Vehicle Speed Sensor Location
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Vehicle Speed Sensor Location
I have a 93 F350 Crew Cab 7.3 Diesel 5-speed with what seems to be a Sterling 10.25 rear diff. I am told the ABS/speed sensor should be on top but I don't see it. Any ideas?
Cross-Country
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You can see the plug circles in one of the photos. I don't see where the sensor would go. The rear end was swapped. I assume with an older model without the sensor. What are my options? Can I pull speed from the transmission? Does this look like the 10.25 diff to you guys?
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I managed to scrub the diff tag to determine the model.
V126A Ford F250, F350 Pickup 85-86 3.55 10.25 NL - -
I am told it has a 4.10.
V126A Ford F250, F350 Pickup 85-86 3.55 10.25 NL - -
I am told it has a 4.10.
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My transmission is a ZF S542. The first year those were introduced was 1987. ABS was also introduced in Ford trucks that year.
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I understand that and was hoping to get some creative workarounds. How did Ford get vehicle speed output before mounting the DSS on the diff? If I could get an aftermarket speedometer hooked up to the transmission that would work. Does the ZF5 support a VSS?
Laughing Gas
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From: Dallas, TX, USA
The ZF5 *can* support a speedometer output, but you will need to look at your transmission's outer casing to see if the hole for the speedometer gears is there but plugged or if they even bothered to machine the casing for it. If they didn't machine the casing, chances are the internal shaft isn't machined to accept a speedometer gear and you'd have to swap in parts from another ZF5 to get that to work. More info: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...f5-tranny.html
I would go look up a compatible axle out of a junkyard or off Craigslist. They're not that hard to swap and that will probably be your easiest and cheapest bet.
Keep in mind that in many states there are legal issues with operating a vehicle without a functioning odometer. Having dysfunctional ABS can also be an inspection failure in some states.
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Thanks for the link. I may end up swapping the rear with a newer one if the transmission sensor doesn't pan out. Where is the VSS whole located on the ZF5? I don't see it on any diagrams. How do I tell if the speedometer gear is in there? Is the current instrument panel going to read signals from that sensor or do I need to go aftermarket?
Laughing Gas
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There's no 'sensor' on the transmission, just a fitting to connect a mechanical speedometer cable. You *might* be able to find an aftermarket speed sensor to connect to it that can convert the mechanical rotations into electrical signals that you could use.
That's a whole lot of work to fix a problem that you could do (swapping rear axle) in a couple of hours for almost no cost. You should be able to sell your existing axle for almost as much as you can pick up a replacement axle for. There's always someone who wants to buy a Sterling axle for their 4x4 project.
That's a whole lot of work to fix a problem that you could do (swapping rear axle) in a couple of hours for almost no cost. You should be able to sell your existing axle for almost as much as you can pick up a replacement axle for. There's always someone who wants to buy a Sterling axle for their 4x4 project.
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I think you are exactly right on the swap. I may have already located one on craigslist. I thought about it not costing anything as I could sell mine. 
The other problem I noticed is the current speedometer has the needle pointing all the way to the right with no signal. Shouldn't it be at zero mph? I am wondering if something is wrong with it. Thoughts?
The other problem I noticed is the current speedometer has the needle pointing all the way to the right with no signal. Shouldn't it be at zero mph? I am wondering if something is wrong with it. Thoughts?