Kyle_christina Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Hey guys, i have been hanging out here for a bit without doing much posting. Thanks for all the information and work you guys do here on this forum! Now for the questions. As the description says, i am rebuilding my harness which seems to be the best option. I have sourced pins for some connectors but not all and some pig tails(mostly from rock auto). Is there a better source for these electrical connectors and especially eec terminals? I found eec terminals on ebay but the seller thinks they are worth gold at 10 bucks for one terminal..... also i need to replace the inline 22k ohm resistor that comes off of pin 4 in the ecc. I am not sure how to go about it. I can only seem to find bare resistors and nothing like the incased one that is original. So sorry for the long winded post but i want to be as thorough as possible. Also for wire i am only going to use about 4 different colors and its going to be marine grade ancor wire from amazon. I was thinking blue for signal, black for ground, green for common, and red for power? Does that seem like a good idea? Reasoning behind this is because it is already going to be expensive enough so i want to simplify. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle_christina Posted March 5, 2019 Author Share Posted March 5, 2019 Also it seems as though most wire is 16awg with some 14 awg or 12 awg sprinkled in for power and ground. I dont have a great way of measuring other then with my wire strippers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Roma Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Also it seems as though most wire is 16awg with some 14 awg or 12 awg sprinkled in for power and ground. I dont have a great way of measuring other then with my wire strippers. Good luck with this - ambitious project. I was thinking of doing the same thing but believing I wouldn’t find all the connectors, I thought of using newer water-proof connectors or something similar, with sheathing to protect wires against abrasions, etc. Did you consider replacing old connectors for new? Are you sticking to old style to keep the truck original? Before I botch my harness, I wanted to *gauge* what others think. As for determining wire gauge, you can calculate it yourself. Google will tell you many things but here is an example: https://m.wikihow.com/Gauge-Wire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle_christina Posted March 5, 2019 Author Share Posted March 5, 2019 Good luck with this - ambitious project. I was thinking of doing the same thing but believing I wouldn’t find all the connectors, I thought of using newer water-proof connectors or something similar, with sheathing to protect wires against abrasions, etc. Did you consider replacing old connectors for new? Are you sticking to old style to keep the truck original? Before I botch my harness, I wanted to *gauge* what others think. As for determining wire gauge, you can calculate it yourself. Google will tell you many things but here is an example: https://m.wikihow.com/Gauge-Wire I am trying to replace as many connectors as i can with original. I would love to update all the connectors to more modern stuff. I have access to a vast amount of different styles, however most of the sensors have the connector molded directly on them such as the knock sensor. For that reason im trying to keep that part original. The truck it self is far from original so its not much of an issue for me. I just simply have to rebuild the harness out of necessity. There is insulation peeling off wires all over the place. With that i am also replacing a few sensors that havent been yet. I found a harness on painless that us for if i remember right an 87 to 91 mustang for 600 bucks. Thats really expensive to me and i would have to change to maf. The goal is to not have this engine in here for ever either so i do not want to upgrade to that system. I just want this one to work for the next few years. I will give that website a look for determing wire size. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85lebaront2 Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 I am trying to replace as many connectors as i can with original. I would love to update all the connectors to more modern stuff. I have access to a vast amount of different styles, however most of the sensors have the connector molded directly on them such as the knock sensor. For that reason im trying to keep that part original. The truck it self is far from original so its not much of an issue for me. I just simply have to rebuild the harness out of necessity. There is insulation peeling off wires all over the place. With that i am also replacing a few sensors that havent been yet. I found a harness on painless that us for if i remember right an 87 to 91 mustang for 600 bucks. Thats really expensive to me and i would have to change to maf. The goal is to not have this engine in here for ever either so i do not want to upgrade to that system. I just want this one to work for the next few years. I will give that website a look for determing wire size. Thanks again I have found some good sources for some of the connectors, EEC pins, there was a place, but I think he is out of business. On most of the other stuff, Motorcraft has a lot of the pigtails and their catalog is on this site. If you get the Motorcraft number, then go onto Rock Auto and use the Part Number section, it's a little annoying, but you can find it if they carry it. The molded ones, like the EFI to front harness interface, you can get replacements, but will still need to splice them in. If there is nothing wrong with the resistor, why change it? I suspect it is in the tachometer wire. DO NOT use crimp connectors, wrap splice, solder and use heat shrink tubing over it. On retaping the harness, use friction tape, it will hold up better. The corrugated sleeving that a lot of it is in, can be purchased, or I have a load of it from salvaged harnesses. The larger pin connectors, round and flat 1/4" are readily available aftermarket in Dorman products Help line. I have PNs for those. I also have extra 60 pin EEC plugs (which can be a pain as the little retainer tabs break if you look at them wrong). Be glad it's a Ford and not a Chrysler product, at least your parts are available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 I have found some good sources for some of the connectors, EEC pins, there was a place, but I think he is out of business. On most of the other stuff, Motorcraft has a lot of the pigtails and their catalog is on this site. If you get the Motorcraft number, then go onto Rock Auto and use the Part Number section, it's a little annoying, but you can find it if they carry it. The molded ones, like the EFI to front harness interface, you can get replacements, but will still need to splice them in. If there is nothing wrong with the resistor, why change it? I suspect it is in the