speedo gear question (yes i have searched the subject)

[coolchris]

i hvae a 96 v8 awd with 3.73 gears. i am switching from my stock 29'' tires to some procomp 33's (closer to 32.5) i searched for about 30 mins on the topic of changing the speedo gear to correct the speed, but i just came up wiht a bunch of confilcting info. some people say you need more teeth, some people say you need less teeth on the gear... im not sure but i think i have the 19 teeth gear (ill check when i get my ex back later today) . so will i need to switch to a 20 or 21 tooth gear, or an 18 or 17 tooth gear to make my speedo correct? thanks

 

[Harry5150]

The closest one I believe is a 17 tooth gear. I've tried to located on at 3 dealers but they don't seem to carry that particular one.

My 33's make the speedo show 3-7 mph depending on the actual speed. I can live with it for now.

Harry

 

[410Fortune]

ONce you know what color your current speedo gear is then we can find out what you need. I have a collection of these little suckers as I have changed tire size, gear ratio's, etc, too many time, and next week I;m going to 4.10' and 33's so I'll have yet another color for my collection.

Therangerstation.com has the best info for this.....

 

[coolchris]

ok thanks guys, as soon as i get my truck back ill check it out.

 

[Robert]

If yours has a 19 tooth gear, then you will need a 17 tooth gear with the new tires. When you get taller tires, you need fewer teeth. I have done it already. Once you know the color of yours, use the chart at The Ranger Station and choose a gear with two less teeth under the same category that your original one is in even if it says it is for a manual transmission. My '97 took the gears from the manual section on the chart. Your '96 may be different.

 

[410Fortune]

I have not been able to find any difference between the supppossed manual and auto gears. Besides being different colors they are identical. I mean heck they both have 20 teeth so who cares what color they are? For some reason Ford cared enough to make two different colors with the same amount fo teeth.

 

[coolchris]

i think the difference between the manual and automatic gears is that the manual is a little (1/8'') longer . at least thats what i read.

 

[Robert]

That was the difference I saw at the Ford dealer. I looked at the chart, knowing I needed a 20 tooth gear. I pulled mine out and took it up to Ford and told them I wanted a 19 tooth tan one. They brought it out and I held it up side-by-side to my original one and the new one was about 1/8" shorter. I don't know if it would have worked or not but I wasn't willing to chance it. I asked the guy to bring me a 19 tooth pink one instead. It matched up perfectly to my original one, minus a tooth.

 

[410Fortune]

Holy crap, really?

Hmmm...I dont think I ever checked theuir length.

Thats weird because the 5 speed and auto both use the same t case and speed sensor, so I wonder why there are two different length gears?

I have a 88 BII speed sensor mounted inside a BW 1354 (94 Explorer) transfer case with a black speedo gear and a BII speedometer and cable. Everything works perfect. I still dont know why they would make two different length gears, unless they use these same gears in 2wd vehicles where the speed sensor is in the transmission....

 

[Robert]

On all 2WD Explorers up through '97 the speedomoeter gear is installed in the transmission. That probably accounts for the difference. I'm guessing that all 4WDs will use the gear listed for a manual transmission. On 2WDs it probably takes one for an automatic if it is an automatic and one for a manual if it is a manual. Mine being a 4WD was mounted in the transfer case.