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Cab barrel connection wiring and under hood connections
I know what this looks like. When I started the work, I found that mickey and Minne mouse had dinner on one and ate through it. Couple others just got the insulation. The one they ate through I cut, stripped, soldered, and sealed up. Since the others were not ate into just some insulation and a tiniest bit of copper showing but barely any, I cleaned up the area and drowned them in liquid tape and ran a zip tie around to hold for the time being until I could do more with it. That was a year ago. From the conduit bottom right coming in, I want to water proof or weather proof, which ever is better all the way up to and a little over the plastic barrel connection to protect the area and keep it worry free permanently. I also want to keep those wires tightly together so they can't chafe or rub the tape off. I do plan on cutting the ziptie off. It was a temp hold. I have a couple ideas how but unsure. I just don't want to be fording high water or something and water or something conductive get in there and cause problems.
This is a factory job. Under deteriorating cloth electrical tape from ford was this. And actually, It was under that gloss plastic tape that just breaks off then cloth. Either way, There is no solder or any kind of mechanical or true electrical connection. It is literally 7 wires compressed to each other into a neat square. One of them is a ground for the chassis harness. I'm afraid to pull the apart to solder it and put heatskrink over it for fear I can't get it to go back or stay. Could be part of my gauge problem. It is pretty nasty. Most of these wires are. Even inside the barrel is bad.
Lastly, Almost all of the connections under the hood are not weather proof. 30 years has taken its toll. How do I clean the round pins and blades? After I magically some how get them clean, How can I weather proof them aswell? I know, Lots of questions but this is going to be done to last a lifetime. I don't want to be one of these guys who are always having electrical issues or bad grounds they can never track down.
There is no good answer. Wiring harness for the 80-up trucks are not available yet that I know of. You are correct, the wiring on these trucks is old enough now to cause many problems. Especially 86-up when fuel injected started, and even more wires were added.
Some of those connectors may be available, look at the sticky at the top of the forum. But it's not easy dealing with all the different connectors and wiring them up. And you will end up with what the factory had in the first place. If you can find a generic type weather proof plug, I would use that.
Luckily, my 87 is mechanically injected diesel. So all it has is basic functions for wiring. But if only the rat(s) didn't get that spot my harness would but fine for the most part. Just old adhesive coming apart. But after 30 years, I'm not surprised. And other than that spot on the barrel, It just needs cleaned and freshened up and since parts that I need are kinda in a dry supply Figured I might as well focus on getting all the electrical done. Boneyards aren't much help when only 1 in my local area has my year truck and they're not pleasant to deal with.
I have a listing on both FTE and OB classifieds for both ford parts I want to buy and Chevy Malibu parts I'm trying to sell for money to buy parts.
Same list on both sites and I am barely getting any bites...Craigslist is either full running driving trucks at full price or dead gassers. Ebay has everything I really don't need. If you know anyone who is letting parts go, Let me know.
Luckily, my 87 is mechanically injected diesel. So all it has is basic functions for wiring. But if only the rat(s) didn't get that spot my harness would but fine for the most part. Just old adhesive coming apart. But after 30 years, I'm not surprised. And other than that spot on the barrel, It just needs cleaned and freshened up and since parts that I need are kinda in a dry supply Figured I might as well focus on getting all the electrical done. Boneyards aren't much help when only 1 in my local area has my year truck and they're not pleasant to deal with.
I have a listing on both FTE and OB classifieds for both ford parts I want to buy and Chevy Malibu parts I'm trying to sell for money to buy parts.
Same list on both sites and I am barely getting any bites...Craigslist is either full running driving trucks at full price or dead gassers. Ebay has everything I really don't need. If you know anyone who is letting parts go, Let me know.
Since you have that truck(I have a 89 diesel) look at the wiring going to the engine. There is a harness that goes from the pass side inner fender across in front of the A/C box, and then to the engine. There should be a plug in front of the A/C box. Check it, the two large yellow wires that feed the glowplug circuit like to melt the plug. On mine it was melted, but the smaller wires were ok. So I just took the large yellow wires out and bolted them together, and left the original plug for the smaller wires.
Those are the ones that are going to give me the most problems. If you can ID who made this junk, Can you suggest a better replacement? I got a boneyard replacement but....Still no faith.
Found more of those "weld joints" in the harness....If I could just clean and seal them I'd feel better. What are they even called?
They are called splices. In the Ford diagrams they are numbered starting with a "S". Connectors are numbered and start with a "C". Grounds are numbered and start with a "G".
They are called splices. In the Ford diagrams they are numbered starting with a "S". Connectors are numbered and start with a "C". Grounds are numbered and start with a "G".
These splices were are basically crimped in a square die with a TON of force so the strands pressure-weld together for a reliable connection. It's how most battery cables at any parts store are made too. As it's kind of a PITA to crimp battery lugs, I solder all of mine, but crimp anything 10awg or smaller as I'm not exactly stellar with a soldering iron yet.
Before this gets into a debate, I'll simply say this:
A properly done solder connection is fine.
A properly done crimp connection is fine.
Either works well, just remember the double wall adhesive lined heat shrink to seal out moisture. An added benefit is strain relief
As for the connectors in question, are there any markings on them? Generally speaking, most manufacturers put a part number and/or their logo on their products. From a quick glance and the retainer spines on the first one, they look like AEES/EPC. A straight shot of the terminals might help too as I'll be able to instruct you on de-pinning them correctly for transplant into a new housing.
When I started the work, I found that mickey and Minne mouse had dinner on one and ate through it. Couple others just got the insulation. The one they ate through I cut, stripped, soldered, and sealed up. Since the others were not ate into just some insulation and a tiniest bit of copper showing but barely any, I cleaned up the area and drowned them in liquid tape and ran a zip tie around to hold for the time being until I could do more with it. That was a year ago. From the conduit bottom right coming in, I want to water proof or weather proof, which ever is better all the way up to and a little over the plastic barrel connection to protect the area and keep it worry free permanently. I also want to keep those wires tightly together so they can't chafe or rub the tape off. I do plan on cutting the ziptie off. It was a temp hold. I have a couple ideas how but unsure. I just don't want to be fording high water or something and water or something conductive get in there and cause problems.
my harness would but fine for the most part. Just old adhesive coming apart. But after 30 years, I'm not surprised. And other than that spot on the barrel, It just needs cleaned and freshened up and since parts that I need are kinda in a dry supply 
Figured I might as well focus on getting all the electrical done. Boneyards aren't much help when only 1 in my local area has my year truck and they're not pleasant to deal with.
