[ArcticDriver]

Sorry for another CPS thread but I found my spare Black CPS is the early version described here:

The pre-mid-96 cps is essentially the same as the 96+ up black cps with the exception of the plating on the contacts. The recommendation is not to mix the later gold plated contacts with the older tin? plated because of dissimilar metal corrosion. But you could swap the connector to one from an early truck and solve that problem.

That post was several years ago and I would like to know if the concern about dissimilar contact metals proved true?

Did anyone ever try the early tin plated Black CPS (1821720C99) in their 1998 and later 7.3 PSD? And did it run fine ow was there a problem with performance?

I don't want to take this one out of the unopened plastic bag if there have been problems in order to keep resale value.
Thanks

 

[klhansen]

I don't have any direct experience with the older CPS, but the dissimilar metal corrosion issue needs an electrolyte for it to be a large problem. If you put a little dielectric grease on the connector to keep the salty road spray out, then you wouldn't have any problems IMO. I'd say go for it and not worry. The caution against mixing the plating types between CPS and connector terminals was Ford's "Official" position.

 

[Greg687]

...and if the plating is in fact "gold", it is used because it is so resistant to corrosion.

 

[ArcticDriver]

...and if the plating is in fact "gold", it is used because it is so resistant to corrosion.

I think the earliest electrical sensors were Tin and the later ones were Gold. (This one starting F6 would be the older "Tin").

I also ran into this issue with an ICP that I found "new old stock" for $20. It was the earlier Tin.

I wondered how tin vs gold affected Vref and if the dissimilar metals created any type of resistance voltage that could affect signal back to the PCM.

EDIT: I should clarify that its not so much resistance but the actual current flow resulting from and between dissimilar metals. How minute is this? Probably far more minute than the Vref values.

 

[ArcticDriver]

I suppose the good thing about galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals is that the Tin would be the Anodic material and suffer the corrosion while the Gold would be the "Cathodic".

The corrosion would occur on the Tin of the CPS and not on the pigtail Gold.

Which is what Greg687 pointed out above.

I think I will keep the pre-1997 Black CPS as my spare and just follow KLHansen's suggestion to prevent contact with a corrosive environment (electolyte) by using the di-electric grease.

Thanks Gents.

 

[stumpman]

can u tell me the measurement of the original cps from where it fits against block to sensor end?

 

[ArcticDriver]

Stumpman,

I will try and find a precision instrument for your request.

 

[stumpman]

thanks that would great

 

[ArcticDriver]

One interesting thing about the two vintages of Black CPS is the old forums indicate only the later Black (F7TZ) was recalled.
The earlier version (F6TZ) was not....atleast that I was able to find.