2.8L V6 wont stay running. When running it hesitates. It hesitated when I tried to drive it.

[franklin2]

I would just tape the wires that are bare. The one for the oil sending unit is white with a red stripe. I don't know what the other wires are you are asking about unless you can determine the colors. If you are color blind, we will have to find another way. Or get someone to help you figure out what color they are. It's not easy sometimes, over time and all that heat under the hood they fade out.

 

[RobbieD]

So tonight I went out to my truck and wrangled with the spider web of wires. I found the harness/cables you were walking about.
The whole harness is fucked (The main harness). Its all janky, nasty, just horrible.

The harness/wires you said I needed are ok. Some will need to be rewired but most of it is alright. The alternator/charging wires are good as well as the sending unit wires. Which for the hell of it. Ill reinstall. Im going to rewire what looks to be the oil sending hose (As its coated in oil and is basicly down to the bare wire. So yeah, Sorry for any confusing. When you said you didnt remember doing in cutting I figured EVERYTHING was apart of the harness. Since it was all tangled all together. My mistake! I should have tried to untangle the mess.

Yes, you just need to clean up and reuse the C102 engine-side harness in the picture in your post (#146).

See if you can open this .pdf file, and then check if the wire colors match what you're seeing your C102 engine-side harness.

 

[franklin2]

Yes, you just need to clean up and reuse the C102 engine-side harness in the picture in your post (#146).

See if you can open this .pdf file, and then check if the wire colors match what you're seeing your C102 engine-side harness.

Great picture and diagram. See in the picture that wire over to the far right that has a piece of white tape wrapped around it? That's the brown pink you will need to use along with the white/blue dot wire from the round connector. Tie these two wires together and feed the power to the ignition module and the coil.

 

[RobbieD]

@franklin2 - thanks. On mine I did the Ford ignition module and a can coil with a ballast resistor. Since @MadMax_636 is doing the GM module, you'll be in a better position to advise him on those connections. I have the Ford manuals, so I can post those wiring diagrams if we need them.

 

[MadMax_636]

@franklin2 - thanks. On mine I did the Ford ignition module and a can coil with a ballast resistor. Since @MadMax_636 is doing the GM module, you'll be in a better position to advise him on those connections. I have the Ford manuals, so I can post those wiring diagrams if we need them.

I looked at the diagram at work. IDK where the connection for the engine temp is on the harness. It might have broken off from how brittle everything was. I used some rubbing alchol to clean some of the gunk off of them so I could see the colors better.

@franklin2 Thanks for the help! The second photo in post #146. The wire all the way to the connector is bare. All under the sleeve is bare wire. Thats why I asked if I should rewire it. Since I can rewrap it and hope and pray it lasts longer. Since I think the oil that got onto and heat cooked it.

Here are some photos of the harness. After some cleaning. I found some weird wiring and some stuff that looked odd and out of place.
Just wires twisted together. Different colors wires. I also looked up the diagram that @RobbieD uploaded. Some stuff just didnt add up or seem right.

That was why I thought some stuff would need rewiring.

 

[RobbieD]

You also have the option of robbing the computer harness that you've removed, for some good lengths of wire to repair your C102 engine-side harness. Just match colors as best as you can and use donor wire that's the same gauge.

The white wire that's really roached looks like the oil pressure. You might can salvage the sensor connector. By chance do you have some heat-shrink tubing? I don't remember, but don't think, that the old computer harness has a connector like that you could salvage. That's a "ninety-degree female bullet" type terminal.

 

[MadMax_636]

You also have the option of robbing the computer harness that you've removed, for some good lengths of wire to repair your C102 engine-side harness. Just match colors as best as you can and use donor wire that's the same gauge.

The white wire that's really roached looks like the oil pressure. You might can salvage the sensor connector. By chance do you have some heat-shrink tubing? I don't remember, but don't think, that the old computer harness has a connector like that you could salvage. That's a "ninety-degree female bullet" type terminal.

