Questions concerning wires and wiring and harnesses and thingamabob's for V8 Swap

[Dweano]

Hey guys. I am going to swap a V8 into my truck hopefully, and I have so many questions already. I did start a preemptive build thread but instead of littering it with more questions that progress and answers, I figure I would put it here instead. I took some pics so maybe you guys know how to help.

This thing was crashed and somewhat stripped when I got it so I dunno what it is all supposed to look like stock:

Ok this connector confused me:

but then I found this thing in the cab area:

It has a cable attached to it, could it be the cruise unit? I am not sure if thing has cruise or not. My Ranger does not, if the Explorer does how does that get dealt with?

Speaking of dealing with things:

Does all this get transferred over too?

This thing is sandwiched in the fender:

What is it and does it get transferred over?

The following are all things I don't know what the heck they are:

Dweano's guess: hood close sensor? It has a thing that goes down

Dweanos guess: Headlight stuff?

DG: is this that crash sensor thing that gets mounted on the core support?

WTF. Dweano's guess: Copper wire trapped in amber to be studied by future scientists

So that concludes the what are these section of the tour. Does it all get transferred over? Every electrical thing under the hood? Or just engine stuff or what? It all seems tied together.

So:

This looks like a bulky connector...tell me more please?

One last shameful question:

This is the PCM/ECU correct? I am a newb with this stuff. But I gotta learn sometime, thats what I have done with the other systems on this truck. Don't judge haha

 

[adsm08]

You know man, for all the saying that you are a noob/just guessing, you did pretty well.

Numbers one and two are the cruise servo plug and the servo itself. If you want to put cruise in the truck find a steering wheel with buttons and the CC amp and install. If not, throw the parts my way, I am looking for an electronic servo for my BII.

The guy in the fender I can't see well enough to say for sure, but it may be an ABS module. Some of them had the ECU remote mounted from the HCU, and that is the style plug that was used on early ABS units.

The item you guessed is a hood closed switch is actually a hood ajar switch. It serves much the same function as a door ajar switch, except for the hood.

The plugs you guessed were headlight stuff are in fact headlight stuff. Black one is the headlight itself, round grey one is the turn/marker, and I am not really sure what the one with the yellow tongue is for.

The copper amber one looks damaged. I have never seen anything like it before. If you can get a better pic of just the empty plug and tell us what was near it that may offer clues.

The bulky connector is a bulky 30-pin connector. That style is commonly used to hook engine and body harnesses together and probably carries light circuits, fuel pump, etc.

The last pic is the PCM. You are nuts on with that one. And Ford module that has 12A650 somewhere on it's label is an engine computer.

 

[Dweano]

Hey thanks man. I just see people dropping in diesels and chevy 350's and remote turbo setups and 4 links and warp drives in and I just feel like a newb because I don't know what 90% of the stuff under the hood is. For example

"Some of them had the ECU remote mounted from the HCU"

What is the HCU? ECU is the engine control unit correct? That does stuff like timing and injection and crank position and engine things right?

The cruise control with buttons thing...I would need an amp? And different steering wheel? Does the cable tie into the throttle body?

I will try to get a better pic of the plug that is damaged

So the 30 pin connector is what I disconnect and trace everything back? Is that the harness that needs to get transfered? Or take the PCM and everything running back and etc and move that over? Obviously the body electronics don't get transferred over?

 

[skyway0018746]

Hey thanks man. I just see people dropping in diesels and chevy 350's and remote turbo setups and 4 links and warp drives in and I just feel like a newb because I don't know what 90% of the stuff under the hood is. For example

"Some of them had the ECU remote mounted from the HCU"

What is the HCU? ECU is the engine control unit correct? That does stuff like timing and injection and crank position and engine things right?

The cruise control with buttons thing...I would need an amp? And different steering wheel? Does the cable tie into the throttle body?

I will try to get a better pic of the plug that is damaged

So the 30 pin connector is what I disconnect and trace everything back? Is that the harness that needs to get transfered? Or take the PCM and everything running back and etc and move that over? Obviously the body electronics don't get transferred over?

i am in the process of gathering all my swap items i just took the explorer engine harness ( including the trans section ) and ecu . you should also get the throttle cable and dash with the tach if you want it. that's what i grabbed i dont know if it all i need but no one answered my question about he dash wiring . also look into getting the harwood swap manual http://www.harwoodperformance.bizland.com/ its next on my list .

 

[adsm08]

ECU is an Electronic Control Unit. The PCM, ABS module, GEM, all fall into this category. The PCM is the Powertrain Control Unit, which is the engine computer. The HCU is the Hydraulic Control Unit, and is the piece that applies and releases the brakes on you during lock up.

In an ABS setup there are actually two modules, and ECU and an HCU. Normally the ECU is bolted to the HCU and forms what is generally considered an "ABS module". In some cases the ECU is in one place, away from the brake lines, while the HCU is somewhere else, in line with the brake lines.

Cruise control. The cable clips to the throttle body. Most of them have a second tab on the crescent piece that the cable from the pedal goes on. You would need a different wheel, one that had buttons and the second ring on the sliding contact (the brass ring on the back of the steering wheel). And the cruise system has an amp in it. It doesn't do quite the same thing as the kind that goes in your stereo system, but it serves a similar purpose in that it boosts a weak signal.

 

[Dweano]

Wowie. That makes sense I think. Lotta knowledge Haha. Maybe I will just scrap cruise. Can that be done? I wish I had a friend like you that lived in the same city as me, this swap would be done in an afternoon!

So does all that wiring need to be swapped? Basically everything under the hood?

 

[adsm08]

Take all the wiring under the hood. And yes, you can ditch the cruise, it will never know the difference.

 

[Dweano]

So basically all the crap and wires need to get transferred over to the Ranger? But not all of it is crucial? Something's can get cut out or just left? Like the hood ajar switch and other non essential to engine control elements? Am I understanding this correct?