Turbo swap stoppage

[blystone]

I am in the process of a 2.3 turbo swap in my 86 2wd. The engine is wired with the t-bird wiring harness and ECM. The problem I have is no power to my dash (radio, cig lighter, dash lights). I May be over looking something simple, but it is getting frustrating. Truck was- 86 2.0 carb, donor - 86 t-bird 2.3T

 

[AllanD]

Ok, What I think you've done is a common mistake...

Don't take this personally

but what you've likely done is overcomplicated your swap...

On a gen1 ranger that already has an EFI engine all you needed to swap was wiring related directly to engine management that is different from what you already had.

And when you removed the factory wiring harness and the harness off the engine is you also removes wiring more precisely described as "Power distribution" wiring...

All you really needed was to add the very limited number of wires that are different between the 2.3EFI engine and the 2,3 TURBO-EFI wiring and if I recall correctly
That amounts to ten or twelve wires Not counting the two conductor shielded wire For the Knock Sensor.

As a side note only four or five are strictly "Necissary" and those are the wires between the Vane Air Meter and the computer.


The Wiring from the alternator and battery to the dashboard are or WERE in the original "engine harness"

 

[scotts90ranger]

Allan, I believe you answered the question in that it's probably the alternator wires that are the problem, but I think you missed the statement that this was a carbureted 2.0L Ranger so it didn't have a normal ECM...

I agree with you though, a lot of people ditch the stock Ranger harnesses unnecessarily, and are right that it is only about 10 wires that need to be moved in the ECM.