I ordered a multi color box set of 18 gauge wire spools.
Would using a higher/newer gauge be bad? That is cause the sensor or system to not work right? Like changing the resistance.

I could only find 18 gauge at a good price with multi color at a good price and a fast enough shipping.
Ill get some heat shrink tubing but I also have some heavy duty plastic wire looms. So I could use that right?

What about the connector that looks spliced together? The one with 2 different colored wires. Should I fix that at all? Besides fixing the connection.

 

[RobbieD]

New wire is good. Same gauge is best, larger (gauge) wire is good; smaller wire is not good. What you ordered should be OK.

I asked about the heat-shrink tubing, so that you can try to salvage the oil pressure sensor terminal. Tape won't cut it, where it lives.

>>> Does your truck have dash indicator lights for oil and temp, or gauges?

The wire loom, is for, well, looming wires into harnesses. Not for making wiring / splice connections.

>>> How are you planning on making your actual wiring connections? With the C102 harness repair, and the GM HEI, there will be some wires which will need to spliced.

In your picture, the wire that is spliced looks to be the Brown / Pink ignition +12v wire on C102, which appears to have been spliced to the White / Light Blue dashes ignition +12v wire on the round, black 3-pin (but only 2 wires) C107 connector. My guess that is a previous owner lost the original (White / Light Blue) ignition circuit on C107, and bubba-repaired it by using the Brown / Pink from C102. I don't know what the GM HEI plugs look like, but since you're not using a Ford ignition module I'm thinking that you'll not be using C107 anyway.

 

[MadMax_636]

New wire is good. Same gauge is best, larger (gauge) wire is good; smaller wire is not good. What you ordered should be OK.

I asked about the heat-shrink tubing, so that you can try to salvage the oil pressure sensor terminal. Tape won't cut it, where it lives.

>>> Does your truck have dash indicator lights for oil and temp, or gauges?

The wire loom, is for, well, looming wires into harnesses. Not for making wiring / splice connections.

>>> How are you planning on making your actual wiring connections? With the C102 harness repair, and the GM HEI, there will be some wires which will need to spliced.

In your picture, the wire that is spliced looks to be the Brown / Pink ignition +12v wire on C102, which appears to have been spliced to the White / Light Blue dashes ignition +12v wire on the round, black 3-pin (but only 2 wires) C107 connector. My guess that is a previous owner lost the original (White / Light Blue) ignition circuit on C107, and bubba-repaired it by using the Brown / Pink from C102. I don't know what the GM HEI plugs look like, but since you're not using a Ford ignition module I'm thinking that you'll not be using C107 anyway.

Yeah, I wasn't gonna try and tape it. I was planning to clip the connector off and either use a butt connector or solder it to a new wire. Then use heat shrink wrap to seal it us then use the plastic looms to be able to manage it and so its not just close to bare wire down there.

My truck has lights. No real gauges. I plan on doing after market gauges as some point. The whole shabang on the gauges. (Oil temp and pressure, water/coolant temp, vacuum, AFR, Volt, fuel, and tacho) Thats why in a earlier post I said I wont worry about hooking the factory stuff up but I might as well hook it up until then.

So the hillabilly fixin was alright? I should fix the wire connection though. Thats what Im mainly worried about. Only because Im hoping I have everything I need. I do have some other plugs that were still left in the cobweb that is the wiring harness. So the connector might still be there. idk.

 

[RobbieD]

Soldering would be the best way to make your connections. Honestly, it's an acquired skill, so if you're new at it, practice on some junk wire first. The trick is to quickly get the parts (i.e. - the wires) hot enough to melt the solder, and then let it pull the melted solder into the splice join (wick it in). Don't just melt solder and let it blob on the outside of a splice. Put your heat shrink on one wire before you join the pair in a splice.

Indicator lights are good. You can check your oil and temp lights, by grounding the sensor wires with the ignition on. I think that if you get that C102 engine-side harness repaired, your indicator lights stand a good chance of working.

I'm not a fan of the hillbilly fix on that ignition wire. My preference, is that the original problem should have found, and corrected. But, to each his own. It must have worked, even if it wasn't pretty.

