My project is 1987 Ford B2. I purchased this B2 with the 97 Ford Ranger 4.0l 4x4 engine and trans and transfer case installed. The previous owner had a family member start the project and like myself was over his head when it came to the wiring part.I thought I could figure t out with some reading and common sense. Well I had to walk away from the project early fall last year it was making me crazy. Now that it is starting to warm up a little I'm going to attack it again. I read this and that article one person will say this another will say that. One thing I have come to realize is the 97 engine is a lot harder project than the early 90's engines due to the OBD2 system. The B2 has a interior power distribution box (fuse box) I'm using it due to it already has the all of the lights and interior things on it and the all work. So I'm down to the running gear. The 97 engine has the starter on the drivers side, so I mounted a new battery box and the starter solenoid on that side. I didn't care about cruise so I took it off. I need to get a throttle cable. I have the complete under the hood wiring harness off a the 97 ranger I removed it myself complete.It has the engine harness intact not molested. The harness has 3 large connectors 1 goes to the engine harness (connected). The other 2 went into the cab via firewall plugs. These ran a lot of the interior stuff, like seats windows doors lights and such. NOT NEEDED. Excuse me there will be a few wires I will need like ignition switch.
My plan is I'm using the under hood PDB and I will pull wires that are not needed to make it run and move. The PCM I mounted on the drivers side fender and it's hooked up to the harness. So here I am what do I need to do to get the engine to turn over and start. The radiator is a future issue, along with the exhaust trans and 4x4 working. That's why they call it a project. Yes I have been here before asking for help. Like I said earlier I have read most of the articles on 4.0l swaps. It good info but the 97 OHV is different alot more complicated to swap than the earlier 4.0l. Thank You Please help if you can. David

 

Yes the B2 is an OBD1 vehicle(60 wire computer), the 1997 4.0l is an OBD2 engine(104 wire computer)

Automatic or manual trans, this matter for the starter motor activation?

The ignition switch under the steering column will have a Red/light blue stripe wire, this wire should only have 12volts when key is turned to START, this is a starter motor activation wire
It either runs to the Clutch switch(manual) or to the NSS(neutral safety switch) on drivers side of an automatic

Then from one of those switch it runs to the Starter Solenoid on fender, UNLESS...........you are using the 1997 engine bay Fuse box, then it runs to the Starter interrupt relay in that fuse box, BUT you can just skip that and run the Red/light blue wire from clutch or NSS directly to starter solenoids "S" post, the small post

The fender mounted unit is for power distribution as well so positive battery cable is there and it has quite a few other wire with it on the same larger post
The other larger post will just have ONE cable, to starter motor

 

RonD thx for the reply,good information. Am I to assume that 90% of the fuses and wires in the PDB I won't need do to they operate the accessories. I'm thinking I need the relays like fuel pump starter interrupt, ect. I will need the oxegen sensors maf. to start correct.

 

Yes, you will need MAF sensor, it was on the air filter box in 1997, and 3 O2 sensors, 2 upstream O2s and 1 downstream O2 after Cat converter, required with OBD2 computers

Don't know what a PDB is?

 

Thx I will need to hit Pick and pull to get the exhaust system. Sorry the PDB is the under hood Power Distribution Box.

 

OK, just always called it engine fuse box

Is it from 1997 or 1987?

 

I see you agree most of my hundreds of wires won't be needed in my project. Will i need the OBD2 test plug inside cab?

 

No it can be in engine bay, just put it up high and cover it, you WILL want to use it, it needs 12v and ground

Diagram here: https://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/b...dlc_pin_16.png

 

Ok first off I'm no auto electric tech so I need a lot of help to get through this engine switch. I went out the other night and after staring at all those wires I didn't get anywhere. I need to eliminate as many as I can. Where do I start? In a earlier reply Ron D said I needed to have the 3 OS. I'm wondering the fact that here in Washington 25 yr. old and older are exempt. Plus the State quit testing this year. So can I go back to a 87 exhaust system or just duels with flow master mufflers ? Wire elimination top priority. Thx David

 

