Hope this information helps you guys out some. This is to repay for all the help I've been given over the years. And because I'm bored.
Believe it or not, your truck is wired for (not all but) almost every option ford ever put in these trucks.
You ever notice those plugs on the left side firewall that doesn't really have anywhere to go? The wires under your dash that have plugs not pluging into anything? I'll try and explain all these in detail.
1) Underhood Lamp. 1980 to 1986 install,
Just plug and play. You will need the wiring harness extention for going across the hood. One wire a protective sleve and keepers. Plug the lamp into the harness extention, and then plug the extention into the green/yellow strip wire located on the left side firewall. The black wire on the lamp grounds to the hood.
2) Cargo - Dome and Map lights. 1980 to 1993.
You will need to cut a hole in the back of the cab to install the cargo lamp. Measure the hole off the doner truck and you will be sure not to make any mistakes. You will also need the wiring harness that goes from the cargo lamp and dome/map lamps off the doner truck that goes to just behind the seat on the left hand side of the truck.
Your truck is wired for the cargo and dome lamps up until just behind the drivers seat. If the plug of the doner harness extention doesn't, match the old plugs just remove the wires from the new plug and transfer them into the old plug, from the old harness extension. You will need to remove the red keeper from inside the plug to remove the wires.
The color code of the wires will match. Black/Pink Cargo Lamp. Green/Yellow Map Lamps. Black/Blue Dome Lamp.
If you notice a black wire that has no where to go, off of the harness extention side, just cut the prong off the end of this black wire only, and put a ground eyelit on it and ground it to the cab where another ground wire already is grounded. This is the ground for the cargo lamp.
When stringing the new harness extention into the cab, it is wise to use the old harness extention wire as a guide to pull the other harness through to where you need it. It's a pain in the backside trying to string the new harness through the back of the cab without a guide.
Where your current dome light is, just remove it and you will notice that the holes are already there for the new dome/map light assymbly. The Green Yellow Wire, and black/blue wire fits into the rectangular holes in the cab. Make sure that the green/yellow wire is installed on top and the black/blue one is on bottom. You do not need a headliner to install the dome/map assymbly. the wires are insulated by design.
3) Under Dash Courtesy Lights, Digital Clock, glove box light, Headlamp on Warning Buzzer. 1980 to 1986.
1980 to 1982 Plug And Play.
1983 plug and play.
1984 to 1986 plug and play.
The Plugs, or Plug, are located just under the Heater controls to the right, and are hooked to the dash support. 1980 to 1983 have two seperate buzzers, one for seat belts, and one for headlamps on. 1984 to 1986 has one buzzer for seatbelts, key in ignition and Headlamps on.
You will need the wiring harness extentions from the donor trucks, one for the Digital clock, and one for the headlamp buzzer, and courtesy lights.
You can use the harnesses extentions from 1980 to 1986 and the buzzers and the digital clock, as well, they are interchangeable and will work. But you will have to modify the wiring harness if the plugs dont match or if there is just one plug, and need two. 1984 to 86 are also interchangeable simularly with 1980 to 1983 in some components, but some of the functions of the buzzer will be redundant, such as the key in switch and seat belt buzzer function.
You will NOT have to do any splicing of wires at all though. Just remove the red keeper from inside the plugs, being carefull to match the wires, to the coresponding colors in the new plug. The colors of the wires of the donor truck will match exactly with the colors of the wires in your truck. If you just match them it is very simple. You may need the plugs off of the main harness inside the donor truck so be sure to take it/them with you as well when you get the harness extentions.
1980 to 1982 has two plugs at the bottom, one for the digital clock one for the Buzzer. If using 1983 or newer harnesses extentions these plugs will have to be converted into one plug. If using 1980 to 1982 harnesses on a 1983 or newer, you will have to make the one plug into two seperate plugs. This is Very simular to how the cargo light plug conversion is.
Wiring Diagram,
Black Ground.
Red/Pink Driver Door Switch to light buzzer.
Brown Headlamp switch to Light buzzer and/or digital clock 1983 to 1986. Hot in Park and Lights on.
Green/Yellow Glove Box Light, and Clock Memory.
Black/Blue Door switches to underdash courtesy.
White/purple Digital Clock
Blue/Red Ash Tray light and/or Digital clock 1980 to 1982
Wiring Applicable in 1984 to 1986 harness extentions and headlamp on buzzers only and will not be used in an earlier 1980 to 1983 application, cause of the seperate belt warning buzzer.
Black/Pink Key Warning Switch
Dk Green/Lt Green Seat Belt Buckle Switch
Red/Yellow Fasten Belt Light.
4) Intermittent Wiper Controls. 1980 to 1986 and select 1987 to 1992
Plug and play. Locate the Intermittent wiper module, and switch. The Module will have the harness already into it, just plug into the existing plug that your old switch was pluged into, and replace the switch with the intermittent one off the donor vehicle and plug the other side of the modules harness into the switch. Ground the black ground wire to the dash or the steering wheel support.
