98 Ranger And Ford 9" Axle ???

[SMART ASS]

Heard a rummor that theirs something called VSS, and because of this, rangers cant use any other axles in the rear, something to do with the ABS and something called VSS

wtf?

Shouldnt I just beable to get a new driveline, weld up the perches and shock hangers and go???

[Kevbo]

Look at the bright side...speedometer still works the same after re-gearing.

Here's how a guy that put duece & half axles under an F-250 dealt with the same issue:
http://hometown.aol.com/jzettel73/Military_Axle_Swap_5.html

[Paul Gagnon]

VSS is Vehicle Speed Sensor it is used for determining automatic transmission shift points and other things like fuel mixture and spark advance, etc. VSS is usually located near the speedo cable on the transfer case (or transmission if 2wd) and does not affect ABS. The reason that you can't use a 9" and retain ABS is because the 9" doesn't have a tone ring. If you really want a 9" and don't care about ABS you can pull the fuse.

[Rogue Bronco]

VSS = Vehicle speed sensor
Tells the computer how fast the vehicle is going. Also for traction controlled vehicles.
I believe there are ways around it tho, resistors I think.

[4x4junkie]

What axle is currently in your Ranger?
If you have the 8.8", dropping a Detroit in it along with a set of 31 spline shafts will make it very close in strength to a 9". All that VSS crap should still work.

[SMART ASS]

:rolleyes: Yeah, duh, but we picked up the 9" with 4.88's new and installed... We were planing on swaping the 8.8, selling it, and making 400+$ back.


Originally posted by 4x4junkie
What axle is currently in your Ranger?
If you have the 8.8", dropping a Detroit in it along with a set of 31 spline shafts will make it very close in strength to a 9". All that VSS crap should still work. :rolleyes:

[emsoffroad]

becareful of your swap. Not sure about the Ranger, but all kinds of problems happened to my parents 95 F-150 when the tone ring got fawked up by the chunks of spyder/side gears. The chips took a few chunks out of the tone ring. Speedo would jump around, brakes were all f-ed up. It was a stick so it ran fine. Not sure how else to fix it.

[saf-t scissors]

Originally posted by Paul Gagnon
VSS is Vehicle Speed Sensor it is used for determining automatic transmission shift points and other things like fuel mixture and spark advance, etc. VSS is usually located near the speedo cable on the transfer case (or transmission if 2wd) and does not affect ABS.

I dunno about the little trucks, but FS trucks 92+ use the tone ring for *all* speed functions, including ABS, Speedo/Odo, EEC tuning, transmission shifts, etc etc etc.

I'm working on a plan right now to swap 92+ trucks' diff-mounted VSS for a xfer-mounted VSS (in the factory mech speedo location). The only hangup is figuring out which years used a 1000 pulse per mile count, and which used an 8K ppm count.

BTW, it's pretty much necessary equip. The same guys that'll tell you to throw it out are the same ones that :crybaby2: about their EFI not running for sheet.

[Paul Gagnon]

Originally posted by sclemons


I dunno about the little trucks, but FS trucks 92+ use the tone ring for *all* speed functions, including ABS, Speedo/Odo, EEC tuning, transmission shifts, etc etc etc.


The little trucks are different. They still use a mechanical speedo with the VSS being a plug on top. Here is what the baby Ford VSS connection looks like. Ignore the writing, I was explaining how to remove the speedo gear.

[SMART ASS]

Thats on the t-case right? (ford 1998 ranger)
So why cant we just swap out the 8.8 for the 9", and disable the ABS? by pulling the fuse???

Originally posted by Paul Gagnon


The little trucks are different. They still use a mechanical speedo with the VSS being a plug on top. Here is what the baby Ford VSS connection looks like. Ignore the writing, I was explaining how to remove the speedo gear.

[Paul Gagnon]

Originally posted by SMART ASS
Thats on the t-case right? (ford 1998 ranger)
So why cant we just swap out the 8.8 for the 9", and disable the ABS? by pulling the fuse???



You can. That's what I said in my previous post. Before you do that though you might want to pull the fuse and see if you are happy with the braking performance without ABS.

[saf-t scissors]

Originally posted by Paul Gagnon
The little trucks are different. They still use a mechanical speedo with the VSS being a plug on top. Here is what the baby Ford VSS connection looks like. Ignore the writing, I was explaining how to remove the speedo gear.

Pretty picture. I checked the '98 Exploder once I got home. It only has an electronic speedo and diff-mounted VSS.

Regardless, crawl up under your Ranger and look on the back of the xfer. If you have a speedo cable and a sensor with two wires -- probably one black, the other yellowish green with a black stripe -- you found the VSS.

The BW case on the Explorer doesn't have a hole to retrofit a VSS... but you might be able to weld an excitor to the 9" carrier like this: Dana 60 with VSS (http://www.superford.org/registry/showpic.php?pID=1189)

[Paul Gagnon]

Originally posted by sclemons


Pretty picture. I checked the '98 Exploder once I got home. It only has an electronic speedo and diff-mounted VSS.[/URL]

You've made me curious now... I wonder what year it changed. Is your Explorer a V8? This picture is of a '97 transfer case and is identical to the speedo configuration on my '92. I used to have a '98 with the 4.0L OHV but I never looked too closely at the way the speedo cable connects. Also the rearend that I have in my '92 is originally out of a '97 and there is only a connection for the tone ring. Can you take some pictures of your transfer case and rearend?

[emsoffroad]

Originally posted by sclemons



The BW case on the Explorer doesn't have a hole to retrofit a VSS... but you might be able to weld an excitor to the 9" carrier like this: Dana 60 with VSS (http://www.superford.org/registry/showpic.php?pID=1189)

That's pretty cool. But why noy go with a 10.25, already has the tone ring, and plugs in. Don't get me wrong, that's great work.

[saf-t scissors]

Originally posted by Paul Gagnon
You've made me curious now... I wonder what year it changed.

The connection on the rear end will be the same. The only difference is what it connects to. Well, that and the mystery of the 1000ppm vs 8000ppm sensors, which I haven't quite figured out yet.

But it's a 98 Sport, 4.0 OHC and AWD (which I actually like a lot in a DD). There are also speed sensors on the xfer case for this truck, but they're just for the traction control, and are nothing like the standard Ford stuff. I'll get pics for ya.

EMS: Well, I guess because he already had a D60 laying around. Ground clearance, weight, and the fact that 10.25's seem to like munching pinion bearings would be other good reasons why.