TKO speed sensor?

[TerminalChance]

Hey y'all... having an issue out of my mostly-stock 91 LX. Swapped in a TKO and related hardware from a former project car, and now there is a strong drain on my battery overnight. I'm talking, finish working on the car and take it off the battery charger at 6pm, come out the next morning at 6am and the map light won't even come on.

I've narrowed it down to the speed sensor where the speedo cable plugs in -- it did this on the other car as well. With the cable unplugged, the car runs and drives fine, and there is ZERO drain on the battery . . . downside is, now my speedo doesn't work and I have to pace other drivers on the way to work in the morning.

So my main question is this: is the speedo sensor on a TKO the same as the one on a T5? I'm not talking about the part you plug into the transmission, I'm talking about the part that screws into the transmission itself, that the pigtail and mechanical cable plug into.

Second question, how hard is it to change one out with the TKO in the car? The girlfriend loves working on cars, but having to wrestle with something her own weight is not her idea of fun, and she says I'm on my own with this one.

Thanks for the help, y'all.

 

[jrichker]

The VSS is the same on both transmissions. I have recently swapped out my T5 for a 3550, which has the same case as the TKO. The VSS fit perfectly, no changes needed.

VSS Removal:
Put the car up on jackstands and make sure there is sufficient clearance to get under it with ease.
Locate the VSS sensor on the driver’s side of the transmission tailshaft housing. Disconnect the wiring harness from the VSS. The speedo cable housing will be secured in the VSS sensor with a hairpin clip Do not remove the clip!!!: The hairpin clip stays in place. If you remove it, the odds are that you will not be able to get the cable to stay in place on re-installation. Pull firmly straight back on the cable housing and it will come out. A considerable amount of effort may be required to get the cable out of the VSS sensor, but it will pull out. Remove the 10 MM bolt that holds the stamped metal clip that secures the VSS in place. Pull straight back and it will come out. A circlip hold the speedo gear in place. Remove the clip and swap the gear onto the new VSS. Put the circlip back on the new VSS to hold the speedo gear in place. Check the O ring on the VSS body to make sure it is in good condition. Put the VSS sensor back in the transmission tailshaft housing and reinstall the 10 MM bolt and hold down clip. Push the cable housing assembly into the VSS sensor until it snaps in past the hairpin clip. Start the car and make sure the speedo works.

 

[TerminalChance]

Going back and reading my original post, it appears that I asked the question wrong . . . I'm not asking about the sensor, pigtail, or cable that plugs into the transmission, that's fine on both cars . . . I'm talking about what it plugs into. The part that is actually screwed into the transmission itself. Not held on by a bolt and clip -- literally turned until it is seated into the transmission housing, that the VSS(etc) plugs into.

Is THAT the same?

I will take a pic for clarification as soon as possible.

 

[87AODGT]

the tremec trans takes the same speedometer gear, VSS and cable as a stock T5, it is definitely all the same

 

[TerminalChance]

Jrichker, I apologize... not being under the car in a week kinda made things a little fuzzy.

So, now that I'm back under the car and can see things for myself instead of try to remember . . .

The speedo sensor and cable are bolted back to the car, everything is hooked up EXCEPT the pigtail for the speedo sensor. Like this, the car runs and drives fine, but the speedo doesn't work. If I plug the pigtail in, the battery is drained overnight.

It has done this in two separate cars, both of which had zero issues with a T-5 in them. It's not the car, and it's not something hooked up wrong -- not my first rodeo, just my first time dealing with this bull. So, whiskey tango foxtrot, over?

 

[jrichker]

Swap the sensor since the problem follows the sensor from car to car. You have the procedure, so turn your girlfriend loose on it