8.8 axle swap?

[RonD]

Yes, 1995-1997 have no speedo cable but still used the VSS on the old gear drive setup

 

[scotts90ranger]

Fair enough, that would explain the VSS in the speedo input hole of the M5OD on the '97 Ranger... Still learning, I'm up on most of the modern marine spark ignited (at least the GM side) but haven't dug too deep into automotive past about '94...

 

[fixizin]

It's kinda sad that our 3.0 Rangers came with the 7.5 diff, when the lame 4.0 (Cologne) mill of the late 90s put out a "whopping" 15 more HP and like 12 more ft-lbs torque IIRC (despite 33% more displacement, WTH?), and this "increase" "required" the 8.8 rear end. I mean my 3.73 LS 7.5 has been doing fine, but whenever I try to find a cool/functional aftermarket diff cover, the scarcity of what's available vs. the bounty of 8.8 offerings makes me "shake mah hay-ed"...

Side note: right before I bought my 3.0 Flex 4x4 5-speed, I test drove the 4.0, in the guise of the Mazda B4000, also manual trans 4x4, in the mountains of St. George, Utah... SO disappointing, literally could NOT tell the difference from the 3.0--the extra weight of the 4.0 just "swamped" that piddly 15 extra HP... lawdy.

PS: somewhere here on TRS there must be a "Post your 7.5 aftermarket covers" thread...???

 

[scotts90ranger]

It's not simple enough to just compare one Ranger to another... I've had two 4x2 2.3L Rangers one 1990 and one 1997, one had 3.08:1 gears and one has 4.10:1 gears... completely different animals, though it's been 15 years since I drove the '90 in it's original form... Plus there's subtle things with the 4.0L Rangers, they have a taller first gear by about .5 ratio and a 4500rpm rev limit compared to a 6000rpm rev limit... I had a '91 Explorer manual trans that would definitely hold it's own once I put 3.73 gears in it from the 3.55 it came with...

I did stupid things with my 7.5 and it only once complained and that was a shock load, keep some slippery stuff in it and just go with it, no one cares what the diff cover looks like, and it won't care what it looks like... I have a 3/8" plate cover on my 8.8 but I don't think I would have broken a stock cover (except for maybe one of the fiberglass ones) with anything I've done to it...

 

[pjtoledo]

another plus for the 7.5, it has slightly more ground clearance.



it's a slow night, had to type something

 

[fixizin]

Ground clearance is something to consider, esp. when you're "bone stock" like me...

 

[O No 3.0!]

ABS doesn't use "speed" it just watches "pulses per second", if there is a sudden drop, i.e. wheel stops turning, it activates and lowers pressure going to the brakes of that wheel

Speedo/odo uses Pulses per Mile(PPM)
If there is 102 teeth on a tone ring then there would be 102 pulses per axle rotation, then using a tire's Revolutions Per Mile(RPM) you can calculate PPM

This is what 1998 and up Rangers did, via GEM module or Computer, each used "known" 1 revolution pulse count + "known" tire PPM to get the calculated speed/distance to display on speedometer/odometer
If you change either of the "known" data then you have to change it in the calculator as well, or compensate for it

1997 and earlier still used the gear drive type setup so you could just change the driven gear's tooth count to compensate for changes in ratios or tire diameter

Ok. I got the rear swapped out. Have 2 problems. Wheels (14" steelies) wont fit, the axle hub? Is too big, so i used spacers. Problem #2. I have a horrible brake vibration. I checked everything out twice & don't see anything wrong. I am ase certified in brakes & suspension, so i kkow the usual problems. It feels like the drums are warped, but i have a hard time believing they could be warped this bad. My question is: could the abs be causing this? There is no vibration or noise during driving, until you hit the brakes, then holy shit its bad. If it is the abs causing this, can i unplug the sensor & make it stop? I know the abs won't work if i unplug it, but its hard to drive as is.

 

[RonD]

Unless you feel the pulses in the brake pedal ABS ain't the issue

Try backing up and see if braking causes same issue
Just wondering if something in the axle/springs is shifting when axle rolls during forward braking

 

[O No 3.0!]

You can definitely feel it in the pedal. And the harder you push the pedal the worse it gets. The abs light flashes when this happens too.

 

[19Walt93]

That means the ABS is activating. A scanner that can monitor wheel speed sensor signals will head you in the right direction.