ABS sensors speed or pulse based?

[dowsett6]

Does anyone know if the B5 ABS sensors are metered using speed, or if they are metered using pulses? The B6 ABS sensors are metered with speed, as the front left ABS sensor is also their VSS.

If ours are also metered with speed and not pulses, then I should be able to set something up to grab the speed from it just like the B6's?

[petera4]

Every abs sensor that i've personally seen is pulsed, what are you trying to accomplish?

[dowsett6]

Every abs sensor that i've personally seen is pulsed, what are you trying to accomplish?

I think the B6 ones are pulse also. But I wanted to see if I can some how get a way to get the speed from ours like the B6 do theirs. I've been looking into 6spd swaps, but the 2004 B6 trannies don't have a spot for the VSS. That's the only thing holding me back now.

[walky_talky20]

Well, it's a completely different thing though. On the B5 our speed sensor has a certain number of "pulses" per wheel rotation. Let's throw out a number and call it 20. Cool. And that 20-pulse signal goes directly to the cluster. Awesome.

Now on the B6, they are using the ABS sensor. It has a different number of pulses. Let's call it 30. That 30-pulse signal goes to the ABS module. Then the ABS module sends that to the cluster. Perhaps converting it first to the 20-pulse type signal, but it might even be a digital signal or something weird.

So the signals are very likely to be different and they go different places. I don't think it would be very easy to make it work. If I had to make it happen I might look into scavenging the ABS module from the B6 and wiring it up minimally just for speedometer duties. Something like that. I think the easier solution is to use the 2003 or earlier 6MT which has the speed sensor. The vin-split is exactly at the 2004 model year.

Please note: the above is just uninformed ramblings, so don't take it as gospel. The numbers are just for the purpose of the conversation and nothing more. It's entirely possible this is a completely easy problem to conquer and has been done before.

[dowsett6]

I knew the numbers would would be different, but the wire could be spliced and ran into convertor box to change the number to something usable. And the 2004 tranny is the best fit, with being able to swap flanges, and tail housing.

[walky_talky20]

If you can swap flanges and such, could you also swap the part of the case that houses the speed sensor (the diff cover plate)? Just throwing that out there. That would be the best solution.

[dowsett6]

I also thought of that. And was going to be comparing them in etka tomorrow once I get home.

[Max@034]

If you can swap flanges and such, could you also swap the part of the case that houses the speed sensor (the diff cover plate)? Just throwing that out there. That would be the best solution.

^^^This. Not sure if that is possible but that would be my recommendation.

[dowsett6]

^^^This. Not sure if that is possible but that would be my recommendation.

ETKA shows what appears to be the same 10 Bolt pattern for both covers. The big difference I see between them is the shaft length of the differential where the drive ring gear goes on.