Speedo Calibrator - why spend $100 MORE than I have to???

[gnarlycharlie4u]

Speedo Calibrator on 2000 2.5L w/ RABS

tl;dr - Bought the SpeeoHealer. Installed it (correctly?), but it doesn't work. Anyone have any idea why?

I need a speedo calibrator and in doing my research I have come across a variety of options.

The two that stuck out for me were:
1) the Superlift TruSpeed which I know has been used successfully by someone on here.
2) the HealTech SpeedoHealer which is the best motorcycle speedo calibrator on the market.

From what I can tell they both basically do the same thing right?
They take the signal from the VSS and change it before sending it to the PCM which in turn runs the speedo/odometer.
Well technically... it changes the signal from the ABS Module in my case since I have a 2000 Ranger, or the GEM module for you 2001+ dudes


I can't see any reason why the Superlift TruSpeed would work and the Speedo Healer wouldn't.
Can someone please explain to me why I should pay $100 more for a product that isn't half as good as it's counterpart?
And please don't say "well because one is made for a bike durr." I won't even waste my breath to call you an idiot.


Comparison:
S.H. vs T.S.

• SH + TS both have dual bank memories for storing 2 ratios. -Tie
• The TS is "weather resistant" but cannot be mounted too close to heat, like the engine. The SH is 100% weather proof and has a flame retardant wiring harness. But it doesn't matter since it'll be mounted in the cab sooo... -Tie
  ...actually... The SH's leads are protected against reverse voltage and short circuits. So, -SH + 1
• The SH is smaller and lighter. So mounting is easy. -SH + 1
• The SH has a detachable button for the top speed recall (displays on your speedo ) -SH + 1
• The SH is all digital so there's no "turn knob 28.5 times and do a backflip" to adjust it. Just put in the exact % you want and you're done. No estimations. -SH + 1
• The SH adjusts to the nearest .1% the TS only goes to 1% (if you can manage to adjust it properly) -SH + 1
• The TS has been known to work on truck similar to mine and has specific installation instructions for my model. -TS + 1

Hmmm... 5 to 1 in favor of the SpeedoHealer.

Can anyone sway me?
In other words... can anyone prove to me that the SpeedoHealer won't work on my truck?

 

[martin]

We don't need to prove to anyone that it won't work, you need to prove to us that it will work.

 

[gnarlycharlie4u]

...if it doesn't then I'm out $115 and that kind of defeats the purpose of this thread.

I'm hoping someone on here knows something I don't about these and can confirm one way or the other that this is a good idea.

 

[strvger]

Option #3:
i use the mile markers on the freeway and my watch. works every time and cheap.
for in town, i use the radar display the local cops set up and look at my speedometer when the display says i'm doing 30mph. tells me exactly what i need to know and i only needed to do it once.
i just like to keep things simple. that kind of math is so simple, can't understand why i should pay $$ to recalibrate my speedo. gotta love the "KISS" principle.

 

[gnarlycharlie4u]

I already know how much my speedo is off by and I've been doing a good job of just living with it.

however I just got a speeding ticket and I'm aiming to have the charges reduced to defective equipment since my speedo is wrong. But in order to do that I'm going to have to get it fixed. I'd rather DIY than waste the time trying to find a dealer that will calibrate my speedo on non-stock rims+tires.

 

[gnarlycharlie4u]

so Cal-Tech offers a couple day no questions asked return policy.
I just ordered my new speedo healer.

Martin I will humor you and prove whether or not it works.

 

[martin]

Thank you. We always see the questions but very often never find out what the ultimate solution was. I await in eager anticipation.

 

[gnarlycharlie4u]

lol, absolutely martin.

By logic alone it should work. The basic principles make sense. Both devices do essentially the same thing: take a pulse signal and convert it into a different pulse signal (I think). Therefore it should work; UNLESS there's some crazy bs involving whether or not the abs module produces a proper signal or the process of sine waves vs square waves and/or the TruSpeed being sooooo smart it can detect multiple different types of signals and adjust itself accordingly.

But like you said... we shall see.

oh btw... the speedohealer I ordered at 12:00 in the afternoon shipped out the same day

 

[gnarlycharlie4u]

well it begins... I got an EVTM from ebay. and my speedohealer came in last night.
I have run into a couple snags:

I don't have 4WABS I have RABS.
So instead of 1 gray/black wire coming from the 4wabs module, I have 2 wires one for "DSS (diff speed sensor) High and DSS low"
...interesting; but I have no idea wtf that means. :/

The other thing is that the sensor signal splits off to another parallel circuit (GEM) as it reaches the RABS module.
So I'm thinking that if I alter just the RABS signal it's probably not going to do what I intended it to do.

I did however discover that pin 1 of the GEM is the VSS (grey/black) wire. However I'm having the opposite concern from altering the RABS signal; what if it changes the speedo but does nothing to affect my ABS? Is that going to cause problems? Will my ABS continue to suck all the time (like it does now)?

I suppose the only way to find out it to try.

Wish me luck!

gonna go do some more research jic tho ;D

 

[martin]

I wouldn't be too concerned about affecting the rabs. can't make it much worse than it already is, might even make it better. Hope you can get this sorted out, I'm sure a lot of other guys are watching what happens with this.
Good luck.

 

[gnarlycharlie4u]

^^^That's pretty much what I thought forget the RABS.
In fact if I ever get around to doing this axle swap (disc brakes!); I'm thinking that I'm gonna source some hard lines and put in a 4WABS from either the same year Exploder or the 2001 Ranger. I mean I might as well now that I know this entire ABS circuit like the back of my hand :/

Anywho, I've decided to put the SH on the GEM (cabin side of firewall) VSS wire and mount it in the glovebox.

The real challenge though is finding the proper power wires to tap.

The SH can operate on pretty much any power circuit in the truck (+3v to + 19v).

I considered the 12v cig lighter but I realized this morning that I have to tap a power line that only comes on when the ignition is on.
Otherwise, I could potentially run down the battery (although unlikely since the unit uses <1w when not running, and I have an Optima yellowtop).

Any of you EVTM Gurus have a suggestion on which power lines to tap?
I don't really want to run extra wires all the way from the gauges.
Basically I want a power and ground on the same circuit as close to the GEM/CTM as possible.

Edit: nvm... the GEM circuit C224 has PWR in acc or run [pin 15] (BK/PK), and GND [pin 18] (BK)

Edit #2: Pin 18 for the RABS Ranger is the Rear axle sensor (low) I connected the ground to the 12v cig lighter instead.

 

[gnarlycharlie4u]

Alright so several attempts at this have yielded nothing but failure.

I connected the SH to the GY/BK "VSS" wire on the GEM harness.
However, now my speedo only works up till about 10mph and I'm sure it's wrong.
After that the needle bounces or drops to 0.

I'm pretty much at a loss at this point.
I'm not sure exactly why the SH doesn't work. I'm pretty sure that it's mounted in the correct location. However, I'm not sure if it is able to work with the type of signal that it is receiving. (See above; sine wave v square wave concern)

I've read in other places that you have to have the GEM reprogrammed to compensate for it but those same sources say you can also supposedly use a calibrator box similar to mine.

Anyone have any suggestions or know why this isn't working?