Where does this brown wire go?

[kilobos]

I have a 1987 Ranger XLT 2.9L V6. I found this brown wire not connected to anything at the back of the engine by the firewall. This wire is coming from the same area where the TFI wires come out. There are also wires going down to an oxygen sensor and toward the transmission. I have been having troubles with my ranger maybe this is part of my problem. Sorry that I posted this in another area before realizing I needed to be here.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

If the wire is all one piece, just covered by you finger, then it is a ground. Yes, it can have an effect on running. And its probably orange.

 

[kilobos]

I went out to check further back into the tape and plastic and yes it is orange. Any idea where that wire is supposed to go?

 

[Paulos]

It looks like the ground that bolts to the back of the passenger side head. If you feel the back of the passenger side head, at the corner on the exhaust port side of the head, where the head meets the block, you will probably feel a threaded hole. If you have a threaded hole and no ground wire there, that's where your orange wire goes.

 

[adsm08]

That's the O2 sensor ground, goes right where @Paulos said it does.

 

[kilobos]

Thank you very much! I found the spot you were talking about. Going to the store now to pick up a bolt.

 

[Paulos]

Not a problem. From what I have read here at The Ranger Station that wire supplies a ground to the O2 sensor, so it's a good idea to have it connected.

After a little searching, that orange wire is a ground to both pin 49 of the ECM and the O2 sensor.