Gary Lewis

The factory gauges are notoriously inaccurate. There are lots of reasons for that, but Ford probably took that into account when they decided not to put degrees on the gauge. So just because it shows in the lower 1/3 doesn't really mean much. But checking with the infrared thermometer will help a lot. And your camera would be cool. Or, hot? To put a video on here I upload it to Youtube and then get the "embed" code. Then tick the box in the upper left that says "Message is in HTML Format" and paste the embed code in. Note that having ticked that box that just hitting "enter" on your keyboard won't get you a line space when you post or preview. To do that click on Formatting and then Line Feed.

Wait! "Body plug"? The oval at the firewall is Scott's grommet. But maybe you mean the 42-pin connector that I show on the engine. And you are saying to mount it on a bracket on the firewall. That way there's no pull on the wiring going through the grommet and the wiring to the PDB from the engine can go behind the bracket and into the connector. Like this?

Condensation is a by-product of combustion, and since the rings don't seal perfectly you'll have some in the crankcase. The key is to drive the vehicle long enough, and have a hot enough thermostat in it, to get the oil warm enough to boil the moisture off periodically. So you may not have a problem at all, especially if you haven't been taking 20+ mile drives to get it truly warm. And I'm really glad it is running so well. Keep on driving it and you are going to love it. But, have you checked to see how warm it is getting? Use an infrared thermometer pointed at the thermostat housing to actually find out instead of relying on the factory gauge.

Short answer, no not completely. It is fine as an underhood connector but could let water leak if installed through a panel. That is why I said mounted on a bracket like the 302 Explorers or the mid 90s E-series. I also have some nice 40 and 50 way ones that are very weatherproof if sealed to the harness outer casing and I may still have a right angle boot but do have several dual inlet boots that straddle the bolt holding the underhood plug to the firewall. Big issue is the terminals are not at present available aftermarket whereas the Ford ones are. Scott has just come up with the proper grommet. So, why not do as you suggested and make a bracket to put the 42-way engine connector either on the firewall or the back of the engine and run everything through the grommet to the ECU mounted on a bracket in the '85/86 location? It would be pretty easy to measure everything and then set up a jig on the work table to get the wiring to length and soldered/heat shrunk. I think the connector will go through the hole in the firewall, although I'll have to check to make sure, but if it will the whole thing could be done on the bench and then installed on the truck. I think I'll want some kind of connector to let me disconnect from the PDB so installation will be easier, but that shouldn't be too hard. Something like this:

Yes sir, I am. That is why I was advocating a disconnect there. The main point being that the existing 42 way on the engine harness will reach to the firewall. Options being (a) roughly an 18" run from firewall to the point where the engine harness branches off to the fender (b) run all the 35 or so circuits from the EEC, across to the fender, then forward to the PDC plug (which will be facing the wrong way) probably 5 - 6' feet of extending the wires. Does it make sense now? (can you hear me now? ). You can either make a bracket to hold the already present 42 way body side plug and run all the needed wires through the oval hole and reseal or cut it open a little, make a mount plate and choose your color, black, gray or tan and I will send the appropriate 40 way connector to you. Now I understand! So, there may be enough wiring in the engine harness to reach the ECU if I put the connector at the firewall. So for those circuits I won't need extra wire. And while I will need to extend the power and fuel pump relay wiring, there isn't much of that. Easier! Now I need to figure out what connectors to use. Thanks for your offer. I may take you up on it as I get closer to the time. But I have more checking to do. Seems like one approach would be to disconnect the engine harness at the 42-way connector and see how it might fit on the firewall. Is that connector weatherproof?

Bill - I can only get part numbers for the choke, not a description of it nor info on its voltage. So if you can get the part numbers and info on the voltage maybe we can build a list. Jim - Ok, I think I understand. What we might do is to give people an option, either cut the connector off and tap in ahead of it, or leave it and cut off behind it. There are advantages both ways. With the connector you could revert to the original arrangement if you should want to, and you'll have more wire which might make it easier to splice in. Without the connector you'll have a cleaner arrangement with less chance of the connector failing.

