It's Too Early For Christmas Lights: Post SAS questions

[LittleBigFoot]

This may be long, but I'm in great need of direction. Thanks in advance.

As some of you know I am in the finishing stages of my Dana44 / Ford 9" swap in my 2000 Ranger. I'm having a few issues now that I'm using 30 year old axles on an 8 year old truck.

On her first road voyage, the check engine light came on. No biggie. I've got an OBDII reader. Today I checked the codes, and nothin. Nothin at all. So I unplugged the battery for a few hours and went back, fastened the ground, and no more check engine light. Cool.

Now the tranny is giving me issues. First thing I noticed is that the taco worked and the speedo didn't. Not a big issue. I can go aftermarket or something.

The tranny is a 4R44E Auto. Now in the past, the OD OFF light would start flashing on the dash, and it would quit down shifting. It wouldn't down shift if I pushed the pedal to the floor, or when I came to a stop at a light etc. It seemed to have stayed in the 2nd and 3rd gears. What ever it was in when the OD OFF light started flashing.

This happened on occasion, at very random times. No connection to fluid levels (full and perdy) temperature, or how much I was rhomping on the truck. Shifting into neutral, and turning the engine off, and then starting the truck again would do the trick.

Now if the tranny auto shifts into second gear, no matter what, the same symptoms come back. It stays in second or third, with that damn blinking OD OFF light.

The rear ABS sensor is pulled. The actual VSS is in the tranny, or so I've heard. Correct me if I'm wrong. The ABS sensor is zip tied up to the side because the 9" doesn't have a tone ring. I put a few hundred miles on the 9" rear before I started the front axle swap. No issues, but the ABS light was on. Understandable. I've heard I can get away with leaving the actual sensor plugged in, but not actually into the diff housing.


Now in the front, near the body mounts, there is a set of wires on each side. I never got a good look at what they ran to, nor can I really tell where they come from. Now they're just wrapped up and tied out of the way.

So here are my questions:

Is the 4r44e electric shift or vaccume shift?

If there's a vaccum leak, that would jack up the down shifting, correct?

What do those two front wire sets go to? My assumption it was for the auto hubs, but my hope is they're not ABS/VSS/Tranny related.

Thanks for reading, (if you got this far) and thanks in advance for any help.



Adam

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

Is the 4r44e electric shift or vaccume shift?

its entirely electronically controlled.

If there's a vaccum leak, that would jack up the down shifting, correct?

no.

What do those two front wire sets go to? My assumption it was for the auto hubs, but my hope is they're not ABS/VSS/Tranny related.

if they are electrical wires then they are ABS sensors. if they are vacuum lines, then they are for the vacuum hubs.

your speedo isnt working because it runs off the rear speed sensor (the one you didnt install). IIRC the trans. also uses input from this sensor, which would explain your shifting issues. the front ABS sensors (if thats what they turn out to be) will not effect the trans in any way...you will just have an ABS light illuminated (pull the fuse to the ABS module).

 

[LittleBigFoot]

Thanks for the quick reply, Wicked.

So this looks like all the math I did on my build thread, and then thought i didn't need, I need. So I'm glad I did it.

So for a little more direction:
The tone ring on the 8.8" is a toothed ring on the back side of the ring gear, basicly. Correct?

I've heard and read that there are ways of setting up a tone ring off the t-case output flange, after figuring out how many teeth it actually needs, due to difference in driveshaft rotation vs. ring gear rotation.

And ballsack. The site I read everything on was shut down. Shit balls. I think I still have all the math.


Thanks again

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

yes the toner ring is that thin toothed ring attached to the ring gear.

the other problem with the 9" is it probably lacks the "hole" in the top of the case into which the VSS is inserted.

i suppose a guy could build a t-case driven toner ring...youd just divide the number of teeth on your original ring by your original gear ratio. i cant promise there wont be any unforseen negitive side effects to such a setup...

 

[canyoncritter]

tone ring off of the drive shaft,this way I do belive you need the math

tone ring inside the 9inch
this way I belive the stock 8.8 tone ring will work

 

[LittleBigFoot]

Hey, thanks for the help guys.

I'd be bufu-ed with out TRS.


I've got a buddy who works at a bike and skate shop. His boss builds pre-runners. I stopped by at closing time today, and they said they can order me bicycle style gears at almost any size and almost tooth count. Sweeeeet.

 

[odie1969]

search at dezertrangers.com I know alot of guys over there run the 9'' in newer trucks,

 

[PaleBlue90]

glad to see your figureing this crap out