Gary Lewis

The folks in Colorado have a similar joke. "Flatlanders with 4WD are so much harder to retrieve since they get out so much farther than with 2WD before getting stuck." I was the flatlander with 2WD. But it still took two trucks with winches.

While this update is intended to be about seats, I'll start with the charger since that's the last thing we talked about. For some reason in the last couple of days the battery voltage has been up almost 1.0V - in spite of the charger still being on the 2 amp setting. What I've done since the voltage was lower was: Disconnected the HVAC blower motor. I doubt this has anything to do with it, but will check tomorrow. Ran the charger on the 10A mode, which brought the batteries to almost 15 volts. Then I turned on the blower and brought it down to ~12.5, then back up to almost 15, and so on. This went on for maybe an hour. Tomorrow I'll do some more checking, but if anyone has ideas as to why, please let me know. Now for why I started to post. I saw on Facebook recently that a guy in the Dallas area had an 86 Supercab he was thinking about parting out and it has the seats shown below. He says they are in excellent shape and we've worked out a deal. I'm headed to Texas next Thursday, the 25th, to pick them up as well as the console and rear seat. They'll replace the red seats that go in Dad's truck

Thanks, Bill. I agree that they were on something. I've gotten quite a few of the changes documented, but have a long way to go. But I think I'll stick with the ones needed for the blower motor for the time being and then do the others later.

Welcome! You've come to the right place. Glad you joined. Show us some pics of the truck? (See Bullnose Forum/Forum FAQ's for how to post pics.) Where's home? I ask because we have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and can add you with a city/state or zip.

Here's what I've created. First, is the EVTM page revised, followed by the schematic for the passengers side PDB. These would be the pages I put in Big Blue's binder. Thoughts? Oops, I just realized that the latter doesn't show the aux battery and the smart battery isolator.

I fully agree with that, and not just on ice or snow but also in rain. I've not done it in Big Blue, but I have in Blue, which has AWD in addition to 4WD. And the difference when you hit serious ponding is amazing. Instead of being slowed and the truck wanting to go one way or the other it'll pull right through. It depends a lot on the road and the amount of rain. I don't do it on good roads that drain well or light rain. But when we are in a deluge or on roads that pond badly, meaning the lanes have ruts that hold water, I do it. And I can really tell the difference - or could until the "integrated wheel ends", aka automatic hubs, failed again.

Oh, I misunderstood. On mine I was able to turn the fitting that attaches to the radiator support upside down and use it on the driver's side. And the same hose worked fine.

Actually, I think I found that in the owner's manual for a later truck. I was having a leak from the right seal on the front D60 on Big Blue and someone pointed out that I was supposed to lock the hubs every once in a while to move the lubricant around. Sure enough, that fixed it.

No problem. I'm just trying to do the best job possible on Big Blue's wiring documentation. And this area is far from good. I have a small 3-ring binder in the truck that has owner's manuals, schematics, parts list, etc. And I'm wanting that to represent everything different. So as I find something I try to document it. I've had the passenger-side PDB's schematic in the binder for some time, but when I changed the starter wiring to use the fender-mounted relay instead of the Bosch one I didn't change the schematic. Now I've redrawn the PDB's schematic to show the ground and power relays for the blower, but want to put this modified EVTM page in the binder as well so need to add those relays to it. But it looks like all I can do is to put simple relay outlines in it and refer the reader to the PDB drawing that will have the pinouts on the relays called out. That's because I can't get the little details to be legible in that jpeg. Basically what I need to do is to page through the '85 EVTM and insert a page in the binder for any deviation from the EVTM. For instance, there needs to be a page for the headlights since there are relays in the PDB. And on that page there needs to be a reference to the PDB schematic in the binder. Thoughts? Upgrades? Better ideas?

That's easy. That is a work-in-progress to show how Big Blue's system works. I took the messy page below from the 1985 EVTM and cleaned it up in several ways. First, I took out the text, which left me room for the to-be power relay that will connect to the BR/O wire between C606A and C603. Then I erased some of the O/BK wire, giving me room for the to-be ground relay. Then things got a bit more tricky. I erased the leftmost set of wiring at C616 and slid the right wiring over since it started life as closest of the two to what BB has. But then I erased the "vacuum solepot" that he doesn't have as well as the words in the gray for CKT 348 that say it doesn't apply to a 7.5L. As for the functions being duplicated, the HVAC switch is a 2-pole 7-position unit, with one pole controlling the compressor and the other the fan. Sorry for the confusion. I thought I explained that it isn't done, but probably not. As said, we've been quite busy running errands and making doctor's visits, as we are again today, so I probably don't think through things I post completely.

So I'd simply leave the hubs engaged and shift to 2HI when you come to those dry patches - if they are long enough and/or have corners in them. It is the corners that have the front tires tracking differently from the rear tires and, therefore, going a different distance. And the different difference means differing amounts of rotation on one end vs the other, which is the problem - the transfer case doesn't like that. But if you don't have it in 4WD then the difference front/rear doesn't matter. Also, note that I've disregarded the slight difference in gear ratios front/rear that Ford built in on most trucks.

