2.3L ('83-'97) 1997 2.3 5sp 2wd positive battery cable routing

[Kudagra]

I've owned an 86 and an 87 Ranger but that was 30+ years ago.
I picked up a 97 2.3 5sp extra cab 2wd. Someone blind went after a no start condition with a chain saw. The wiring is a nightmare. Battery cables removed and transmission to engine harness chopped apart.
I put a new starter and battery in it (they physically broke the old starter). My issue now is... How is the positive cable routed? They had it draped over the rear of the engine but looking at brackets, remembering how Ford likes to do things and a touch of common sense it seems to me it runs around the front of the oil pan and over the gearbox to the battery. Does anyone have a diagram or picture showing this?

I connected mine this way and jumped the fender solenoid and it cranked over (they broke the start terminal off the solenoid)

Thanks

 

[scotts90ranger]

I can get pictures and look tonight, other than when the starter solenoid unscrewed itself on my '97 it's always started so I haven't paid much attention... it's pretty rube goldberg though... not sure why the starter has a trigger wire and it still has a relay on the fender...

 

[Kudagra]

I can get pictures and look tonight, other than when the starter solenoid unscrewed itself on my '97 it's always started so I haven't paid much attention... it's pretty rube goldberg though... not sure why the starter has a trigger wire and it still has a relay on the fender...

That was the old time fix for when GM and VWs would heat soak the starter and wouldnt start. Heck i used a Ford Solenoid to wire my glow plugs on my Rabbit Diesel pickup.

Lol i love when random things unscrew themselves

 

[scotts90ranger]

The problem is what they did on this thing makes no sense... when I pulled the starter I took off the output side wire of the relay to be safe which didn't do anything, I still got sparks and I ended up losing my stereo settings anyway... One of these days I'll try to look at it again...

 

[scotts90ranger]

Oddly enough I've been to Baldwin City a couple times... helping out Custom Mobile...

Anywho I was going to take a couple pictures but you can't see jack with where it goes... the cables head straight down behind the battery and are either tied to the bottom front of the engine or the engine crossmember then crosses to the other side of the engine under the alternator then to the starter. It's at this point that I identified the coolant leak on my '97 , I made it worse before I fixed it...

 

[Kudagra]

Lol. No problem. While trying to figure out what the multiple cut wires and disconnected connectors go to ...i saw a rubbed spot on the back side of the left engine mount.
So... If anyone else wants to know it comes off the battery.. To behind the driver's side motor mount.. Then it follows the pan around (there are locations for bolts and cable clamps around the block edge of the oil pan) the front and towards the back on the passenger side. There are brackets on the passenger side they can be secured to.

My main goal is getting the start circuit squared away. I have power from ignition switch to the clutch switch to the 24 fuse...but Not to the start terminal of the relay. Well after some research I've decided the electrical engineers are sadists. Circuit 329 comes from the 24 fuse, out connector c134 to c124 to c130 to the transmission harness where it switches to circuit 32 and goes BACK through c130 and then to the starter relay.
Well that's just dumb and too many places for issues. Im pulling the wire from c134 before c124 and going to the relay. Eliminates about 4 unnecessary junctions and about 8ft of wire.
Engineers. I tell ya *shakes fist*

 

[scotts90ranger]

Nothing about the start circuit makes any sense, there's redundant redundancy (they meet at the department of redundancy department head office).

I was pretty glad that when I got mine it was not butchered anywhere too bad, I found parts of an old alarm or something under the dash but that's about the worst...