Clock wiring part II

[FuzzFace2]

I did some searching and even looked at the clock documents & wiring and have an issue.

Let me start with the clock I got off Ebay.

I believe it is the 83-86 clock based on the wire colors from the documents and the pig tail with the clock.

LG/Y - hot run / acc.

W/P - head light switch dome light? (this wire & the lg/y are twisted together I guess from repair & testing?)

BK - ground

BR - exterior running lights

Now the truck side (2/1982) and the part that has me stumped.

I can only find 1 plug and it is down by the radio not up near the clock area.

It is a 3 pin prong plug with 4 wires going into it.

PK/R - hot with door open

BR - hot with lights turned on

BK/LB & BK/DB - hot with the inside dome light on and door open (I think)

So I think the plug I found is for the under dash lights based on how the wires get power.

Now there was talk of the clock is plugged into a "Y" harness that plugs into the under dash light plug and does the lights & clock is this right?

If so where does the clock get 12 volts all the time to keep time & date?

I also know I said I could make a harness. I think if I have the clock wiring right I can find the wires needed on the truck side and could I use the plug / wires I found and just run 12 volts to clock?

BTW it sucks pulling apart a truck that was together and no noises when driving

As always thanks for any help you can give me

Dave ----

[salans7]

There is only one connector on the truck side of the harness, and it is a male connector. It is located by the A/C controls, at least on all of the trucks I've touched. There looks to be black/blue, black/green, brown, white/red, and green/yellow wires going into it from the main harness. The harness that plugs into this connector usually includes the under dash lights and the lighted glove box. This harness also had a female plug for the clock wiring to plug into. I did not check for 100% certainty on the pin outs but it does look like you may be able to plug the clock harness straight into the main connector coming off of the main harness and have a functioning clock. I assume this is what was done on trucks with clocks but without under dash lighting.

The below two pictures are what I have in my truck.

[FuzzFace2]

There is only one connector on the truck side of the harness, and it is a male connector. It is located by the A/C controls, at least on all of the trucks I've touched. There looks to be black/blue, black/green, brown, white/red, and green/yellow wires going into it from the main harness. The harness that plugs into this connector usually includes the under dash lights and the lighted glove box. This harness also had a female plug for the clock wiring to plug into. I did not check for 100% certainty on the pin outs but it does look like you may be able to plug the clock harness straight into the main connector coming off of the main harness and have a functioning clock. I assume this is what was done on trucks with clocks but without under dash lighting.

The below two pictures are what I have in my truck.

Shaun first let me say thank you for your help.

Is you truck 83-86? Looks like it from the wire colors.

With fresh eyes today I may have found what I was looking for?

This clock harness is a Tee or "Y" into the truck harness right?

Would you need to unplug the truck harness to plug in the clock harness?

What I am saying is I found the right color wires in a plug but this plug is connected to another plug of the same colors, a pass thru type deal.

(AC harness is done this way, unplug the main harness and plug in the AC harness and that keeps the "link" like before)

If so then half the battle is won and on to the next.

So I have the right truck side wires for 81/82 truck at this plug connection.

W/P - hot run / acc.

LG/Y - head light switch dome light.

LB/R - dash light dim

BK - ground

So how do I mate them to a 83-86 clock that has different color wires?

LG/Y - hot run / acc.

W/P - head light switch dome light? (this wire & the lg/y are twisted together I guess from repair & testing?)

BK - ground

BR - exterior running lights

Dave ----

[salans7]

Shaun first let me say thank you for your help.

Is you truck 83-86? Looks like it from the wire colors.

With fresh eyes today I may have found what I was looking for?

This clock harness is a Tee or "Y" into the truck harness right?

Would you need to unplug the truck harness to plug in the clock harness?

What I am saying is I found the right color wires in a plug but this plug is connected to another plug of the same colors, a pass thru type deal.

(AC harness is done this way, unplug the main harness and plug in the AC harness and that keeps the "link" like before)

If so then half the battle is won and on to the next.

So I have the right truck side wires for 81/82 truck at this plug connection.

W/P - hot run / acc.

LG/Y - head light switch dome light.

LB/R - dash light dim

BK - ground

So how do I mate them to a 83-86 clock that has different color wires?

LG/Y - hot run / acc.

W/P - head light switch dome light? (this wire & the lg/y are twisted together I guess from repair & testing?)

BK - ground

BR - exterior running lights

Dave ----

On both my 1980 and this 1986, the plug was empty with nothing connected to it. It was more like a T in the main wiring harness, but nothing else was controlled by it. So maybe you already have the light group harness?

To make the clock work, you would just need to identify what each wire does for the 80-82 wiring, and also for the 83-86 clock wiring. The connector setup depends on how much wiring you have with the new clock. If they gave you only the two plugs (clock side and the light group harness side), you don't have enough parts to convert your existing connectors. But if they gave you three connectors (clock, and both male/female from the light group harness), you could effectively convert your 80-82 connector to the 83-86 style provided you map out the wiring pin-outs correctly. That's what I did with the radio in my 1980 since the rubber plug was junk and I didn't even have any speaker wiring.

[FuzzFace2]

On both my 1980 and this 1986, the plug was empty with nothing connected to it. It was more like a T in the main wiring harness, but nothing else was controlled by it. So maybe you already have the light group harness?

