4406 magnetic Sensor no Speedo Gear

[Muleman36]

Hi All. I've been reading every thread I can find and planning for a couple years. I finally was able to get a 4406 swapped into my 97. Trouble is, I don't know how to get the speedo to work again.

My 97 had a Speedo Gear in the AWD case. So, I was careful to make sure to purchase a 4406 case with a Speedo pickup in the tail housing.

However, the 4406 case I have has a magnetic (tone ring) style sensor. Is there a way to make this work with my rig? The plug is the same(wire was short, but I already remedied that).

 

[410Fortune]

You have a couple of options
Use a Dakota digital speedometer drive device and then convert the signal from your Hall effect style vss to drive your 97 speedometer
Or
Convert your 4406 to the drive and driven gear style vss
This involves removing the tailhousing and replace the tone ring with the drive gear and check ball

I have some info about this in my older threads let me see what I can fin d

 

[Muleman36]

You have a couple of options
Use a Dakota digital speedometer drive device and then convert the signal from your Hall effect style vss to drive your 97 speedometer
Or
Convert your 4406 to the drive and driven gear style vss
This involves removing the tailhousing and replace the tone ring with the drive gear and check ball

I have some info about this in my older threads let me see what I can fin d

Thank you 410Fortune. I was hoping you'd see this I remember reading somewhere (in years past)that a tail housing had been swapped, I was hoping it was for the speedo gear, but couldn't recollect or find much detail when trying to search for it again.

 

[410Fortune]

I recently replaced the drive gear in a 4406 I have pictures of this process

In my “410fortune goes low range” thread from years ago all the pics are down because I do not host them anymore! I do have the pics on my pc at home (can get them later)
In
My old 96 xlt truck I think I removed the magnetic sensor and converted it to gear drive vss that was many years ago!

With that said, nowdays you can simply use the Dakota box to produce the 8000
Pulse per mile signal your speedometer is looking for.
The Dakota box can use any speed sensor and transform the signal
It is also Bluetooth enabled so you can adjust the mph As you drive
They are about $105
I have installed many of them
I have thread showing the basic wiring and setup

 

[410Fortune]

03 fliptrac $700 daily driver (summer of fun with 4 sport tracs)

5 cupholders front Two back! Radio sucks I hate all the commercials I am Bluetooth all day with Spotify Wife ordered me atoto w rear camera! $165 on amazon woooohooo I’m saving my money for new lifters and maybe some aluminum heads ;) can use 6 disc as small partial trade

www.explorerforum.com

4406 vss drive gear replacement

 

[410Fortune]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7P8SN?tag=seriouexplor-20

 

[Muleman36]

I recently replaced the drive gear in a 4406 I have pictures of this process

In my “410fortune goes low range” thread from years ago all the pics are down because I do not host them anymore! I do have the pics on my pc at home (can get them later)
In
My old 96 xlt truck I think I removed the magnetic sensor and converted it to gear drive vss that was many years ago!

With that said, nowdays you can simply use the Dakota box to produce the 8000
Pulse per mile signal your speedometer is looking for.
The Dakota box can use any speed sensor and transform the signal
It is also Bluetooth enabled so you can adjust the mph As you drive
They are about $105
I have installed many of them
I have thread showing the basic wiring and setup

At this point, I really don't care which route I go. It'd just be nice to have the wife stop complaining about my "POS" not having a speedo anymore. Lol.

Ironically, I do have an extra 4406, but it has the same magnetic sensor as the unit I have in the 97. I thought I had covered all of my bases in my research, but something slipped through. I'll try to search your posts for the Dakota box and see if I can find your install thread. I found their "8k pulse generator" on their website, but can't seem to find the box. That unit sounds pretty trick with the ease of adjustment. Thank you again for all of your help (both past and future). I've drooled over some builds on here for awhile. Lol

 

[Muleman36]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7P8SN?tag=seriouexplor-20

I've given it some thought, and I'm really considering going with the Dakota Box now.

Ford Ranger forum

The Premiere Site For Ford Ranger Enthusiasts

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After reading your post on the other forum, I am hoping I can make this work with my current magnetic tailshaft sensor. I already extended the factory wires to be able to connect. Hopefully, I can find the wires in the engine compartment on the abs module. Should it be the same number of pulses as the 8.8 sensor you were discussing in the above thread(adjusted for gearing and tire size)?

 

[410Fortune]

No it will not be the same number of pulses because it’s a completely different speed sensor!

You can of course use the rear axle sensor as I did

Or you can use the sensor in your tailhousing that you already extended the wires for

Should be able to figure out how many pulses it is generating one turn of the rear driveshaft will result in how many pulses based on how many notches are in your speed sensor drive wheel

The Dakota is the way to go
You already have all the speed sensor signals you need
Any wheel speed sensor or output shaft sensor can drive the Dakota

 

[Muleman36]

No it will not be the same number of pulses because it’s a completely different speed sensor!

