Hi, everyone, new poster at this board. I've got a weird question for you guys and I would seriously appreciate some direction. I've spent the last week trying to diagnose and troubleshoot a no-start no power problem on a bit of a Frankenstein project my mother's boyfriend decided to cook up and put together over the past few months consisting of a older 80's model large-cab Ford F-Series flatbed with a 2013 F-250 6.2 drivetrain.

I've searched high and low on the internet for wiring diagrams, ground point diagrams, anything to figure out why there's absolutely no power and no start on the truck. Everything is supposedly put together and connected, but the truck just won't start and the guy's frustrated and is willing to try anything, including buying a Painless wiring kit just to get it to start. I'm at the end of my wits as well trying to find any information that would help the guy and I've come up empty so far.

He's under the impression that there's a "reset" button for the electronics or other switch that will magically fix things, and he's recently been raising hell about missing a third control unit, which I can't help with because he has no clue what it controlled to begin with or if it even existed when he pulled the drivetrain the first time.

I'm completely lost as to what to do since I've never dealt with such a Frankenstein project, even though I used to build high-performance street cars. Guy's also getting mad and taking it out on me for not delivering a magical answer that will fix everything, but like I said, since I've come up empty on diagrams for this particular drivetrain, I can't possibly figure out where to start otherwise.

I hope one of you can help me figure something out, or if this project that he undertook is simply a lost cause. I don't want the guy mad at me for something I couldn't possibly control, especially since he did this project all on his own and never once asked my advice or help until now.

 

What about the factory anti theft systems. If he's using the factory computer I think he would need the key inside the truck to start it.

The last car I did an engine swap on the engine harness plugged into the chassis harness and had several power leads. On a new vehicle there are probably a ton more. I have used a painless harness In said car and hooking up about 5 wires was a lot easier trying to find which wires power what. the painless harness will also help you deal the the anti theft features but additional parts may be needed.

 

Unfortunately I suspect Leon is correct here. I remember reading an article recently about that, and how you need to buy the Ford Racing control kit to swap a newer 5.0L engine into an older car because it's nearly impossible to defeat the theft protection.

Not real sure what to do at this point, I'm sorry I couldn't be more help.

 

The first step on a no start/no run vehicle is to figure out what is missing. i.e. verify spark, fuel, compression, timing, and air intake. If it will not start and run, one of those is missing. If all of those are there, it will start and run. Once you figure out what is missing, you will have some direction as to what to fix. "Test, don't guess" and you will locate the problem. If you are looking for a magic reset button, your project will likely fail.

 

Thank you for your responses, they're very appreciated. Just attempted another start for the truck after connecting another power lead in the chassis and it started up with no trouble. Now we're just furiously marking everything so that we know which power, ground and connector leads go where since the next step now is making sure it'll run for an extended period. Thank you all for your help and now I have an idea of what the truck will need.

 

That's Great!!

I would seriously consider purchasing one of the Factory (Helms) shop manuals for the vehicle that the drive train came from. The manual, especially the wiring diagrams, will likely prove their worth as time goes by.