5) Auxillery Battery. 1980 to 1986
You will find the wires and plugs on the left firewall. The Wires are White Purple, and yellow to the accessory relay and red for the camper batt feed. You will need all the battery cables, the battery, the harnesses and the accessory relay itself to make this work. You will also need a bigger altenator that is capable of charging two batteries.
6) Tachometer 1980 to 1986
If you have guages instead of idiot lights, the process of getting a tachometer in your truck is very simple. Plug and play. just remove your old cluster, and put in the new one with a tach in.
1980 Install
If you have a 1980, the cluster out of a 1981 to 1986 will not work for you, you will have to get a cluster that has the circut board number E0TF-10C956 with tach. There may be a suffex number at the end of the part number but make sure the first four letters and number are "E0TF" for the cluster to work right for you.
1981 to 1986 Install. Make sure the numbers on the circut board on the back of the cluster reads E1TF-10C956 with tach. There may be a suffex number at the end of the part number but make sure the first four letters and number are "E1TF" for the cluster to work right for you.
Hope this helps guys,
Last edited by 81-F-150-Explorer; 07-02-2005 at 07:06 PM.
Hope this information helps you guys out some. This is to repay for all the help I've been given over the years. And because I'm bored.
Hope this helps guys,
Thank you! I am going to save this for future use! I will be putting a tach and intermittent wipers in my truck sooner or later.
ok, so I'll agree, my 2 cents is more confirmation... I had a donor XLT lariat truck, I removed the power windows and locks, and complete harness, door panels and interior for my rubber floor mat Custom.... the harness for the power windows and locks, plugs into the back of the fuse box, and ford is kind enough to have the rivet holes for the power window motor, and the solonoid for the power locks, make sure to use steel rivets.. Aluminum will hold for a while, but the steel lasts longer
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83' F250, Custom, 4x4, with a few minor upgrades, etc....
Yes, I found out all that info from my friend at the Ford Parts counter a few years ago. He used to put dealer and factory add on options into these trucks when they were being sold as new or used for resale etc, and the buyer wanted an option that it didn't have.
I asked him once why all the extra plugs and things.
It is possible to just add a tach to your instrument cluster. If you have a truck with idiot lights instead of gauges this might be the best route to go.
What you need to do is wire it up like this. On the back of the cluster, around where the 4 "bolts" are that hold the tach into the panel. These bolts are also the electrical connections for the tach. There will be 2 letters and 2 numbers. To wire the tach up, you need to do it like this.
1 or C = Hook the "Tach" (neg side of coil) wire here.
B = This goes to 12v switched power.
G = Ground if your truck has an Inline 6 or V8.
And also
8 = Ground if your truck has a V8. If you don’t ground this the tach will not read correctly if you have a V8.
You should test your tach first using jumper wires to be sure it works before you start ripping and tearing your instrument panel apart. My tach had this P/N on the back of it. P/N EOTH-17380-AA >>
"G" is the upper right
"B" is the lower right
"C" is the upper left
"8" is the lower left
This is what the back side of the instrument cluster looks like on a factory instrument cluster with a tach. You will not have the red flexible wire circuit material where your tach goes on a factory non-tach installation and will have to hard wire the needed posts.
Boy..Am I glad you posted this.I would have had a bad day trying to get the 1980 tach to work in my 84. I bought it a year ago..and just checked the numbers...Back to the yard !!..
It is possible to just add a tach to your instrument cluster. If you have a truck with idiot lights instead of gauges this might be the best route to go.
You can't install a Factory tach or gauges to a truck equipped with idiot lights without extencive rewiring.
The instrument cluster is different. The idiot light cluster does not have the holes for the tach in the back, infact this is where the main harness connector plugs in on the back, of idiot lamp clusters.
The Main harness is different between Gauges and idiot lights.
The Gauge cluster has a 17 wire plug connector.
The Idiot Light cluster has a 14 wire plug connector.
The Altenator and Regulator are also wired differently for idiot lights as opposed to Gauges and tach.
The idiot light harness is also missing the ammeter shunt which is vital for the ammeter to work properly without catching fire. The shunts purpose is to only alow so much amperage and current through to the ammeter. Without it, the full charging amperage of the altenator can go through the ammeter in the dash. I've seen them literally melt!!!
The only safe way to change a idiot light equipped truck for one with factory gauges, is to replace the entire main under dash harness, and the altenator harness with one from a truck equipped with gauges.
Right, why I thought I'd clarify is the quote Jimsrebel made about idiot lamp clusters.
The Quote was this:
"If you have a truck with idiot lights instead of gauges this might be the best route to go."
...and I explained why this would not be the best route to go, due to the drastic differences in wiring and clusters. No place for the tach to bolt to the idiot light cluster etc...
Quote:
Also, regarding the under hood light: there is a small ground strap that goes between the hood and firewall too for it to work properly.
Good call. This ground strap is usually present with trucks that were equipped with factory radios originally, however if it's missing you would need it as well.
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And because I'm bored. 
I am going to save this for future use! I will be putting a tach and intermittent wipers in my truck sooner or later.
1981 F250 4X4 460 5sp ZF
