2.3L ('83-'97) 1992 Ford Ranger speedometer cable spinning too slow

[Captaingreatvalue]

Hello everyone so I appreciate any advice yall can give just wanted to let yall know some info I have a 1992 ford ranger that has a 4 cyl 2.3l manual trans and since i acquired it in 2020 the speedometer has never worked accurately i recently replaced the vss as alot of youtubers and forums say that is a common issue i can tell you the gear was black and the speedo cable was replaced by the previous owner i saw it looked new after changing the vss the issue still remains and after thinking it was the speedometer it self that was bad i took it on test drive to watch the speedometer spin and i saw the cable was not spinning fast enough plus i took a drill and tested the speedometer and it worked like it should i purchased on evil bay the speedo gear with the most teeth which is 23 seeing the black one was a 20 hoping that is the fix or at least close enough but i have a feeling its the drive gear inside the transmission let me know what yall think

 

[scotts90ranger]

If the speedo is reading slow you need less teeth on the speedo gear not more. How far off is it? Every tooth on the speedo gear is worth about 5-7%.

On my '97 I played with tire sizes and eventually when I landed on a size I fixed the speedo, it was reading about 7% slow and I dropped a tooth and now it's right at 2% off... I think I went from a black to a red if I remember right...

 

[Captaingreatvalue]

If the speedo is reading slow you need less teeth on the speedo gear not more. How far off is it? Every tooth on the speedo gear is worth about 5-7%.

On my '97 I played with tire sizes and eventually when I landed on a size I fixed the speedo, it was reading about 7% slow and I dropped a tooth and now it's right at 2% off... I think I went from a black to a red if I remember right...

Thank you so much it’s so confusing not really direct info anywhere I will cancel my order and order the lowest one possible

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Thank you so much it’s so confusing not really direct info anywhere I will cancel my order and order the lowest one possible

It could possibly be an issue with the gear inside the trans that drives the speedo gear as well.

 

[Captaingreatvalue]

Thank you I purchased a smaller gear yesterday 16 teeth will see what happens

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

Not that 16 teeth won't necessarily end up being right, but why don't you just do the math instead of firing the parts cannon?

How fast are you actually going, vs. what does the speedometer say? The amount it's off is what percentage of the total? You want to change the size of the gear by that same percentage.

 

[Captaingreatvalue]

My ranger is stock from the gears and the speed situation is odd 0mph to 15 it’s not off by much it’s when you hit 2nd gear that the speed stays around 10-15 and than you hit third gear and speed is around 35-30 it’s not really moving any faster than that when I was on the highway doing 60 according to gps on my phone it was marking 35 so that’s the considerable difference but I believe you are right the less teeth will make the whole difference if not eff it I’m buying a 50.00 gps speedometer from Amazon and removing the old Speedo from factory it’s too easy and too cheap not to do that and have way less issues we will see what happens tire size was changed that’s the only difference 215/75/r14

 

[RobbieD]

Thank you I purchased a smaller gear yesterday 16 teeth will see what happens

You may have striiped teeth on the drive gear inside the transmission. When you're installing the new gear that you're buying, get a good flashlight and look at the drive gear through the hole. Look fot its teeth being worn in the centers where they contact the driven gear.

 

[Captaingreatvalue]

Will do when I receive the part I will install and get a look in there you could be right maybe it is worn down if it is gps speedo sounding good lol I’m sure trans shop will want over 1000 to replace that gear

 

[RobbieD]

GPS?

I used to look at how big the ripples were in my cup of coffee sitting on the floor. If it slopping out of the cup, I was speeding.


Good Luck!

 

[Captaingreatvalue]

Hahahahha that’s a pretty good way to do it as well but after I figure out the issue will see if it’s worth fixing thanks yall for the support love this forum

 

[scotts90ranger]

That kinda sounds like a problem with the speedometer, I guess the nut on the back of the main shaft could have worked loose and the drive gear could spin but that would be odd...

 

[Captaingreatvalue]

It’s not though I drive with out the speedometer looking at the cable and it was turning slowly tested the speedometer with drill and it works perfectly

 

[RobbieD]

I can see a worn or stripped drive gear turning the driven gear, and cable, to some degree, but not at full speed as the teeth start to mesh, and then slip.

 

[Captaingreatvalue]

A lot of people are saying is the drive gear also so let’s see what happens part comes in a couple of days maybe ordered a rare 16tooth Speedo gear while changing it I will take a look at the drive gear with flashlight…. If it’s the drive gear calling it done ski and dropping in a gps speedo literally 50 on amazon