Jim - Help me understand what you, and Rusty, are thinking on the connector? Keep the cab half of it but tap in ahead of it? I'll go see what I can find on the choke coil...

Hard to tell from the pic if that is just a hanger for the wire or if it is tab, meaning that it is connected to the conductor of the wire. If it is a hanger then that's the wire going to the starter and it got replaced. But if it is a tab then that's a ground wire.

Yep. It is strange that while both the 351HO and the 460 got a 4180C that one got a 12v choke heater and one got a 7v heater. But that must be the case 'cause the HO is the only one with a choke relay.

Or, on second thought, is that a wire? Like the battery cable going to the starter?

Chris - That's probably the fuel tank vent line going to the charcoal cannister, which would have set right below the battery. My guess is that it has been removed that the line cut.

Bill - Thanks for the notes on the pic. And I think you are telling me something I'd not realized. I think you are saying that the engine's 42-way connector doesn't have to be on the PDB but can go to the firewall. I'd assumed that there were many things in the engine harness that comes from the PDB, but now that I think about it that's not true. Essentially everything in the engine harness comes from the ECU. Is that what you are trying to get me to realize? That it is something like this simple drawing? As for what I did today, I got the power wiring essentially done. Here's a shot and you can the red #2 wire coming from the aux battery and going to the far side of the battery isolator, with the yellow wire on this side being from the main battery. Then there's another red #2 going from the isolator to the megafuse, then another from the megafuse to the aux power relay on the firewall. But what you can't see is that not everything is connected at the isolator. In the pic below you can see that there is one connection to the isolator but another is hanging in the breeze. My buddy Scott said it best: "Magnalugs are great, but boy are they thick!" Yep, two magnalugs won't fit on one stud. So, I took a page out of Scott's book and ordered two STARTER OR SOLENOID TERMINAL REPAIR STUD - AB-506D, as shown on the left, below. Unfortunately the soonest I could get them here is Feb 11th, so I ordered some 5/16-24 coupling nuts, shown on the right, that will get me by until then. But, I fear I'll have to move the isolator a bit as the stud extension or coupling nut will be too close to the fender. Guess I'll get to make another bracket.

Glad you got the vacuum problem sorted. Those can be a pain. On the transfer case, I'm doubting that it is the linkage. Instead, I'll bet there's a problem inside the t-case. But you can divide and conquer. Take the linkage apart. There are probably two nylon retainers, one on the shift lever and one on the lever going into the t-case, that hold then ends of the link. A little bit of heat, like a hair dryer or heat gun softens the nylon and lets you pull the link out. Then you can see if the lever itself is frozen or if it might be a problem in the t-case.

Many things, TCI I have seen people come in through work that bought TCI products and they just had nothing but problems with them, Ive also heard their customer service isnt that great as well. I personally have no first hand experience with them but I wouldnt go with them cause I have seen enough complaining about them that I wouldnt want to take the risk of buying from them. My converter is coming from Hughes, its the brand we use at work and we've never had a problem with them. They are pricy but they are quality converters. If you haven't, before I gave up on a tranny I'd drain it, inc the torque converter, and refill with new fluid. I've seen that help significantly.

Shell says "ShellZone^® Multi-Vehicle Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant 50/50 is a premium quality, pre-diluted antifreeze/coolant that has been tested to be compatible with all automotive and light duty truck antifreeze/coolant products available in the market today. It does not contain any amine, borate, nitrite or phosphate. When used in a flush and refill service of the cooling system, the product will provide 5 years, or 150,000 miles of service (which ever occurs first). ShellZone^® Multi-Vehicle Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant not only guards against freezing and boil-over, it also provides critical protection against corrosion forming on system components, including aluminium." (Yes, it says "aluminium". ) And the technical data sheet says it is yellow.

