Darthevo

Hi Folks,

I'm a brand new owner of a Scion XB1 (picked this last Saturday) and have immediately run into a problem with my new baby.

I picked this up used with 25k miles on the ODO for a 2006 XB1. Test drive and full inspection (about an hour of pouring over the engine bay and body) came up fine and I happily went to my local credit union and cut a check to the seller.

Unfortunately as things would have it after I drove it about 30 miles more (back home) the Christmas tree of lights came up (ABS, TRAC OFF, BRAKE, VSS) and my SPEEDO/ODO stopped functioning completely. I pulled my ODBII reader out and pulled a code P0500 when I got home (and miraculously all of the warning lights on my dash disappeared) [Note: I didn't 'clear' any of the DTC codes whilst reading them from my reader, also I didn't get a CEL]. Not convinced that this problem was over I pulled my front two wheels and inspected the wheel speed sensors on the front hub assembly. These look 'normal' (for a 6 year old car with 25k miles) and I found no rips or tears on the speed sensors or anything else that would point toward this malfunction. I then drove it another 20 miles with no error lights whatsoever and speedo and ODO functioning normally again.

When I reached my destination and was showing off my new ride my friend hopped in the driver seat and turned the key in the ignition to the 'on' position only to find out that the warning lights had all come back. We tried multiple times to turn the key to the off position and start it back up again (cranking the engine as well as just turning the key to the 'on' position). But to no avail. The lights would not go away. Still had the reader and still got the same P0500 DTC error code.

I let the car sit and went to dinner and then started it up to drive to another location and this time I had only two error lights (VSC and TRAC OFF). By the time I reached my destination 10 miles away the CEL came on, and pulling the code I still got the P0500. After having a cup of joe I started the XB again and drove home, this time I had all of the error lights (ABS, TRAC OFF, CEL, BRAKE, VSC). Arriving home I didn't check it at all and went right to bed.

I woke up the next day (yesterday) and to my surprise I had no error lights on the dash. This lasted through this morning (where I took the new XB to work on my normal commute of 20 miles) without issue. That is up until this afternoon on my commute home I was once again visited by all lights and errors and a non working speedo/odo.

I'm exacerbated by this problem and have read every forum thread (both here and clubxb.com) trying to diagnose this. I've downloaded the service repair manual for the 2004 and note that the only speed control sensor it mentions is the one on the Driver's side wheel well. I've contacted the dealership and they confirm that there is another one mounted on the transmission itself. Does anyone have any diagrams on this one so I can better identify this? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

rickbreitenfeldt

Causes


A code P0500 may mean that one or more of the following has happened:

• The Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) is not reading (functioning) properly
• There is a broken/frayed wire leading to the vehicle speed sensor
• The vehicle's PCM is not correctly configured for the actual tire size on the vehicle

Possible Solutions

The simplest thing to do is to reset the code and see if it comes back.
Next, check all wiring and connectors that lead to the speed sensor. The location of the sensor depends on your vehicle. The sensor could be on the rear axle, transmission, or perhaps the wheel hub (brake) assembly.
If the wiring and connectors are OK, then check the voltage at the speed sensor. Again, the exact procedure wil depend on your make and model of vehicle.
If everything looks OK, replace the sensor.