You can of course use the rear axle sensor as I did

Or you can use the sensor in your tailhousing that you already extended the wires for

Should be able to figure out how many pulses it is generating one turn of the rear driveshaft will result in how many pulses based on how many notches are in your speed sensor drive wheel

The Dakota is the way to go
You already have all the speed sensor signals you need
Any wheel speed sensor or output shaft sensor can drive the Dakota

Okay, I ordered the Dakota box... Now to figure out where the wires from my new tailshaft sensor terminate while I wait for it to arrive. Lol. I may end up using the same signal that you did (conveniently located).

 

[410Fortune]

The vss sensor wires go straight to the gem module and pcm on a 97
Using the rear axle sensor at the abs pump is a good way to go also, you only need the one wire… the ground side was not needed for the Dakota I would discover later

 

[Muleman36]

The vss sensor wires go straight to the gem module and pcm on a 97
Using the rear axle sensor at the abs pump is a good way to go also, you only need the one wire… the ground side was not needed for the Dakota I would discover later

I just need to figure out which of the two vss wires is signal and which is ground...

I also need to figure out which color wires (and pins) I'm hunting for at the GEM. Every wiring guide I have found is behind some ridiculous pay wall online where I have to join a website just to see if they even have the information I'm looking for. Do you know of anyone that has access to a shop wiring manual for 1997?

That, and since my vehicle is a 97 (5.0) it's looking for the signal from a gear driven speed sensor, I believe I should be trying to convert it to either 4000 or 2000 ppm(or am I way off?). I have a trip coming up and I'd really like to have cruise control.

 

[boominXplorer]

You can always add the correct sensor but getting the speedo sleve on the output shaft is the hard part. I took my output shaft to the machine shop to make the spot for the ball to sit in under the gear. It's impossible to drill into it. The tail housing from the electric 4406 will swap, the output shaft will not.

 

[410Fortune]

Hmmmm I added the check ball to my 4406 with a dremmel and Diamond bit back many moons ago when I converted my old 96 to a 4406m

I have the wiring books with the info you need…but it will be a couple of days before I am back at that shop.

The grey with black is the vss signal
The other wire is ground I believe

I’ll post up the wiring info asap

 

[boominXplorer]

Hmmmm I added the check ball to my 4406 with a dremmel and Diamond bit back many moons ago when I converted my old 96 to a 4406m

I have the wiring books with the info you need…but it will be a couple of days before I am back at that shop.

The ground wire is the grey/black the other wire is the signal

I’ll post up the wiring info asap

That's exactly how the machine shop did it. I think they used an abrasive type round ball to grind it out slowly. They tried drilling and said it wouldn't make a mark on it.

 

[Muleman36]

You can always add the correct sensor but getting the speedo sleve on the output shaft is the hard part. I took my output shaft to the machine shop to make the spot for the ball to sit in under the gear. It's impossible to drill into it. The tail housing from the electric 4406 will swap, the output shaft will not.

I have already purchased a Dakota Digital SGI-100BT Signal interface box to convert the signal coming from the hall effect VSS to the correct pulse rate. So I won't be needing to drill or otherwise modify my output shaft.

I am currently scouring the internet for a wiring pinout for the GEM so I can splice into the correct wires.

Is 8000 ppm the signal that a gear driven vss produces?

 

[410Fortune]

Yes the dash is expecting 8000 ppm in our fords
The tailhousing mounted vss produces this signal (95-97)

This should be the gem module wiring you need I believe it is same for your truck

https://ford-rangers.com/gallery/171/171_011037_140000000.jpg

 

[Muleman36]

Yes the dash is expecting 8000 ppm in our fords
The tailhousing mounted vss produces this signal (95-97)

This should be the gem module wiring you need I believe it is same for your truck

https://ford-rangers.com/gallery/171/171_011037_140000000.jpg

Awesome. Thank you!

I was in there this evening... Not much extra wire to play with, that's for sure.

Looks like I'll be taking the focus on this trip instead of the explorer & a motorcycle trailer. I just didn't get it together in time.

Odd question. When removing the radio bezel/surround I noticed a grey plug just stored in the backside of the bezel(like a spare fuse on a fuse box lid). The 4 wires were flat in orientation to each other. Colors were: black, white with red, white with blue, and red with black... Is this a trailer brake controller connection or something for the factory subwoofer that my rig does not have? I'm just curious about it now. Lol


Thank you again for your help.

 

[410Fortune]

Those are the wires for the 4wd switch if your truck was a v6

Good luck on your trip the Dakota will be there when you get back!

 

[FletcherHubbards]

Hi All. I've been reading every thread I can find and planning for a couple years. I finally was able to get a 4406 swapped into my 97. Trouble is, I don't know how to get the speedo to work again.

My 97 had a Speedo Gear in the AWD case. So, I was careful to make sure to purchase a 4406 case with a Speedo pickup in the tail housing.
Nox Vidmate VLC
However, the 4406 case I have has a magnetic (tone ring) style sensor. Is there a way to make this work with my rig? The plug is the same(wire was short, but I already remedied that).

Use a Dakota digital speedometer drive device and then convert the signal from your Hall effect style vss to drive your 97 speedometer