1988 2.9L neutral safety switch?

[35Remmy]

Ok...so...88 2.9L...363 stroker, C4 tranny....putting original harnesses back in (i had them out to paint engine bay and firewall). Was originally A4LD. Replaced computer per V8 swap sites, i.e. James Duff, for one for a manual transmission since C4 has no electronic inputs besides NSS.

I am NOT getting power to the "I" terminal/wire on the starter solenoid when the key is turned to ON. Is this because i have no neutral safety switch hooked up?

I am also not getting power to the fuel pump or relay, they wont energize. I dont know if this is related to the NSS???

Right now all relays are grounded. Headlights, horns, door chimes, gauge illumination, passenger side door locks, etc are turning on. I still do not have other grounds connected like cylinder heads, battery to chassis and engine to chassis hooked up. Yes i have s lot going on at once!!!

Any ideas guys????

 

[RobbieD]

. . . . I still do not have other grounds connected like cylinder heads, battery to chassis and engine to chassis hooked up.
Any ideas guys????

If I'm reading that right, you really need to get the engine, body and chassis (frame) properly grounded back to the battery's negative post before doing anything else. Otherwise you're almost guaranteed to be chasing electrical gremlins.

 

[Curious Hound]

Yes. +1 ^^^^^ you’re wasting your time trying to troubleshoot anything until you get all the grounds connected properly.

 

[35Remmy]

Can anyone show or tell me where ground from engine to frame is? Its been about 10 years. I cant even find the ground cable to be honest. I removed it when 2.9L came out and that engine is long gone.

 

[RobbieD]

Off the top of my head, the typical early Ranger battery ground setup goes like this:
Battery ground cable has smaller wire (about 12 ga.) which is bolted to the radiator support, grounding the body to the battery.
The second larger wire, (maybe 0 ga.?) has a clamp terminal about 18" from the battery post, which bolts to the frame (grounding the chassis/frame to the battery), and this same wire continues on, ending in a large ring terminal which bolts to the engine (which is the engine grounding to the battery).
You can use a premade cable, or make up your own. Just remember that all three areas, body, engine and frame, have to have a direct and clean grounding path back to the battery negative post. Good luck!

 

[35Remmy]

Thanks for the quick reply!! Battery cable is grounded in 3 locations, i have that done. Just located grounding locations on back of cylinder head and on block, just need to get some grounding cables and straps now. I will return!!!

 

[RobbieD]

Glad to help; Good Luck!

 

[35Remmy]

Ok guys, so i hooked up all (?) of my grounds. Have the cylinder head to firewall and engine to chassis taken care of.

Got tail lights working earlier. The ONLY things im not getting power/not turning on are:
Fuel pump
Power windows
Power locks on drivers side
Door speakers
Power lumbar seats

Checked every fuse on panel, all are ok. Im not sure where to go from here. Every connector i can find that can plug into something is plugged in. Im missing SOMETHING!!! THANKS for everyones time, im not a student of electrical engineering lol

 

[35Remmy]

Am i supposed to have a connection at the "I" terminal on the starter relay in '88??? I have nothing hooked up to it, just to the "S" terminal. Hmmmmm

 

[35Remmy]

Is this wire supposed to be cut??

 

[Curious Hound]

I'm trying to check some electrical diagrams in our tech section for you. Where does that orange wire go? I think your picture is showing a junction with several fusible links joined together. But I need to know where some of those wires go in order to be sure and find it in the diagrams. That wire probably should not be cut unless it was replaced by something new.

Concerning the I terminal on the starter relay, I believe "I" is for ignition. That would be where your ignition switch supplies power to energize the relay.

 

[Curious Hound]

I was wrong about the "I" terminal. I knew I had read about it somewhere in the past.

 

[35Remmy]

Here is a picture.....

 

[RobbieD]

Is this wire supposed to be cut??

It's really impossible for us to tell what you have going on, or what's been done to the truck's wiring in the last 32 years. And it's been converted to a V8 to boot (carbed, I hope).

I'm guessing that your picture is close to the starter relay. No wires are "supposed" to be cut. However, yellow wires and a black/orange wire do jive with the '88 main power wires, which are connected to the solenoid BAT terminal, originally through fusible links.

You're going to need wiring diagrams, and you're going to need to test things. I'm attaching two sets of 1988 power distribution schematics; one if the truck has an ammeter gauge, the second if it has an idiot light to show charging.

First, I'd start by testing for power at the ignition switch; the diagrams I've attached show these wires.

Second, make yourself a test jumper with a fuse holder, or better yet a circuit breaker (20A would be the max), to use when you try reconnecting any cut wires for testing, which are suspected of needing to be connected to battery power. Remember that originally the truck had fusible links on its power feed wires, so not using a fuse or breaker to test-connect a wire to battery power could lead to a melted wire harness, or worse.

You just gotta take it slow and be methodical and careful. Good luck!

 

[35Remmy]

Ron, thanks for your help!!! The V8 isnt running yet, im getting these electrical gremlins figured out FIRST before i move on.......theres only been one previous owner, the original, who owned the truck for the first 9 years. I never molested anything.