explorer overhead console wire problem

larsen101 · Apr 6, 2009

im putting the ford explorer overhead in my 87 ranger. i was reading through the tech lab post on how to do the wireing and it said that to have the temp sensor to work that i need to connect a wire to the speed sensor or it wont work right. the problem i have is there is no speed sensor in my ranger. does anyone know if this would be a problem and if so what could i do?

Downey · Apr 6, 2009

i was told in my 94 to take that wire and run it do the pcm and connect it to the black and gray wire and it will work. I dont have it hooked up in my truck right now and it still works fine

Chris.S. · Apr 6, 2009

hmm,

Why does the temp sensor need to be hooked up to the speed sensor I wonder?

triumphrider-1 · Apr 6, 2009

My assumption would be to corret for wind chill related temperature change.

i.e 30F ambient, no wind feels like 30F; but 30F with 50mph winds feels A LOT colder than 30F.

larsen101 · Apr 6, 2009

ok i will try that

oldjohnny · Apr 6, 2009

triumphrider-1 said:
My assumption would be to corret for wind chill related temperature change.

That, and to disperse Engine heat while you let the truck stand still.

If you put the sensor where the wind won't hit, you should be fine. I put mine besides the radiator where the wind does not reach. The only problem is when the truck is idling at stop signs. The heat will get to it. The temperature will go up by a whopping 15 degrees from the engine heat at most, but that gets fixed once you start moving again. I usually find that my temperature is always off by 1-2 degrees (up or down) when I drive around. You should be fine. It's not like you're a meteorologist anyways so having a dead on temperature reading is not necessary anyways.

If you want a pic of the location of my sensor, I can upload one by request.

Ranger#1 · Apr 7, 2009

but the tech article said that it will not show temp changes if speed sensor wire is not connected and i am at thiss delema now too with my 90

oldjohnny · Apr 7, 2009

It will show change. Without the speed sensor, the console will think you will always be at a still. The only thing that the speed sensor does is tell the console that the truck is in motion so that it can calculate the wind chill or the engine heat. Console will work fine if you put the sensor out of the wind's reach. I didn't tap into the speed sensor and my console works just fine.

locovaca · Apr 7, 2009

The temp sensor does nothing with Wind Chill. It's solely for keeping from the engine causing artificial temp spikes. When I put mine in I connected it to the wrong line (why the @#$! would Ford make both the VSS line and the Cruise Servo line Gray Black when they run on the same package is beyond me). The temperature would go down quickly, but never came up, even if the car had been sitting off for several hours. After connecting it to the right line the temperature would change very quickly up and down based on the air temp. It is very much worth getting it connected.

If you do not have a VSS line (which seems odd to me, based on this: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/speedometer.htm), then you could try tapping in to your tach sensor. It doesn't care what speed you're going at, it just needs to see *some* sort of indication that the wheels are turning. But I can guarantee you that you will not get the full effect with the line disconnected.

larsen101 · Apr 8, 2009

so not to sure here now. will it work without hooking up to the speed sensor?

locovaca · Apr 8, 2009

It "works" in that you get a fully functional compass and a halfway working thermometer. However, your temperature gauge will be wonky and won't ever go up in temp, only down.

oldjohnny · Apr 8, 2009

The temperature will go up. I didn't hook up my speed sensor and the temperature goes up just fine. I don't see why people say it won't go up. Mine has worked fine without the speed sensor.

EDIT
So, I decided to record a crappy video and show you what happens with no VSS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFcYKmyVcew

This is what actually happens when you don't hook up the speed sensor. After letting the engine warm up for 2 minutes, you can see that the temperature will start going up.
This tends to happen during stop signs every now and then. But if it goes up, it will go down to normal temperatures after your vehicle starts moving again. It's no biggie to me since the only reason I got the console was because I wanted extra lighting. I noticed that while driving, the vehicle maintains an acceptable temperature reading. Hopes this helps.

GSUhooligan · Apr 9, 2009

It may be where I mounted it, but I just installed one of these last night and when you first start off, it will move a couple of degrees, but for my entire 1 hour commute mine read 65 degrees (It was high 40's low 50's this morning). I mounted mine basically directly under the driver's seat (outside, I'm not THAT stupid) on a clip that is run with the fuel line. The clip was a perfect fit, It's a "C" bar so is seems pretty protected, and I didn't cut enough wire when I pulled the sensor from the JY, so I wanted to mount it close. I didn't wire up the speed sensor either, so I wonder what my problem is; speed sensor or mounting location.

oldjohnny · Apr 9, 2009

Mhh. I would suggest you put it somewhere near the radiator. I will try to get a pic of where mine is. I put mine somewhere besides the drivers headlight. In this place, the wind does not hit it and engine heat gets dispersed easily. Just add more wire and run it through the firewall.

larsen101 · Apr 9, 2009

ok i think i got it now. i will try just not connecting it and see what that does

explorer overhead console wire problem

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