The 3 O2 sensors are for the 1997 Computer, not for passing emissions

Not sure what to tell you about the wiring
The 1997 computer engine harness wires should all have a place to plug in, like the to the 2 upstream O2 sensors and one downstream O2 sensor
Then there will be some 12v and ground wires for the computer

The rest of the wiring is for lights and charging system

 

Well I found a copy of the 1997 Ford Ranger Electrical and Vacuum repair manual. I'm studying the power distribution section. I'm wondering what the internal guts look like. It has block diagrams on a section of the PDB. Is there a hot bar and a ground bar? From what I know one side of the fuse is input power other side out power. Where is the ground at the other end?What does the guts look like?

 

The fuse boxes are 12v only, the devices the fuses power are grounded to vehicle metal to complete the circuit

There are Relays in the engine fuse box that are grounded individually to inner fender, but there is no "ground bar" like there are 12volt "bars", they are called "buses"


For proper grounding.
Larger ground cable from battery negative to engine block, this is for starter motor and alternator
Smaller ground from battery negative to inner fender AND Rad support, relays and head lights
Ground strap from engine block to frame, tail lights and fuel pump
Ground strap from engine head rear to Firewall, cab electrics<<<<<<<<<<<<<this one is often left off after engine work, MAKE SURE IT'S THERE

All body parts are painted and THEN assembled at the factory, and rubber grommets are often used in assembly so NEVER assume just because its a metal part it is a good ground, if in doubt add a ground strap

 

Thank you Ron this helps me a lot.

 

Well I found this picture of the computer connector in my new manual. As I look at it I would say 99% of the wires and pins are needed to get this 97 Ranger 4.0l to run right in my 87 B2. Does anyone see any I can delete?

 

Yes, there are no wires you can delete, but you have the engine wiring harness so they are all there and just need to be plugged into the sensor or control on the engine

Data link connector can be added later, its there to read OBD2 codes

The transmission's 16 pin connector should be on the harness
Also the 5 or 6 wire connector for the DTR sensor on the shifter

O2 sensors have their own wires attached but harness has universal plug in for all 3 of them, you can leave the rear O2 unplugged for now, but will need to add a bung for it after Cat Converter
Front 2 need to be connected for sure and to the correct side

 

Thx Ron, I though that was the case. The engine harness is all intact and plugged in as far as I can tell. The transmission and transfer case are the ones from the 97 and hooked up to the engine. I just want to see it turn over and try to start.Are you familiar with the three rectangular plugs that were stacked on the firewall. I'm guesting most of that wiring was interior things like lights seats, windows and other gadgets. Maybe a ignition and charging wire and temp and oil. Any thoughts.

 

You should be able to ID connectors by wire color, pick a wire on one connector then look at the wire colors on PCM in manual, see if you can match colors to devices

Same for start and charging, go for wire colors

 

Hello again, well as I study my wiring diagrams I ran across where Ford used the same color wire (BK/W) as hot at the PDB and power ground and case ground at the PCM. What is the power ground there are 5 in the PCM. The case ground I assume is a just a normal ground.

 

Yes, the PCM has several Ground wires, and yes black/white stripe are the color of some, power ground would mean they should show 12v if you ungrounded that wire and tested it when PCM was powered up, you would see 12v or a portion of it, because its not a ground just connected to ground

Unlike a chassis/case ground which would show 0 volts or very little

And yes, they also used the same color code in the cab for 12v wires

 

Ron thx again you are such a plethora of knowledge. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around these power grounds. Are you saying if the PCM is powered up if I had a loose power ground wire it would have 12v. If I grounded it it would have 0 v. Also where do these power grounds ground to a specific place or anywhere?

