Not sure where to post this one. I'm going over checking my list of "to do's" on the last leg of my project. 3 long years on this build and I can actually see the end now....or is that begining of the next chapter (tuning!!). Anyway, my question:
My new TKO600 came with a Ford elec speedo sensor. I have the necessary connector and wanted to know if I just had to switch the pulse count. I also have some HAL Autometer speedo sensor but I didn't want ot use that if I didn't have to (Ford sensor is already installed and would be d*mn near impossible to get out of the tranny while the trannys is already mounted).
From what I can find researching the number should go from 4000 (GM) to 8000 (Ford).....am I correct?

 

With the ford one, your probably going to be looking at around 64,500 pulses per mile with the 12 tooth reluctor, if my cals are correct. IIRC, there is an aftermarket replacement available that can be used for the GM cars with electronic speedos. Its a gear driven VSS like the stock ones on the T5s. I assume thats what you currently have and dont want to install?

 

Dimented, first off....where did you get your calc? I ask because I searched and searched and only found 8000. Yes, I do have an aftermarket with a gear on the end which can be used in place of the ford one already installed. I'm just being a little more lazy than usual and wanted to find out if I could use the one installed already instead of using the Autometer HAL unit. I can post pics and a part number tomorrow for those who want to see a reference.

 

A pic would definatly help. There are several varients of the TKO available, so I may be confused.

On mine, there are two locations for the VSS. One had the stock ford one, which was capped off. This one has a reluctor under it that delivers LOTS of pulses. The second is in the tail housing, which I got as a gear drive. If you have one already in the tail housing on the drivers side, then its probably 8000 PPM like you said. It depends on the ECM, but it may be possible to scale it in the prom. IIRC, theres a thread on how to do this on the 7730 ECM. Otherwise, youll have to use something to scale the pulses by .5, or swap it out for the GM one. Where is the ford one? On mine, its not that big of a hassle to take the speedo gear drive out of the tail housing. Its fairly exposed. But, it seems like there are a lot of variants of the TKO out there.

 

Dimented....good info man. Pics tonight it is then. I'll take some and post em late tonight.

 

PICS! The sensor with the red cap has 20 teeth and I was told it was for 3.73 rear gears. Driver side of my TKO has the plug and passenger side ford VSS sensor is circled in yellow.

 

The circled one is the one that will deliver lots of pulses. Leave that one capped off for now. You could use it, but youd need something to scale the pulses down.

The plug is where your gear driven unit should go. Make sure you at least have something where the plug is, because itll fall out while your driving and dump 40 some odd dollars of syncromesh everywhere. Its really only meant to keep debris out during shipping and install.

 

Dimented, thanks again. Looking at the OD of the sensor I have pictured all alone looks like it would fit where the ford sensor goes. I'm probably wrong. You're saying the sensor I have pictured all alone would go where the mechanical speed sensors would go...ie the plugged location? I was going to stop by Fortes the first week of March if I can stop all my travelling (work related).

 

The ford sensor has a reluctor behind it and is really a pickup. The plug is for the gear driven sensor/speedo drive. Thats where I have mine installed. So long as your mech. driven sensor provides the correct # of pulses and has teh correct gears installed, you should be good to go.

 

yep, that sensor will go where that black rubber plug is. Its just like the adapters used for retrofitting a GM speedo cable, except that is has the ford head on it, rather than a speedo cable coupler. That part you posted is from autometer? Good to know, I may need something like that soon. Under the red cap, can you still attach a mechanical cable?

 

Yep, the sensor is an Autometer part. I'll post the part number later. I think it's like 5692 or 5691. Dimented, you want to move this thread over to the transmission or electronics forum? Thanks agian for all the info. I'm hoping to be able to post some 1/4 timeslips this year.

 

I loose my magical moderator powers outside of the TBI board, but Im sure one of the other mods can.

Lol, hopefully you'll have better luck then Ive had. In addition to it leaking like crazy at the front of the case, one of my biggest problems was the spohn torque arm and x-member. The TA mount is a bad design. It should use elastomer bushings, but uses pin joints which are sloppy and allow the pinion angle to drift all over the place. At high speed when I let off, I have the worst driveshaft vibrations. I also had to have them move the mount closer in so it wouldnt open the bottom of the sub-frame rails up like a can opener. I think the design is good in theory, but it needs some revisions to make it work good out here in meatspace.

Did you get a chance to check the concentricity of the bellhousing? That was another issue. Took me a month to get the parts I needed with tight enough tolerances. I did some measuring, and Tremec only allows for a total runout of around .010" at the end of the input shaft. This means you have to be within +/- .005" on center and +/- .002" within parallel. These are about the same order of magnitude as the thickness of a human hair.

 

Dimented, I did check for conectricity per Lakewoods specs. I didn't think to see what Tremecs were. D*mn me for being a mechanical engineer and not thinking of tolerance stackup with those pieces. I too am using a Spohn xmember and TA. My TA though is using the spherical end where it mounts to the xmember so I don't know if I'll have the same issue or not....hopefully not I have yet to find a driveshaft outside of Denny's Nitrous version. I had bought a Spohn unit and returned it because it didn't actually fit my TKO600 and Strange 12bot yoke (1350). When you say found the right parts for your concentricity issue, was it offset dowels for the bellhousing??

 

I actually got the spohn DS to work by using the stock C4 yoke.

The sloppy mount issue may not be as much of a problem with the rod end, but elastomer bushings would be the best. You could just crank the bolts down nice and tight and it wouldnt budge or clunk at all. I really wish someone would do some engineering on these parts. The other big issue is the mount sitting 6-8 inches away from the CL of the xmember. Itll yank the two front self-tapping bolts clear out the frame rail. Its a good idea to replace the stock bushings in the frame rail now with actual 7/16 grade 8 nuts and bolts if you havnt done so already. It may still pull them out through the frame rail, but at least itll have a better chance of surviving.

I have the 'stang transmission, so I had to use the McCleod adapter plate, which didnt fit at all without lots of mods. And, on each one, I had to mod the plate before I could even check it, so I had to repeat that process several times before I found one that was right.

 

Wow, I wish I'd been able to use the Spohn DS. I have another post (reply to a post actually) on the fit issue. I couldn't use mine and neither could another 3rdgen member. We both sent our DS's back, received our refund, and Spohn in turn pulled that configuration offering out of his product line. I ordered my TKO600 from JD Perofrmance outta IN but he in turn orders it directly from Mike Forte which is only an hour away... If I'd of know that at the time I would have driven to Mikes and done all of it myself. The whole tranny setup mounted with zero probs so far. We'll see how it is when I actually crank her over and take for a spin. Addtionally I was actually able to use 3 bolts per side on my xmember. Hopefully that will hold or I'm going to buy a welder and go nutz renforcing.