Toyota Speed Sensor

Do you make it a practice to take periodic glances at the speedometer of your Toyota whenever you are driving? Well you should. Knowing whether your vehicle is running too fast or too slow is important, that is if you don’t want to break any law and get traffic tickets. But do you know that vehicle speed is important not only to you but also to several components of your Toyota? In fact, a Toyota vehicle may even be equipped with two Toyota speed sensors just to measure the vehicle speed!

So, how important is speed measurement that every Toyota vehicle must be equipped with Toyota vehicle speed sensors? Well, let’s just say that many mechanisms on your vehicle would rely on speed measurements for them to function properly. Various engine components, for example, would rely on the vehicle’s speed for their timing and coordination. Speed measurement is also very important for modern Toyota vehicles equipped with anti-lock brakes.

There are two types of sensors that may be installed in a Toyota vehicle. The first is the Toyota engine speed sensor. The engine speed sensor can be found on the vehicle’s crankshaft, made up of a toothed metal disk mounted on the crankshaft and a stationary detector that records the rate at which the disk is spinning. The engine speed sensor transmits this record to the engine management computer through electric pulses. In turn, the engine management computer would modify engine functions and initiate diagnostic routines using this data.

The second type of speed sensor that may be used on Toyota vehicles is the wheel speed sensor. This type of speed sensor can only be found on Toyota vehicles equipped with ABS brakes. The appearance and working theory of the wheel speed sensor is actually very similar to that of the engine speed sensor, except that it is located near a wheel and is used to record the rotational speed of that wheel. The Toyota wheel speed sensor would transmit the data it obtains to the ABS computer, which in turn would use the said data to prevent wheel lock-ups. In some vehicle models, the engine management computer would use the same data gathered by the ABS computer from the wheel speed sensor, thus eliminating the need for an additional engine speed sensor.