# New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster?



## Nrcabby (May 1, 2003)

Has anyone found a way to use the vss wire on the new vw transmissions on an old mechanical speedo? I pulled the small motors from the new instrument cluster and was thinking of gutting the mechanics from the old cluster and mounting the vss motor in the old cluster hooked up to the old needle. Or finding a way to bolt the old speedo cable to the new tranny? Now this raises two questions 
1. Does anyone make a adjustable proportional pulse converter? I.E. 10000 pulse in 25000 pulse out to adjust the vss signal so the needle lines up with the right mph.
2. Can the old mechanical cable be used with the new transmission by removing the vss sensor in the tranny and bolting the cable to the gear that drives the vss sensor?
The transmission is an 02M 6 speed from a beetle turbo S (same as 337, 20th, TT, and r32) the car it's going into is a 91 cabriolet. And a pic for views


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## vr6swap (Aug 17, 2001)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Nrcabby)*

Not sure if this info is applicable to your problem, but - 
1. I've used G60 Corrado speedo cables to replace the VSS on the trans - unscrew the VSS on top of the speedo drive, and thread the G60 cable on in place of it.
2. Cruise - equipped cars ( even early CE1 )have an early type of VSS in the instrument cluster, you may be able to use this signal in place of the signal from the transmission-mounted VSS. In the later cars it's a white wire w/ a yellow tracer.
Now, I'm assuming here that the OJ2's VSS signal is analog and not digital, that's something you'll need to look into.


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## Hugh Gordon (Oct 2, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (vr6swap)*

I've been wondering about this as well.... Slightly different situation though, O2J into an A2. So you can use the G60 speedo cable and gear? Would a 16v cluster work with this?


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## vr6swap (Aug 17, 2001)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Hugh Gordon)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Hugh Gordon* »_I've been wondering about this as well.... Slightly different situation though, O2J into an A2. So you can use the G60 speedo cable and gear? Would a 16v cluster work with this?

That's what I did. Couldn't tell you if the 02J's speed sensor is compatable, it was missing when I got the trans, so I used one from an 02A and it worked fine. 
Hint: try attaching the cable to the drive *before* putting the trans in the car. It's entirely too much of a pain in the ass to do afterwards. Coil the cable up and be careful with it, just like you would anything else that costs seventy-five bucks and is only available at the dealer.
The swap recipient was a G60 Corrado, and you probably already know the G60 speedo cable will fit and work with a late 16V cluster.


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## Hugh Gordon (Oct 2, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (vr6swap)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vr6swap* »_
The swap recipient was a G60 Corrado, and you probably already know the G60 speedo cable will fit and work with a late 16V cluster. 

Actually, I didn't know that, so thanks







. So the speedo gear is built into the cable then?


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## vr6swap (Aug 17, 2001)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Hugh Gordon)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Hugh Gordon* »_
Actually, I didn't know that, so thanks







. So the speedo gear is built into the cable then?

Actually, no. For a g60 cable-driven speedo, the 02A uses a drive assembly that stays in the trans, and the cable threads onto that. The cable just clips onto the instrument cluster just like a regular Golf / Jetta. 
Later cars use the same speedo drive deal, but that electronic VSS doodad threads onto the drive. 
Take it easy on the cable, it has a square end that fits into a matching socket on the speedo drive. Booger it up and you're buying either another cable, a drive assembly, or both. That hasn't happened to me or anything.


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## Hugh Gordon (Oct 2, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (vr6swap)*

Oh, I get it, thanks. So I'll have to buy that drive thing, and a cable. Thanks for the info http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif .


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## Nrcabby (May 1, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (vr6swap)*

#9 is the speedometer so what your saying is that I may be able to remove the connector and the sensor and then thread the speedo cable into there?








I'll try it out in a few days and let you know how it worked.


_Modified by Nrcabby at 2:43 AM 8-22-2005_


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## Hugh Gordon (Oct 2, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Nrcabby)*

He's saying remove the speed sensor, and leave the plastic gear and stuff, then the cable should thread into that..... So yeah, basically remove the connector.


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## Nrcabby (May 1, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Hugh Gordon)*

Well I pulled the sensor a few days ago and the speedo cable is not going to work in there. The vss sender is a hall effect sensor, reading a magnet somewhere in the tranny, not a gear driven sensor.


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## Hugh Gordon (Oct 2, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Nrcabby)*

That's unfortunate, what are you going to do?


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## Hybrid VW (Jan 18, 2001)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Nrcabby)*

A friend and I (he works at a speedometer shop) struggled with this for quite some time with my 02M swap. The easy answer was to get a MkIII cluster (we used a VR cluster to get the 160mph speedo and used a tach signal converter to make the tach read right). With some pretty simple mods, it fit in the Scirocco dash with no screws or anything, just wedges in there


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## Nrcabby (May 1, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Hybrid VW)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Hybrid VW* »_A friend and I (he works at a speedometer shop) struggled with this for quite some time with my 02M swap. The easy answer was to get a MkIII cluster (we used a VR cluster to get the 160mph speedo and used a tach signal converter to make the tach read right). With some pretty simple mods, it fit in the Scirocco dash with no screws or anything, just wedges in there









I want to keep it very stock looking so the MKIII cluster is out. I ordered a vdo progammable digital speedo that I am going to mount in the stock cluster.


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## Hugh Gordon (Oct 2, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Nrcabby)*

How much $ did that run you, and where did you order it from?


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## Nrcabby (May 1, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Hugh Gordon)*

http://www.Egauges.com
$115
http://www.egauges.com/vdo_mul...Cart=


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## Hugh Gordon (Oct 2, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Nrcabby)*

That's cool, too bad they only go up to 120 mph.


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## Hybrid VW (Jan 18, 2001)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Nrcabby)*

A stock look and 160 mph speedo were my two biggest requirements. I also wanted an 8000 rpm tach since those are the gauges my car came with. With the Mk3, I had to compromise on the tach, but I can live with it. I also want to color the frame around the guage faces, but it really isn't as bad as the pics look.
















I think it looks pretty stock- the trim ring didn't need any trimming, just a little heat around the odometer reset and clock set buttons


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## Hugh Gordon (Oct 2, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Hybrid VW)*

Yeah, that looks damn good!


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## JNXtheband (Jul 27, 2000)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (Hugh Gordon)*

I gutted a vss passat cluster and fit the speedo into a cabriolet cluster, looks very close to stock. sorry i dont have any pics.


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## Nrcabby (May 1, 2003)

*Re: New tranny with vss speed signal into an mk1 cluster? (JNXtheband)*

If any of you want to see the route I took here is post of the cluster so far.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2218086
I really wanted to keep the cluster looking stock and I spent alot of time making trim pieces to mount those two gauges into the stock cluster. I wasn't very happy with the outcome of that project so I ditched the oem cluster and started making that. Someday I am sure I will want to use the stock cluster but it is alot of work to get it too work right. Also you can see in the pictures that at some point someone ruined the "glass" that covers the cluster, it looks some kind of chemical reaction it had.


_Modified by Nrcabby at 12:29 AM 10-2-2005_


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