yes, it is the vss. It runs great without it but does sometimes stall when coming to a stop, but thats not nearly as annoying as never knowing when it would decide to drop a cylinder or three then pick them back up randomly

 

As a footnote to the vss problem, after months of driving a sick truck, checking, reading, deciphering and clearing 8 or so codes and finding the vss to be the culprit, after disconnecting the sensor, the one and only code that has come up is "faulty vss" Why didn't it tell me that in the first place?

 

Great question!!!
I have no real idea why it didnt throw a code other than it was "working" even though it was sending a false signal.

 

Sorry if this post showes up twice. I'm still learning my way around the site. Very helpful! My 96 disco lost a head gasket (blowing compression under the exaust manifold (pass. side center) The motor still runs smooth and theres no oil in water etc. I'm hoping a simple gasket replacement will do the job. I'm sure a resurfacing is in order and will be sure to eliminate any heating probs. Is this kind of failure common?

 

Yes blown head gaskets are common on these things.