So ive just finished tying up all my loose ends on swapping to carb on my 1990 Ford F150, built 357/build c6... using the in tank fuel pump, deleted my front tank, went to a manual column so i could run my b&m shifter. cut up my stock engine wiring harness to my bare needs (dist power, tach, electric choke, oil pressure, temp) heres my problem, i have a fully charged battery, everything else turns on (lights, interior, heater fan, but not my electric windows or locks ) my battery light shows up and none of the gauges respond when i turn the key forward, battery says zero... when i turn the key all the way forward... nothing, no click, nothing. but when i bypass it under the hood no problem. fuel pump engages too. wondering if i cut something i shouldnt have in the engine wiring harness, been reading the haynes wiring diagrams and i cant see any problem. so im wondering if there is a clutch safety switch i have to bypass on my steering column or a neutral safety switch i left out because i didnt need it to hook up to my column. checked and cleaned all my grounds, checked and rechecked my alternator connections. i cant think of anything... you guys got anything?
this is on a 1990 F150 came stock with 5.0L/AOD

 

Was the truck originally stick or auto? If it was stick then you need to run the clutch interlock wires over tho the shifter. The shifter should be equipped with two micro switches, 1 for park/neutral safety, and the other for reverse lights. If you originally had an auto you will need to run the wires from the column over to the switches on the shifter

matt

 

Originally it was an auto truck, so there are wires left off the column I need to run to my new shifter?

 

On the fords the MLPS, aka neutral safety switch, is mounted on the transmission. If during the swap you left this off or cut the wires that go to it then that is your problem. I was thinking of how it was on the GM's this morning where the neutral safety switch is on the steering column. Was the truck originally a C6 truck or did you swap that in so you would not need a computer to run the trans?

Matt

 

it was originally a 4 speed AOD, i went to c6 for 2 reasons, to handle the power, and to never deal with another aod again. i didnt cut anything going to the transmission yet, but there was a plug on the aod that i thought was just reverse lights, never thought of neutral safety.

 

Yeah, that plug, should have been on the drivers side where the cable goes to the shift linkage is essentailly the same as the Neutral safety switch, it also acts as a back up light switch. You should be able to use the wires from that to go to the microswitches on the shifter to make the neutral safety function and backup lights function work. i think the C6 was available in some later year trucks so may also be able to find one that will work on the transmission. But I would bet that is where your problem is at

Matt

 

thanks for all the help, now i am running a standard trans steering column, and you stated something about a clutch switch, do i need to worry about that and where could it be?

 

If the wiring behind the dash is primarily original to the E4OD then a clutch switch shouldn't matter, it shouldn't be there unless you put in wiring from the manual truck. All you should need to worry about is the MLPS under the truck from the original transmission

Matt

 

Check your fusible links at the starter solenoid

 

k got all the reverse lights and neutral safety switch figured out. can now start my truck normally from inside. still no power on my gauge cluster tho, and no power to my windows or locks hate wiring....

 

Good to hear you at least got the start issue figured out. Wireing can be a major PITA.

Matt

 

so working on my truck today, found out why no power to the doors, cus i didnt bolt the ground down in the door now all thats left is my gauge cluster isnt reading anything, no fuel, no temp, no battery, no tach. the only thing that does show up is the light for low voltage on the bottom left hand side. but not true, battery is fully charged and the engine fires up no problem. it all came down to this red/white wire for me today, searching wiring diagrams, searching this forum. couldnt find it anywhere on a diagram, people say it goes to ecm from trans and just disregard it. but looking at the wires behind my gauge cluster is a red/white wire that goes in. is it the same wire? does it do anything? if this isnt the problem, could someone please tell me why i have no power to my gauge cluster??

 

One day I unplugged my icm trying to clean up my wiring and my cluster didn't work. Just a thought??

The easiest thing would be to start at the cluster and work backwards making stuff is where it suppose to be and what not. Ya know?