Does anyone know what year the ranger had them in the transfercase?

 

pre 98 iirc

 

95~97 Ranger/Explorer 4x4's had the transfer case mounted VSS signal generator for the electric speedometer, PCM, GEM and cruise.

For 94 and a few years earlier, the 4x4's had a different style VSS sensor on the t-case that was the input for the PCM and cruise only. The speedometer for 94 and earlier was cable driven.

 

Thanks guys, I'm thinking iam going to being needing the 95 to 97 case , that should work like the vss I had in my rear axle

 

The difference is that the 95~97 VSS signal generator was wired directly to the speedometer, PCM and cruise. The SG used interchangeable gears to correct for axle ratio and tire diameter, similar to a cable driven speedometer.

The original 98~00 VSS/ABS sensor on the rear axle needed a conversion module (GEM or 4WABS Module) to send a readable 0~12v signal and set the frequency for tire diameter.

Switching to the 95~97 arrangement should be workable, requiring only minor wiring changes.

 

All i should have to do is take the vss harness that went to the axle adapt it to the to the vss plug that goes in the transfercase and it should work. Also the 95-97 cases have the front yoke so it would save me in getting a adapter for the front driveshaft.

 

That won't work because they are not the same kind of device - different amplitude, different frequency.

 

Any ideas how i can make it work since i dont have a vss sensor in my rear axle any more since i swaped to the dana 60. I need it so my trans shifts normal.
Thanks again for the help.

 

Was your truck originally RABS or 4WABS?

 

4wabs

 

For a 98~00 4WD 4WABS truck w/ 95~97 transfer case:

Cut the gray/black wire so it is no longer connected to the 4WABS Module connector.
Extend the harness side of the gray/black down to the t-case and connect to the gray/black of the VSS Signal Generator.
Connect the pink/orange of the VSS Signal Generator to a good chassis ground.

Speedometer error correction is done using interchangeable gears at the Signal Generator.

 

Thanks buddy!!! I'm going to be picking up a 96 case on tues and will hopefully tearing into it on fri. I will look for those wires tomarrow after work to see if I can get the idea what going on.

 

Took a pic of the harness that goes in to abs unit and pointed out the gray and black wire, is this the right one?

and the vss signal generator u are talking about is the vss sensor that is coming out of the tranfercase.

 

There should only be one GY/BK (gray w/black trace) at the ABS module.connector. That looks like it could be it but I can't tell for sure from the photo.

The 4x4 VSS Signal Generator is on the output of the transfer case. In the original application, it has a 2 wire plug connected to it with GY/BK and PK/OR wires. Be sure to get a short wire pigtail from the donor vehicle harness to facilitate wiring the VSS.

 

Yup, their is only one gray/with black trac wire in the loom.
doing this will give me the signal that I need , like the signal I got from the old vss I had in the axle?

 

The harness GY/BK needs to be disconnected from the 99 4WABS Module and wired to the GY/BK at the VSS signal generator on the 95~97 t-case instead. The PK/OR at the VSS SG needs to be properly grounded to the body (Ford used the underhood ground point nearest to the 4WABS Module). The VSS system would then be transformed to the 95~97 style.

Depending on the tire diameter and axle ratio combo in the truck, the small plastic gear at the VSS signal generator would probably need to be changed to dial in the speedometer.

 

Thank you. Your info has been very helpful.

 

So lets say I wanted to swap in a NP205 would the 95-97 vss be an option if fits in the np205?

 

If the VSS signal generator fits in the 205 and the output shaft has the right tooth count and the driven gear meshes correctly, I don't see why it couldn't work.

 

Not sure if Ford stuck with the same cable design, seems kind of unlikely.

We are talking about 8k signal generation per mile so an adapter like this may be the answer too?

http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.c...rod/prd109.htm

 

In Rangers with cable speedometers, the plastic speedo gears were different for manual and auto transmissions. I don't know which style was used in the transfer case equipped Rangers or if it would be compatible with the NP205.

The 95~03 speedometers are set up for 8000 pulse/mile and a nominal 0~12v pulse amplitude. I don't know if the DD sensor would work or not. A call to their tech department should help.

 

Got my old case out on friday, cleaned the new one up today and had her in by noon. I can say it a pain in the rear to do this by myself, my back is feeling it already!. wired every thing up

Took it around the block and got her to shift plue the speedo works now, it's off but it does work!

Thanks again Rwenzing for all the help u gave me.

 

Cool.

Unless your particular combo of tire and axle ratio is way out there, you should be able to recalibrate the speedometer.

Use a GPS or chase vehicle to figure out the percent error, then change the tooth count of the plastic gear by that same percentage - in the right direction, of course. If the speedometer reads higher than actual speed, you need to change to a larger gear; if it's lower than actual, you need a smaller gear.

There's a how-to in the Tech Library of www.therangerstation.com that should help.

 

Did this swap a couple weekends ago and everything works great. Haven't GPSed to see how much my speedo is off but I think it's close. I do want to add that the sensor from the 8.8 rear diff takes the same plug as the sensor on the transfer case. I ordered a plug off ebay but ended up using the one from the rear diff as it looked better quality and had longer wires on it.

 

What would you do if the Ranger was a 98 with RABS

Thanks

Brad