98 MT in an 02, speedometer?

I recently swapped out the stripped manual transmission in my 02 Ranger (a 1L54) with a used one out of a 1998 (a F87A). I only discovered at the end of the job that the 98 trans does not have the VSS sensor, so my truck now has no speedometer. Maybe one of the admins can add a note about the speedometer to the guide here: https://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/InterchangingTransmissions.shtml

Anyway, is there any way to get a working speedometer in my truck now? Any way to add a VSS to a 98 transmission?

Welcome to TRS

No, no simple way to do that.

You can use a Dakota speedometer interface, SGI-5E, to get speedometer working again

Unit is seen here: http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=126/category_id=-1/mode=prod/prd126.htm

On the rear axle is the ABS sensor, it is a VSS sensor, and Rangers used this sensor from 1998 to 2000 for the speedometer, but they also had a GEM module to convert ABS pulses to speedometer pulses, and you don't have that module in a 2002.


Which is where the SGI-5E comes in, it should be installed in the cab, and needs key on 12v and ground

You would splice into the 2 rear axle ABS sensor wires and run those 2 wires to the SGI-5E
Then extend the 2 wires from the old OSS/VSS plug(on 2002 transmission) and run those to the SGI-5E

So you have a Speed IN and a Speed OUT, and you can then calibrate it for true speed
Technically you only need 1 wire from each, as one wire is the ground on each and will both connect to Sensor Ground on the SGI-5E


OSS and VSS are the same things, Ford just renamed it in 2001 as Output Shaft Speed sensor, from Vehicle speed sensor
Ford used tail shaft gear and VSS until 1997 on 2WDs, so if you had a 1997(or earlier) trans it "might" have worked, but pulse count was different.
The 1998 to 2000 didn't have tail shaft hook up

It came back again in 2001 but didn't use a gear anymore, they used a tone wheel instead, but this was calibrated by the computer, OSS wires run directly to computer then out of computer to Speedometer and Cruise
I don't think computer could be calibrated to use rear axle VSS pulse counts but maybe????

Also not sure but.................maybe you could swap tail shaft housings and maybe there is a place on the 1998 tail shaft to install the tone wheel.
Never looked at that maybe someone else has?


I couldn't find the Pulse count for the OSS, but thats what you need to match with the SGI-5E
Ford Speedometers all use 8,000PPM(pulse per mile), and the old VSS with the gear used same 8,000PPM so fed the speedometer directly.
The 1998-2000 rear axle VSS sent out 25,000PPM(approx.) and the GEM down converted it to 8,000PPM
2001 and up OSS has unknown(to me) PPM, but will be less than rear axle VSS PPM, and computer will down converted it to 8,000PPM and send it to speedometer
So you won't use the "standard" Ford conversion to 8,000PPM, you will have to play around with it to get computer to send out the 8,000PPM