Cruise control and column from Exp to Ranger

[Ruffinit]

This may be in the wrong place, but couldn't really find a good place for it..

I have a '94 Explorer Sport with the same drivetrain as my '96 Ranger. I want to move the cruise control from the Exp to the Ranger and it looks like it will need to have the steering column moved to do it as the controls are embedded.

Anyone done this?

1) The placement of components under the '94 hood are different than the Ranger.

2) Can the steering column be moved straight across and plug in?

Thanks in advance

 

[explodan]

i do know from experience that the column will fisically bolt in because i took a column from a 91 expo w/tilt and put parts of it in my 94 ranger i had to completely strip down both columns and swap parts between them if i remember correctly you may only have to swap the electrics under the steering wheel and the wheel itself hope this helps any questions let me know

 

[MrRangerSir]

I'm a little late to the party here, but I just did this. I swapped a tilt column from a 94 Explorer into my 93 Ranger. It is a bolt in. I also am adding factory cruise control and the plug for the steering wheel controls is different. The non cruise column has a round 3 pin plug and the cruise control column has a square 4 pin plug. With a little work with a pick and some organisation, you can swap the plug bodies over. Use the 4 pin plug if you are adding cruise because you need the extra position for the cruise control wire.

 

[AllanD]

This may be in the wrong place, but couldn't really find a good place for it..

I have a '94 Explorer Sport with the same drivetrain as my '96 Ranger. I want to move the cruise control from the Exp to the Ranger and it looks like it will need to have the steering column moved to do it as the controls are embedded.

Anyone done this?

1) The placement of components under the '94 hood are different than the Ranger.

2) Can the steering column be moved straight across and plug in?

Thanks in advance

what you are proposing will not work because of the profound wiring differences found on 1995-up Ranger/Explorers Vs 1994 and earlier.

Additionally the cruise control system on the -1994 is vacuum/electrically operated, the 1995-up system is electronic/electrical.

And the final nail is that the dash and steering column are completely different
between a 1994 and a 1996.

They are electrically different and mount completely differently.

 

[macx]

I've started somewhat the same process, taking the tilt column and cruise setup from a 93 Explorer and hope to move it all to my 93 Ranger.

What a mess getting all the wiring out is, though! Still don't have it all out. The cruise control box is behind the glove box. The wiring from the actuator goes thru a small hole in the firewall down low on the driver side, just 4 wires. But from there it goes into a main wiring harness with a great many wires that I haven't been able to penetrate yet.

Some of them undoubtedly end up at the control box way over behind the glove box, some of them also go to the brake pedal arm switch that shuts the cruise off when you apply the brakes, and a number of them obviously have to go into the plug on the steering column that connects with the switches on the steering wheel.

I've bought a complete wiring schematic for a 93 which hasn't arrived yet, but after working for at least a ocuple hours trying to get the wiring separated, I'm afraid I'm going to have to identify the plugs and then cut the wires as far from the plugs as I can and then splice in new wires.

The big main wiring bundle goes thru a formed hard plastic tube way up under the dash that goes from the left side quite a ways over toward the passenger side that's virtually impossible to access without taking the whole dash off and is fully wrapped with some godawful strong tape or whatever it is. And of course the whole mess is fastened in place in many spots and runs over the top of most of the dash braces and structure, so it can't be removed or accessed to separate out the wires with the upper part of the dash in place.

Many times a vehicle's basic wiring harness contains all the wires for all options and you just have to plug in the things you're adding. Nope, Ford had a better idea :-/

I'm also looking at adding power windows and door locks, but there again the wires for those (looking at a partly disassembled vehicle) aren't in a vehicle without those options so have to be removed clear thru the door frame and door post post and into the area under the left of the dash under the general vicinity of the main fuse box. Looks like that's going to be another nightmare.

Again, other vehicles I've worked on had the wiring harness into the door so all that was necessary was to plug the switches, electric door lock and window motor mechanisms into the plugs already inside the door.

 

[MrRangerSir]

First of all, good advice in post #4 from AllanD. +95 has a completely different dash, although the 93-97 bodies are the same. Differences in the column are placement of the ignition switch, so the swap may work mechanically, but there would be lots of issues with electrical items.

As far as 94 and under goes, this is an easy swap. The change of wiring harness may look intimidating, but it is quite easy to extract the cruise control wiring from the donor harness and leave your original harness in place. Just lay out the complete dash wiring harness from the donor and slice it open. You will find that there are two plugs for the cruise module. One contains all the servo connections and the other contains all the vehicle connections. The first one is easy. If you are careful not to tangle things, you can remove the harness right thru the firewall plug and to the servo in one piece. This also takes care of the different servo connector should you be using an Exploder harness. The second plug is a little tougher. The first order of business is to isolate the VSS wires which go to the 4 pin square connector at the ECU. Pry out the red retaining tab and pick the pin retainer clips to remove all but the VSS wires from this connector. Save the connector and retainer. Following the harness to the left, you will find the black wire running to a splice. Cut this wire at the splice, you will be running it to the ground connection on the right side kick panel later. Continuing left, you will find a blue/stripe wire running to a 4 wire square connector that went to the steering column. Open this connector and remove all, but the cruise wire. Save the connector as this will replace the 3 wire column connector on the non-cruise harness. A little farther left, you will find another blue/stripe wire going to a 10A fuse in the fusebox. Release the clip from the fusebox, (don't cut the wire).Last wire will be light green and runs to a connector near the firewall connector. This is the clutch interlock connector and an A/T vehicle will have a shorting plug inserted. Release this wire and the adjacent similar colored wire from the connector by picking the connector body lock tabs. The second green wire will run back into the harness to a splice. Cut this wire from the splice and save it to connect to BOO, (brake light switch) in the vehicle. Run the wires thru some wire loom and thread them thru the vehicle. Installation is pretty much the reverse of the above. You will have to extend the VSS wires as the Ranger mounts the ECU on the left side where an Exploder has the ECU on the right, otherwise everything pretty well bolts in. The Ranger servo bracket is different from the Exploder, but either source the right bracket at the wrecker, or modify the bracket you have to make the lower tab slide into the slot on the Ranger inner fenderwell.

 

[macx]

Hey, great info! The problem I had was that the wiring harness was still in the vehicle and so was the dash.

When I get a chance to go back there to get the rest of it, I hope I'll be able to find one with the dash off and/or harness accessible.

I'll be sure to print that info out and take it with, will undoubtedly prove invaluable!

Thanks much.