VSS-E4OD-Sterling 10.5 Integration Assistance

[Backcountry Pursuit]

Howdy Expo land!

My MG conversion is in the very last final phase and I still have one big dark cloud left. VSS. Here's the quick story of how I got in this mess.

I pulled out my 2WD E4OD from the van and replaced it with an E4OD out of an Expedition 4WD. This Expedition popped up on CL for a part out and $300 for a complete tranny was a hell of a lot cheaper than rebuilding the entire transmission to convert my 2WD to 4WD. I got to drive the Expedition before we tore it out and the tranny was great. I slapped it in my van and I ran into a problem. There was no connector on the tail housing for the VSS! Turns out the Expeditions pull VSS from the T-case UNLIKE the truck E4OD. It appears to be the only difference between them.


Here is how we are planning to solve this and I would like validation from the community we are headed down the right path and hopefully good input on figuring out the math. We plan to splice into the ABS signal wires coming from the rear differential of the Sterling 10.5 and run the wires through the AB001 signal converter I got from Ujoint to the van VSS plug. We need to come up with the proper factor to divide the signal from the rear diff by in order to show the PCM what it expects to see for how fast the van is actually moving.

Known information:

Ford PCM expects to see 8000 pulses per mile. This according to MG and I am inclined to believe he is correct.
Wrangler Duratrac 315/70-17 tires turn 607 revs per mile per Goodyear specs.
Rear axle ratio is 4.30.
Sterling 10.5 has 60 tone ring teeth.

Questions

1. Is the tone ring attached to the ring gear? If so, where does the 4.30 ratio figure into the equation?

2. Does the ring gear turn once per tire revolution? Driveshaft turn 4.3 times per one ring gear revolution?

MG figured it this way.

607 tire revs x 4.3 driveshaft revs per tire rev = 2610.10 driveshaft revs per mile.
4.3 x 60 pulses per tire rev= 258 pulses per driveshaft rev.
2610.10 driveshaft revs per mile x 258 pulses per driveshaft rev = 673406 pulses per mile.
673,405 / 8000 = 84.

We need to divide the ABS signal by 84 to show the PCM what it expects to see.

Abbot had a different take and the engineer said he's never set a correction factor that high before.

He thought simply:
60 teeth x 607 tire revs per mile = 36420 pulses per mile.
36420 / 8000= 4.55 correction factor.

Anybody wanna play with their calculators and help a brother out?

 

[IdaSHO]

Tone ring is located on the ring gear. Revolution matches driveshaft.

Number of revolutions per tire revolution is dictated by gear ratio.

 

[tgreening]

My van is a 1992 so I don't know what differences there may be, I'm also going by foggy memory as to how things worked whenI did my conversion.

I don't recall having to pull any signals from my tranny or xfer case. The connections may have been there depending on what vehicle they came from, but I don't recall having to use them.

The VSS sensor in the rear differential pulls multiple duty. ABS functions, VSS functions, etc. can't remember what all.

Gears have sod-all to do with indicated speed. I went from 4.10 to 4.88 with no change I indicated speed at all. And you don't adjust it by a different toothed gear on the end of your speedo cable like the old days. There's some goofy shorting of pins in some connector someplace and othe electronic voodoo you do to adjust your indicated speed back to actual. And you only get X amount of chances to get it right before the computer thingy stops accepting input.

Have you tried driving it with just the VSS in the rear diff hooked up?

 

[Pinnacle Campers]

Nothing in front of the ring gear matters, neither does the ratio, unless that ring gear has more teeth. The RG teeth is/are the tone rings.
The Ford PCM wants 8000 pulses per minute, just give it to it.
Abbots math is correct. You are just creating a pulse signal based on how many times that 60 pulses happen per mile. If the tire and the ring gear are a direct connection then they both do a revolution at the same time which equals 60.
Now quit fooling around and get it going. 😜

 

[mgmetalworks]

I see my mistake now. I had and extra figurin' in there that I didn't need. It happens...

 

[Backcountry Pursuit]

Nothing in front of the ring gear matters, neither does the ratio, unless that ring gear has more teeth. The RG teeth is/are the tone rings.
The Ford PCM wants 8000 pulses per minute, just give it to it.
Abbots math is correct. You are just creating a pulse signal based on how many times that 60 pulses happen per mile. If the tire and the ring gear are a direct connection then they both do a revolution at the same time which equals 60.
Now quit fooling around and get it going. ��

Thanks Brian. This is a classic case of overthinking. Also a very good learning experience for me. Soon...Gallivanter shall be alive!!!!

 

[Backcountry Pursuit]

I see my mistake now. I had and extra figurin' in there that I didn't need. It happens...

It's ok MG. You are allowed to make a mistake once a year. Now that you've burned it up nice and early in 2017 the rest of the year will be great for you! We still love you.

 

[LeeGX470]

Thanks Brian. This is a classic case of overthinking. Also a very good learning experience for me. Soon...Gallivanter shall be alive!!!!

So sorry to be resurrecting this old thread - but I’m in the same boat and wondering if it worked to tap into the ABS on the Sterling to get a VSS signal? My build is at a standstill right now with the E40D and NV271

 

[Lilnuts]

The 99 to 04 sterlings have the same VSS as the vans. After 05 they dropped the VSS on the Sterling differential. However, the casting is setup to be machined so you can add the VSS to the newer Sterlings.

 

[ujoint]

The 99 to 04 sterlings have the same VSS as the vans. After 05 they dropped the VSS on the Sterling differential. However, the casting is setup to be machined so you can add the VSS to the newer Sterlings.

05-07 Sterlings still have the VSS tone ring.

 

[Lilnuts]

Thanks Chris for the correction.

 

[koxxo]

Hi guys

Im in the middle of converting process my 1998 E150 5.4 gas 2wd to 4wd. I found out that my tranny is also E40D with the gear driven sensor on output shaft.
Reading this thread I assume I will have the same troubles with the sensors and tranny in limp mode
I have collected all parts for the conversion (front , rear axle form F250 year2005, NV271 transfer case, shorter tail housing + shorter output shaft.)
What I have to do with the gear driven sensor?

1. Do I need the tail housing with sensor wheel and other sensor type and then convert the signal using some el. component like Dakota digital?
2. Or Is the solution with splitting rear ABS signal working?

Can somebody post an workable solution, please?

Im located in Europe , so is impossible to find correct parts here, so all I need, has to be sent from US.

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[kpec]

Resurrecting this thread, I have a similar problem on my 97 E350. I am switching from a bw1356 with the slip yoke (failed) to a bw1356 with a fixed yoke. The fixed yoke version does not have the vss built in to the tailhousing. Is there a way to branch off the Sterlings ABS signal and modify it to report as vss to the transmission? Does anybody have a link to the signal converter referenced as "ab001"?

Could the casting of the fixed yoke tailhousing be drilled out to accept the sensor and gear from the slip yoke version? There is a port cast in, just not drilled out...