 

[MadMax_636]

Soldering would be the best way to make your connections. Honestly, it's an acquired skill, so if you're new at it, practice on some junk wire first. The trick is to quickly get the parts (i.e. - the wires) hot enough to melt the solder, and then let it pull the melted solder into the splice join (wick it in). Don't just melt solder and let it blob on the outside of a splice. Put your heat shrink on one wire before you join the pair in a splice.

Indicator lights are good. You can check your oil and temp lights, by grounding the sensor wires with the ignition on. I think that if you get that C102 engine-side harness repaired, your indicator lights stand a good chance of working.

I'm not a fan of the hillbilly fix on that ignition wire. My preference, is that the original problem should have found, and corrected. But, to each his own. It must have worked, even if it wasn't pretty.

Yeah, Ive got VERY little knowledge in soldering. That is wiring. Ive dont small board level stuff but never old wiring.
When you say indicators. Do you mean turn signals? Yeah those work great. Ive never had the oil or temp light come on besides when I put 20w50 in the motor during the winter (Being stupid) It flashed a little bit but that could also have been the old outside temp and the oil not flowing right. It would go away after a little bit. It could have also been the wire after seeing he bad it is.

Before doing all of this. Everything worked in the truck. All of the lights besides the backup light which might need need rewiring to the trans.... Oh, The gas gauges NEVER worked. Gonna be getting a aftemarket sending unit and gauge. To be safe.

 

[RobbieD]

I was referring to your oil pressure light and coolant temp light (aka "idiot lights"). These are really simple in how they work, and it's a good idea to have them working. I know you plan on gauges later, but why do all of this work, and then risk pooching the motor?

Your gas gauge may be fixable. Mine didn't work, and it was just a corroded connector at the sending unit. The sending unit location is bad about collecting water and corroding.

 

[franklin2]

I'm not a fan of the hillbilly fix on that ignition wire. My preference, is that the original problem should have found, and corrected. But, to each his own. It must have worked, even if it wasn't pretty.

If you get your diagrams out, you will find that splice is factory. I haven't looked at the picture you are talking about, maybe someone redid the factory splice there, but on the EECIV wiring, the white/blue and the brown/pink are spliced, just like he will have to splice these wires also and just like I had to splice them under the one blue butt connector.

The white/blue is only hot in the ignition run position. The brown/pink is only hot during cranking. That is why they are tied together, so you have power all the time during cranking and run. They did this so they could plug in the duraspark II for the 4 cyl engines, and it would work, or they could plug in the EECIV harness, and it would work. The duraspark II harness uses the built in resistor already in the harness, the EECIV does not use the resistor, it needs 12v all the time. That is why the wiring is so weird over there.

 

[MadMax_636]

I was referring to your oil pressure light and coolant temp light (aka "idiot lights"). These are really simple in how they work, and it's a good idea to have them working. I know you plan on gauges later, but why do all of this work, and then risk pooching the motor?

Your gas gauge may be fixable. Mine didn't work, and it was just a corroded connector at the sending unit. The sending unit location is bad about collecting water and corroding.

Yeah I figures that's what you meant. Idiot lights. Im pretty sure the fuel sending unit might have been junked.... Since my truck has a brand new gas tank and I don't see any wires coming from the tank itself. The backup light. I do see a loose wire hanging down near the trans. I'm sure it needs new bulbs but that easy.

After you spoke about the dummy lights. I will wire them up. Might as well right? The thing is that I wanna put mechanical gauges. Well for the oil anyways.

 

[franklin2]

Idiot lights have their advantages. They can alert you a little better when things go wrong, but sometimes by the time they light up it might be too late. So the lights and the gauges could work together. All you need to hook the oil gauge and the oil light up together is a tee fitting from the plumbing store. And now that you are not using the computer, you can use the threaded hole where its sensor is for your new temperature gauge and still keep the temp light working also.

But this is all a later project. Repair the wiring as needed and get it running first.