 

Electricity must "flow" thru a device to power it, these are electrons flowing, think ***** in a tube, if ***** are not moving then no power, if ***** move then there is power

With AC(alternating current), the ***** move back and forth, they alternate direction, so there is power

With DC(direct current) the ***** flow one way, but do flow, popular belief is that they ***** flow from + to -, but its actually the other way, lol, but that doesn't matter

Both require TWO wires to work, to create a "flow" there needs to be a high side and a low side, ***** flow down hill, with AC the "tube" is tilted up and down so ***** flow one way then the other way, 60 times a second in north america

With DC they just flow one way, and they flow all the way around from + to - and then BACK to +(in the battery), a circuit, a loop
In vehicles the battery has a 12v and a 0v terminal, the 0v terminal is hooked to engine, body and frame, now its not really "a ground" but thats what we call it, its really the 0v connection to the battery

If you get a 3 or 4 foot copper rod and pound it down into the "ground" then thats a "ground", lol, like the ground for your home electrical system
Vehicles aren't grounded

Sorry for the simple stuff

In a DC system if I hook up 2 wires from Positive battery terminal to a 12v light what happens...................nothing at all, bulb has 12v at both connections so there is no flow "of *****", no high and low side of the pipe, pipe is level
But if one is 12v and the other 0v then the "*****" flow thru and filament heats up and lights up

Now if it hooked up 1 bulb wire to 12v and then tested the other bulb wire, it would show 12v, why?
Because filament has 12v available, it just passes thru
If I did the reverse and hooked up 1 bulb wire to ground(0v) then other wire would show ground(0v) because it "passes thru" the filament


In the PCM are circuits that used 12v at one end and need 0v(ground) at the other end so "the ***** can flow"
So if you were to test the 0v end of the circuit it would show 12volt, but circuit wouldn't work, until the 0v end wire was attached to 0v(a ground)

As long as the 0v wires are hooked up to the battery's 0v terminal then it doesn't matter where that is, the vehicle metal is used as a large 0v Busbar, so as long as your 0v wiring is OK, battery negative to engine, frame and body then all will be well


And battery "negative"????
Its 0 volts not -1 volt, lol, so where does the negative come from?
I guess + and -
But its not - its 0

 

Not sure if I continue here or start a new thread. Well I finally got enough gumption together to attack the B2 again. As per Ron's reply I found a red/light blue wire from ignition switch in the start position 12v. Forgot about neutral switch went right to starter solenoid it clicked but didn't turn the engine over. So I jumped across it and in started to turn over YEAH. So I will crawl under and research the neutral switch. I'm wondering how come some of these starter solenoids have 1 small terminal others have 2 small terminals.

 

If you have 12v on the red/blue wire with key in START then neutral switch is OK, neutral switch is between key and engine bays red/blue wire

The starter solenoid, on top of starter motor, has one smaller "S" post, "S" for start, and can have another smaller post, and "I" post, its no longer used, but it would show 12v when starter motor is turning, and 0v when its not
The "S" post gets 12v with key turned to START, and that activates the starter motor and solenoid(solenoid pushes out the starter gear to engage the flywheel)

The larger post is for Battery positive cable, and if starter is barely turning then this cable is bad or ends are corroded and not allowing full AMPS to travel to the starter motor

If you are referring to the starter relay on inner fender as the "starter solenoid", then yes it can have both the smaller "S" and "I" posts as well, "S" post has the red/blue wire, "I" post no connection
It has 12v when relay is activated and 0v otherwise, in the very old days that "I" post was hooked to "I"gnition coil, and gave the spark an extra boost when cranking over the engine to start, and its no longer needed because the newer coils are simply better than the older ones

 

Sorry Ron I didn't make myself clear. I'm referring to the fender mounted solenoid or relay. People call it different. The eight wire plug you refereed to in a earlier reply this plug had dead pins and 2 with constant 12v no key start 12v. So I checked a 4 wire plug and found 12v key in start so I'm using that one. I have to crawl under and check what is hooked to the starter. Thx

 

OK I will try again on another subject. Battery, starter, and fender mount relay. This is the way it came wired when I bought the vehicle. Battery+ large red to starter, then there is a splice at the battery post red with smaller gauge red that goes to the fender mount relay double large post. Then he has a smaller red from small post on the fender mount relay to the small post on the starter. Starter has one other large post that is ground. Doesn't seem correct.

Also is the male pins on a connector the flow direction of the power?