The article says that GM agreed to pay up to $150,000,000 but said "GM has denied any wrongdoing and said the settlement was aimed at avoiding further costs and saving time". But apparently Dex-Cool continues to be sold? This article from 2017 shows there were still class action law suits going on and people were trying to get a national one going against GM. Dexcool gets a bad wrap because people think any coolant can be added to top it off and then they complain because of sludge. The rust complaint is because people arent changing their coolant like they should. Antifreeze is only good for 5 years roughly before you need to change the antifreeze. That is why Dexcool is still sold and is still used in brand new GM vehicles today. There is nothing wrong with the Dexcool itself, its the owners that are not doing what they should be doing that results in problems. We installed a LT1 out of a 96 impala in a '67 C10 pickup at work some 8 years ago he brought it back in for a fuel leak last week, we put dexcool in it for its aluminum content of the system including the aluminum radiator. I checked the coolant level as part of my look over and the coolant still looked fresh with no rust color and no clogging of the radiator. We also used dexcool in the 5.0 coyote install I did in the '82 F150 at work and that coolant is not posing a problem either. The biggest issue with Dexcool is you can not add conventional green, it will sludge up. You can add the global gold with no problem as it is compatible with conventional green and dexcool. Personally, I'll do what my radiator manufacturer said and not use Dex-Cool. And if I add water I'll do as they say and use distilled water. I say that because they should know best what their radiators need. Here's what I'm running:

Rusty - According to the schematic, the relay is pulled in by the stator wire, but it then feeds battery voltage to the choke. Note that this is for the 351HO, not any other engine. I guess I should have said that as I started the discussion. Anyway, here's the page from the '85 EVTM:

Good idea to highlight the added wires. Just like I did on the 1G wiring. And, you know I have a pic of the 2G wiring. How's this look? And, does the fact that the red "cut" line crossed the LG/R wire and the R/O wire on the left confuse? You are only supposed to cut the R/O wire, as said. And, when you get it together I'll certainly want a pic of the harness.

I'm confused, Bill. Maybe I'm missing something. Why can't I keep 42-way body/engine connector on the PDB and still run the wires to the ECU through the grommet? Don't all of the wires in the engine harness go out to the engine? I know I have a lot to learn about that setup as there are three different connectors: Engine: The 42-way that is shown in the pic below at the back end of the yellow arrow which, I think, goes to the engine and some sensors Body: There's the body connector, circled in red, that takes circuits to/from the in-cab fuse box as well as other things ECU: Circled in green, this is cut off on the '96 harnii and is where I'll have to lengthen and solder the wires back together. I'm thinking that the vast majority, if not all, of the Body wiring can be stripped out. And as we've discussed, much of the wiring to/from the ECU won't be used and can be removed. But I was thinking that most of the engine harness will be used. What am I missing?

Makes you really want to spend $4k, right?

Ok, here's a stab at a 2G to 3G conversion with no shunt and using the choke relay for the voltmeter. My concern is that it might be easy to miss the wires I've added in the Done pic. Do they need to be in red? Or should I put red arrows showing the junctions? Other comments? Here's what you have when you start: Here's where to cut: And here's what it should look like when done:

I ordered the cap with anode today but without time passing, won't be much to report on regarding it. When I had half my engine apart this past Summer due to a coolant leak at the intake manifold, I did a lot of surfing regarding coolants. What you have posted Scott was the consensus of everything I read including the Dexcool. This 2008 article entitled GM settles lawsuits over engine coolant problems says: The article says that GM agreed to pay up to $150,000,000 but said "GM has denied any wrongdoing and said the settlement was aimed at avoiding further costs and saving time". But apparently Dex-Cool continues to be sold? This article from 2017 shows there were still class action law suits going on and people were trying to get a national one going against GM.

Seems a bit high for what we've seen from the PNW, but it does look to be pretty straight - in the overwhelming number of pictures given.

Yes, it is STRANGE! Just some of the pics for posterity:

Precisely! I stuck a scrap piece of hose on the one I installed and it has a nice tight fit. Seeing the hose drop straight into the five gallon bucket and knowing you won't have coolant run down your arm while loosening the drain stop anymore or spray all over everything until you get the funnel just right...it's the small things in life Yes on the size I'm sold. I ordered the one from Amazon for $10.49 with free shipping. CJ Pony Parts wants $19 for shipping a $10 part, and that just torques me off.