that makes any sense, basically the gear was not straight, seemed odd so I ordered a new VSS...yall don't kill me I ordered an ebay one for 37$ from ISUNO not OEM...the OEM one was 160 at the local chains and more at toyota...its 1 screw in easily accessible location so I took risk.

I guess when you buy a truck with low miles that sat unused for about 8yrs it's a whole set of problems a lightly consistently and well maintained truck might not have.

As noted I should probably look at getting timing belt, pump and that stuff probably changed out soon. I'll add to my list after the power steering lines that started to drip after I changed out all suspension and rack and pinion last winter...guess I was a little to rough or again just old plastic, seals and rubbers cracking when they get moved around.

Thanks for all the help and hope this thread helps any others who come across similar issues, just glad I didn't have to take dashboard apart or mess with ECM...for now.

 

Thanks for posting back with the end answer - definitely will help others. I think everyone here gets it, with the non-OEM part in this case. I would've probably hit a junkyard to pull from a similarly equipped truck if possible, but it's a little easier to manage around ATL (maybe near O-town too, dunno)

Regarding the rack, consider moving to poly bushings. Others have reported good success.