How To: T50 Electronic Speed Sensor

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dr.occa
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How To: T50 Electronic Speed Sensor

Post by dr.occa »

originally posted by Bazooka of Toymods.net

original thread found here

*-all text and pictures are that of the Bazooka from Toymods.net except where noted


I have been looking for an alternative to the screw on electronic speed sensor for a T50
gearbox. This is mainly due to the fact that I did not have enough room in the transmission tunnel to mount this item. Currently I am running this with a 90 degree bend from an MX83 but not entirely happy with how it sits or the cleanliness of the whole install.
While searching I came across this which some of you may be familiar with;

http://www.clubmansqld.org/Tips/T50_Speedo.pdf

While a good write up I do not possess a lathe and/or milling machine to perform such a task. Surely there had to be a better and easier option out there?
What I found after looking through just about every gearbox I could is an electronic speed sensor from a 3VZ auto gearbox. Well it had 3VZ written on it! This unit has the exact same diameter as the T50 drive as well as the exact same bolt mount spacing meaning that it could be installed and mounted looking like it should be there from factory. Now the only kicker is that this is a whole lot longer in the body than the T50 unit.
Pulling down and measuring up both drives I found that they share similar dimensions meaning that modification started to look easier. Below is a picture of the T50 and 3VZ housings side by side showing what I am referring to.

Image

The blue line here is the key. This is the groove for the clip that holds the shaft into the body. Notice how it is the exact same distance from the mount surface (green line) on both units. What needs to be done is have the 3VZ unit cut at the red line giving it the same length as the T50 body. This is the only modification needed here.

Moving onto the gears we see below the differences and similarities. The 3VZ on the left, T50 on the right.

Image

Again the blue line is our start point. From here we need to cut the T50 drive at the yellow line and add an 8mm groove to the end to mimic the 3VZ shaft.
All now that is needed is to insert the modified T50 shaft into the 3VZ housing and inserting the clip to hold in in place. That's it!!
Now this can be inserted into the T50 gearbox and mounted as per factory.

There you go, an electronic speed sensor that looks factory and gives more room within the transmission tunnel than using the screw on adapters. For anyone that plans on using an electronic speedo and cares about a clean install this works perfectly.

This part also seems to be available aftermarket through the following suppliers. Included are their part numbers.

STANDARD # SC149
AIRTEX # 5S4647
WELLS # SU5634
AC DELCO # 213-2597

Hopefully this will help in sourcing.

i've provided a more "accurate" list of cars that use this/these part number(s) than what Bazooka provided in his original thread/post - dr.occa
CHEVROLET PRIZM (1998 - 2000)
GEO PRIZM (1993 - 1997)
GEO PRIZM LSI (1993 - 1997)
LEXUS ES300 (1994 - 2001)
TOYOTA AVALON (1998 - 1999)
TOYOTA AVALON XL (1995 - 1997)
TOYOTA AVALON XLS (1995 - 1997)
TOYOTA CAMRY (1992 - 2003)
TOYOTA CAMRY CE 1997
TOYOTA CAMRY DLX 1992
TOYOTA CAMRY DX (1993 - 1996)
TOYOTA CAMRY LE (1992 - 1997)
TOYOTA CAMRY SE (1994 - 1995)
TOYOTA CAMRY XLE (1992 - 1997)
TOYOTA COROLLA (1996 - 2001)
TOYOTA COROLLA DX (1993 - 1997)
TOYOTA RAV4 (2001 - 2003)


And here are the rest of the pictures.
Below shows the cut and slotted T50 shaft.....

Image

.....how it fits into the cut down body......
Image

......and how it fits into the T50 gearbox.
Image
Image


All I needed was an angle grinder and hand file to finish it off. You can't get any easier than that.
Some of you may be wondering about the wiring plug. I found this to be quite common amongst Toyota electric speed sensors so plugs from many other gearboxes will fit. This also makes it easier to source.


ddeane wrote: Great job, a well thought out solution. Also if my memory serves me correctly the speedo drive from a w58 is the same as a t50. The GA70 came with an electronic speedo and should therefore the drive in the gearbox should also fit into a t50.

Cheers Craig


Been there done that. The W series sensor DOES NOT FIT into the T50, it is much too big.
This one is the only electronic type I found that has the diameter the same as the T50. There was another type I found that looked close but is just still a little too large.

rundeezy
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Re: How To: T50 Electronic Speed Sensor

Post by rundeezy »

I know this is old but what is this for? 20v swap?
Rundeezy out!!!!

dr.occa
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Re: How To: T50 Electronic Speed Sensor

Post by dr.occa »

It's just for anyone wanting to run an electronic speed sensor rather than a cable driven one.

burdickjp
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Re: How To: T50 Electronic Speed Sensor

Post by burdickjp »

Ever looked at a FWD corolla VSS? I've got one from a C-series transmission, and it looks like it'd fit without modification.

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dr.occa
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Re: How To: T50 Electronic Speed Sensor

Post by dr.occa »

burdickjp wrote:Ever looked at a FWD corolla VSS? I've got one from a C-series transmission, and it looks like it'd fit without modification.

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Really!? Any particular model Jeff?

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Re: How To: T50 Electronic Speed Sensor

Post by burdickjp »

I traded mine from a friend who works on Lotii and MR2s. We walked around the shop until we found a spare bellhousing with a VSS in it. Unfortunately, this means it could've come from almost anything. The good news is, that I'm aware of, All 2-digit C-series transes (so not C160s ) which have VSSs have similar VSSs.

I'm trying to recall my justification for looking in this direction, and am at a loss, so here's what I've been able to put together:

The AE86 speedo gear sleeve part number (33404-16010) cross-references with a bunch of cars which have S-series transmissions. I remember discussing VSSs for AW11s with my friend, he suggested the SW20 VSS ( S-trans )as a drop-in for the AW11 transmission ( C-trans ) as there's some crazy VSS for the S-series trans which has both a VSS and cable drive. This is advantageous on AW11s for keeping the stock speedo and logging VSS.

Considering that triangular cross-reference ( AE86 to s-series trans, c-series to s-series trans ) I am hopeful it can be made to work. I may have time to do it this weekend while putting the 20v in the corolla. I'll be needing the VSS for the AP1 cluster I'm putting in the Corolla, so I'll figure something out one way or another.

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Re: How To: T50 Electronic Speed Sensor

Post by burdickjp »

Your application list looks like it includes some C-series trans applications, such as the mid 90s corollas, so we may be looking at the same VSS...

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Re: How To: T50 Electronic Speed Sensor

Post by burdickjp »

I took a quick look at the speed sensor I have. At first glance it appears to be a larger diameter than the T50, but a similar length. I will be looking further into it in the near future.

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Re: How To: T50 Electronic Speed Sensor

Post by joel26 »

burdickjp wrote:I took a quick look at the speed sensor I have. At first glance it appears to be a larger diameter than the T50, but a similar length. I will be looking further into it in the near future.

Good info and hopefully u can update in the future....
Image

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