P0793 - Intermediate Shaft Sensor SOLVED

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350kVibe
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2018 1:01 am
Location: Eastern North Dakota

P0793 - Intermediate Shaft Sensor SOLVED

Post by 350kVibe »

One day you start up your vibe and are greeted with 3 lights on your dash.
1. Check engine.
2. VSC (Vehicle Stability Control)
3. Traction Control Off

Maybe your car seems to be running fine, maybe the warning lights don't even stay on for long, but you take it to your local parts store for a quick scan and pull up this code..

P0793

The details read "Intermediate Shaft Speed Sensor [A]"

If you have no other codes, then that is exactly what the problem is. It is a speed sensor on your transmission, nothing more, though there are misleading mechanics and forums out there that will try to scare you into replacing the PCM and all the wires because this is one job where the part is more expensive than the labor (which shouldn't be more than 30 dollars for this 15 minute job depending on where you live) and the replacement sensor costs right around 100 bucks.

If you're super tight on cash and haven't noticed any serious effects of this failing sensor yet, it shouldn't harm anything if you need to continue to drive your vehicle for a few days. However, keep in mind that without this sensor to guide it, your transmission may behave somewhat erratically, unsure of which gear it should be in at a given speed. This could mean refusing to shift beyond 3rd gear, stalling when the rpms drop due to a delayed downshift, or jumping to 4th on takeoff and leaving you near powerless in the middle of a busy intersection. Use your best judgement. For the record, I drove mine (2009 Vibe GT 2.4) with these quirks for 2 months before I actually fixed it thanks to first pursuing a lot of misinformation I got from the dealer and 2 separate transmission "specialists" in town... I don't recommend doing any of that.

If you decide to replace it yourself, like I eventually did.. note that the sensor to which this code refers is one of two accessible from above, slightly hidden under your air filter (take that off first and you're golden). ;) If you don't want to lose an extra twenty minutes, replace the one on the left, near your transmission dipstick (like I DIDN'T at first). :oops: The other is awkwardly under the battery and shouldn't be as tempting anyway. :lol:

You may need to have the codes cleared once you've finished.

I hope this helps someone. Cheers!
2009 Vibe GT
zbyers
Posts: 1769
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:12 pm
Location: Sheffield, Pennsylvania

Re: P0793 - Intermediate Shaft Sensor SOLVED

Post by zbyers »

It's also common for the speed sensor to get wet and cause the code to be thrown. Usually if you yank it out, clean up the contacts, and add some dielectric grease, you should be good to go.
'74 Thing, '79 El Camino, '83 VW DoKa '91 Vanagon, '03 Base, 04 GT
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tpollauf
Posts: 4032
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:37 am
Location: Toledo/Oregon, Port Clinton Ohio
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Re: P0793 - Intermediate Shaft Sensor SOLVED

Post by tpollauf »

350kVibe wrote: Wed Dec 11, 2019 12:02 am It is a speed sensor on your transmission
Makes me glad my 09 GT has a manual transmission !!! :o
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2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

"everything is modifiable"
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