To make the clock work, you would just need to identify what each wire does for the 80-82 wiring, and also for the 83-86 clock wiring. The connector setup depends on how much wiring you have with the new clock. If they gave you only the two plugs (clock side and the light group harness side), you don't have enough parts to convert your existing connectors. But if they gave you three connectors (clock, and both male/female from the light group harness), you could effectively convert your 80-82 connector to the 83-86 style provided you map out the wiring pin-outs correctly. That's what I did with the radio in my 1980 since the rubber plug was junk and I didn't even have any speaker wiring.

What you see is what I have, short pig tail on the clock.

So you think being the male & female plugs are together in my picture I just need the Tee with the M & FM truck side and clock at the other end? Being I don't have the truck side of the plugs for the harness I might just tap into the wires as needed, I can un-plug the clock when needed.

As for the light group I am sure the truck (Ranger model) did not come with the under dash lights that I could find when I had the dash with harness out for repair.

Guess I will need to go over the documentation really good to see how the 2 systems are wired.

Wonder if my old harness has the M & FM plugs I could cut off to make the Tee harness?

Thanks again for the help.

Dave ----

[Danny G]

What you see is what I have, short pig tail on the clock.

So you think being the male & female plugs are together in my picture I just need the Tee with the M & FM truck side and clock at the other end? Being I don't have the truck side of the plugs for the harness I might just tap into the wires as needed, I can un-plug the clock when needed.

As for the light group I am sure the truck (Ranger model) did not come with the under dash lights that I could find when I had the dash with harness out for repair.

Guess I will need to go over the documentation really good to see how the 2 systems are wired.

Wonder if my old harness has the M & FM plugs I could cut off to make the Tee harness?

Thanks again for the help.

Dave ----

I remember reading something where earlier trucks did not have a connector like the later trucks but a pigtail and like a trailer connection... or am I mistaken? Maybe this is part of the issue?

Can you disconnect that harness and check for power/ground that would verify it is the signals needed for the radio? If so maybe you can splice in a couple inches behind the connector or find some extra connectors from a donor and make a short jumper.

[FuzzFace2]

I remember reading something where earlier trucks did not have a connector like the later trucks but a pigtail and like a trailer connection... or am I mistaken? Maybe this is part of the issue?

Can you disconnect that harness and check for power/ground that would verify it is the signals needed for the radio? If so maybe you can splice in a couple inches behind the connector or find some extra connectors from a donor and make a short jumper.

I think I found the end I need

I first went thru my parts bins looking for the harness that came with this truck, a Custom F100 bare bones truck. And the plug with matching colors was just a short part out of the main harness.

I then went back to the truck, it has a Ranger F100 harness and has upgrades.

Looking at the plug that feels like it loops back into the harness

I can feel 1 end does go into the harness but the other end kind of goes down some place?

Digging deeper I was able to trace it to a plug end at the bottom edge of the dash just right of the ash tray. It has 1 of them trees you push thru a hole and it stays there. After fighting with it I go it free and it now will reach the top of the dash / clock area.

It may have been loose when I was working with the dash and thought it went there and put it in the hole. The first plug I found with no color matching wires and tested out to be what I think is the under dash light plug, so I fished that plug down where I got the clock plug from.

So now I have to go over the wiring documents to see if I can match uphe 81/82 truck wiring to the 83-86 clock wiring.

I did test the pins on the truck side as:

LG/Y - hot all the time

W/P - hot key acc. & run

LB/R - dash lights / dim

BK - ground

We are getting there

Dave ----

[FuzzFace2]

OK after checking documents the wire colors are as follows:

LG/Y - same for truck & clock

W/P - same for truck & clock

BK - same for truck & clock

BUT

Truck LB/R goes to the dash lights and can be dimmed.

Clock BR goes to the running lights but can not be dimmed.

Should I hook the BR of the clock to the LB/R of the truck as they both come on with the head lights turned on, I don't see me dimming the dash lights.

WWYD?

Dave ----

[Gary Lewis]

OK after checking documents the wire colors are as follows:

LG/Y - same for truck & clock

W/P - same for truck & clock

BK - same for truck & clock

BUT

Truck LB/R goes to the dash lights and can be dimmed.

Clock BR goes to the running lights but can not be dimmed.

Should I hook the BR of the clock to the LB/R of the truck as they both come on with the head lights turned on, I don't see me dimming the dash lights.

WWYD?

Dave ----

I'm not sure I'm the one you are asking, but all that signal does is to tell the clock that the lights are on so it should dim. And I'll bet it will work hooked to the LB/R wire. The clock is expecting either no voltage or battery voltage, so should accept the dimmed signal just fine.

[salans7]

OK after checking documents the wire colors are as follows:

LG/Y - same for truck & clock

W/P - same for truck & clock

BK - same for truck & clock

BUT

Truck LB/R goes to the dash lights and can be dimmed.

Clock BR goes to the running lights but can not be dimmed.

Should I hook the BR of the clock to the LB/R of the truck as they both come on with the head lights turned on, I don't see me dimming the dash lights.

WWYD?

Dave ----

My harness goes as follows, and it was the same on my 1980 (which had a light group harness from a 1982).

All trucks will have: Main harness > 8-pin Light Group/Clock connector

Light group/clock equipped trucks will have:

 

Main Harness > 8-pin Light Group/Clock connector > Wiring for light group splits off from here in a separate harness > Clock wiring continues to another 8-pin clock only connector next to the original 8-pin connector > Clock wiring then goes up to the clock area > 4-pin Connector that plugs into the clock.