tachometer wire. DO NOT use crimp connectors, wrap splice, solder and use heat shrink tubing over it. On retaping the harness, use friction tape, it will hold up better. The corrugated sleeving that a lot of it is in, can be purchased, or I have a load of it from salvaged harnesses. The larger pin connectors, round and flat 1/4" are readily available aftermarket in Dorman products Help line. I have PNs for those. I also have extra 60 pin EEC plugs (which can be a pain as the little retainer tabs break if you look at them wrong). Be glad it's a Ford and not a Chrysler product, at least your parts are available. We have a link in the Resources/Electrical to Ford's connectors and pigtails catalog. You might be able to find the connectors in there, get the part numbers, and find them on-line to order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle_christina Posted March 5, 2019 Author Share Posted March 5, 2019 We have a link in the Resources/Electrical to Ford's connectors and pigtails catalog. You might be able to find the connectors in there, get the part numbers, and find them on-line to order. I appreciate the feedback. The reason i want to replace the resistor is because the insulation on the wires going into it and out of it are peeling off right up to the resistor. Other wise it is fine. It reads 21.7 k ohms actually. Im not sure how to track down the part number for each connector. It does not seem easy to do by any means. I did look through the catalog some. But like was mentioned its not that easy without part numbers. I will have to spend some pain staking time figuring that out. I do know my harness is going to have extra splicing since some pins and terminals are not easy to come by. It wont be that pretty but its going to function a whole heck of alot better and i will not have to worry about shorts happening. I do need an eec connector. Pin 20 melted into the connector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 I appreciate the feedback. The reason i want to replace the resistor is because the insulation on the wires going into it and out of it are peeling off right up to the resistor. Other wise it is fine. It reads 21.7 k ohms actually. Im not sure how to track down the part number for each connector. It does not seem easy to do by any means. I did look through the catalog some. But like was mentioned its not that easy without part numbers. I will have to spend some pain staking time figuring that out. I do know my harness is going to have extra splicing since some pins and terminals are not easy to come by. It wont be that pretty but its going to function a whole heck of alot better and i will not have to worry about shorts happening. I do need an eec connector. Pin 20 melted into the connector. Several things. For connectors you can't find in Ford's catalog I'd suggest going to the salvage - several of them - and buying portions of harnesses as needed. Then, graft them in as Bill suggested - solder things and use adhesive-lined shrink tubing to seal the joints. I like kits like this one: https://www.amazon.com/130-pcs-Adhesive-Assortment-MILAPEAK/dp/B071H5XC7C/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_468_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PHJWVN600BRVV1H4WXP5 As for the wire colors, I'd recommend that you leave the factory wire showing at the connectors if you can. That way you can figure out what the circuit is. In other words, go to the salvage and get an EEC connector and as much wiring with it as you can. Then replace what you need to on your harness, but if the wires aren't long enough splice in a common color - between factory wires. On the resistor, you can get a common resistor and encase it in the shrink tubing already mentioned for protection. And assuming that it is just in a sensing circuit a common 1/4 watt resistor should work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle_christina Posted March 6, 2019 Author Share Posted March 6, 2019 Several things. For connectors you can't find in Ford's catalog I'd suggest going to the salvage - several of them - and buying portions of harnesses as needed. Then, graft them in as Bill suggested - solder things and use adhesive-lined shrink tubing to seal the joints. I like kits like this one: https://www.amazon.com/130-pcs-Adhesive-Assortment-MILAPEAK/dp/B071H5XC7C/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_468_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PHJWVN600BRVV1H4WXP5 As for the wire colors, I'd recommend that you leave the factory wire showing at the connectors if you can. That way you can figure out what the circuit is. In other words, go to the salvage and get an EEC connector and as much wiring with it as you can. Then replace what you need to on your harness, but if the wires aren't long enough splice in a common color - between factory wires. On the resistor, you can get a common resistor and encase it in the shrink tubing already mentioned for protection. And assuming that it is just in a sensing circuit a common 1/4 watt resistor should work. If i can leave factory colors at the connectors i absolutely will. Thanks for the advice on the resistors. Another thing i might do is label each wire part way through with a labeler that can label shrink tube. I will definitely take all the advice i can get. Im pretty comfy with a solder iron and protecting electronics, just my experience is in a more industrial setting. The good thing is that my f150 is my toy and i can spend time finding what i need to do this right. I appreciate all your feedback. I will try to document my work and findings here. It is going to take me a while though. I am busy with my wife and 2 boys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted March 6, 2019 Share Posted March 6, 2019 If i can leave factory colors at the connectors i absolutely will. Thanks for the advice on the resistors. Another thing i might do is label each wire part way through with a labeler that can label shrink tube. I will definitely take all the advice i can get. Im pretty comfy with a solder iron and protecting electronics, just my experience is in a more industrial setting. The good thing is that my f150 is my toy and i can spend time finding what i need to do this right. I appreciate all your feedback. I will try to document my work and findings here. It is going to take me a while though. I am busy with my wife and 2 boys! A tip of the hat to you for tackling the project of rewiring an 86 EFI truck. That is a daunting task to say the least. I just recently took one of these trucks apart and sent the EFI harness and all related EFI components to a fellow forum member for spare parts. I remember how well these EFI trucks ran when they were new, so if you get it all fixed up it will be worth it, but it's still a big job. Good luck. I'll be following along out of curiosity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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