G701 has almost everything in the harness tied to it. The tank senders are at the rear, and brought up there. That's why I made a dedicated ground from 701 and brought it to what would have been my EEC ground that's part of the - terminal of my battery clamp. It was easy to run while I was getting power and relay for the tiny 8" sub under my seat. I've not changed G701 or added another ground to it, but I did ensure it is making good electrical contact with the cab. And I have made absolutely sure that the cab is well and truly grounded to the battery. But it wouldn't hurt to add a jumper from it to another grounding point. We've had doctor's appointments yesterday and today, so I've done nothing on this. But I hope to get started tomorrow.

See the Ignition Switch tab here: https://www.garysgaragemahal.com/ignition.html

I now see why I didn't remember much of that thread as it was while I was traveling. You probably noticed that I was in and out and didn't have much contribution nor context. But in the end he seems to have the fan on all the time, even in the OFF position. That would seem to say that he has a bad function switch. Or maybe the wrong function switch as there were some changes along the way. But it is supposed to be the function switch that gives the motor power or not. As for the diagrams, I don't know which is the most accurate. But I hope to nail down exactly how it is wired, at least in that area, and document it as I work through this. Janey and I've talked and we want to take the trip to SW Okiehoma in February, so I have time to tear into the PDB and get this sorted - and documented.

(A) I was in the truck. (B) On my phone.© Without my glasses. (D) It was early, before my 4th coffee. (E) all the above. The schematic shows EEC & Duraspark. You have extensively modified BB's harness, but I don't know (or care) exactly how. I'll go look for the thread since it is germane, or this conversation is germane to IT.... Now I see said the blind man. But 4 cuppas? You must be drinking low-test as my 2 cups of Starbucks "gets my motor running" so I can "head out on the highway". I suppose I have EEC since I'm running the EEC-V system.

Yes, I think it is the thermal limiter as well. And I told him so but he's not responded. Good catch on G106. Had never gone looking for it. And it doesn't show in the 81 or 86 EVTM either. And how 'bout that G701 for the blower motor switch? It seems to be somewhat well used. Might be good to get a high-current device like the blower off of it.

I've not used orange enough to know for sure, but orange on the threads to the shifter and blue on the knob would be my first thought. You could get it off if needed, maybe with pliers but who cares if you have several more spare?

Euraspark? I don't recognize that term, but then it is a new year. So please refresh my memory. As for the ground relay, I already have it, although it isn't wired quite right. So I just need to sort that out and I'll have the ground relay that will fix that voltage drop problem - and take a load off the switch itself. I should have posted my cleaned up version of that schematic instead of the very busy one from the '85 EVTM. In any case, your comment about G106 clicked and now I see what Bill is saying - run Ckt 57 to the ground relay and use 87A to ground it. But then you'd lose the ground to the AC clutch when the blower is in high and the relay is picked. (I'm not sure Big Blue is wired that way but will check it out when I'm "in there".) As for someone with only Low and it won't shut off, I've slept since then and don't remember that very clearly. But that would take two problems: The function switch would have to feed power even in the off position, and either the blower would have to be bad or G701 bad. Right? But Rene's high-only problem could be due to a blown thermal limiter or a bad G106. Does that make sense?

Yep, good luck. That is probably the best plan, although not pleasant.

Well done! Yes, the audio is excellent and the truck started nicely.

Nice! Progress is Good! I think that plan is going to work nicely.

Jim - Yes, I understand why. For sure. Luckily I have two relay spots in the PDB so I can use those spots and make the blower HUMMM! Jim - I'm still not 100% sure I understand. From what I'm looking at I only have to break into two wires, as shown below. The top one is to supply power and the bottom one is to supply the ground, but only when the switch goes to High. I'll try to map out what you are saying, but I don't want to run any wires to the switch. From what I'm seeing I just need 30 and 87 on the ground relay and let the current go through the resistors for the lower speeds. But I'm sure I'm missing something.

I used a second snorkel/inlet duct to make a dual-snorkel air cleaner. You'll find that there are several different snorkels, with some being longer than others and some having a different angle to them. But the angle is due to a piece that is spot-welded to the actual snorkel. You can drill the welds out and reposition it and then re-weld or braze it back to get the angle you want. You can see how I did it on FTE: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1291332-dads-air-cleaner.html

I'm with you for all of that but the "87a to ground the switch" bit. Can you say that another way? I've simplified the page from the 85 EVTM to remove everything that doesn't apply to Big Blue and am preparing to add the relays. I deleted the text that explains how the HVAC system works, which gives me room to work.

Thanks, Bill. But I'm not really wanting to fix the existing wiring since the wires are small and long and the connectors are many - although I did check them when I did the transformation. Instead I want relays to give full power to the motor at all times when the ignition is on, and a relay to give a solid ground when in High. I thought I was there on the ground side because I have Relay #5 in the passenger's side PDB, as shown below. But that isn't working as there's a ground on the O/BK going to the motor if the blower control is in High, even when the key is off. Or even when #5 is pulled out of the PDB. So I have a problem there. And that drawing is wrong since I no longer use Relay #1 to trigger the starter and am using the fender-mounted relay instead. So my plan is to use #1 to provide power to the motor and #5 for the ground in High. That should give me full battery voltage at the motor. As for the connector under the hood, that's where I broke into the system. I've made pins to insert into the female side by cutting 1/4" male terminals down to fit and then I'm jumpering to the male connector. So I know it is clean. So, what do you think of that plan?