1968-Present E-Series Van/Cutaway/Chassis Econolines. E150, E250, E350, E450 and E550

1987 E150 wiring harnesses, engine swap

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Old 07-20-2017, 04:25 PM
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1987 E150 wiring harnesses, engine swap

Hi all,
I have just bought my 2nd 1987 Econoline E150. The first one I had was a 4.9l with a C6 transmission. I had that van for about 8 years and drove it from Canada down to Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala and back on one Christmas Break. It was a consistent runner and also consistent when it came to fuel consumption...

The van I just bought is a 1987 E150 5.0 with an AOD transmission. It was a Class B camper but it had been gutted before I bought it and I have to admit I only bought it for the engine and transmission. I am going to be putting the engine and transmission in a 1934 Hupmobile which has a Ford body so that's why I picked the Ford donor. I picked this van specifically as it only has 86,000 miles on it and it does not have AC or Cruise Control. Good for me but ridiculous lack of options for a camper.

Can anybody tell me if the engine management harnesses are separate from the rest of the wiring like the sound system, HVAC, and lighting? My intent is to take the minimum amount of the wiring out of the van and plop the whole works in my car. I won't be taking off any components like SMOG, etc. I just want it to work as designed so the car can move after 30+ years of dormancy.

Any help and input would be appreciated. Oh yeah, I need an Power Steering delete idler too. If anybody is aware of where to get one please let me know.
Cheers, Steve
 
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Old 07-25-2017, 09:16 PM
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I received the Ford owners manual with the van and also bought a Haynes manual so I have a pretty good understanding of how the Ford EEC-IV works.
Unfortunately, neither go into the detail of outlining all of the plugs and loom assemblies like I've seen for other vehicles. Fortunately the van only has 9 circuits off of the fuse block plus various fusible link circuits.
It seems like the only real head scratcher will be how to make the ammeter output work with my 1934 dash. I will try to post some pics when I get the wiring pulled out of the van.
Steve
 
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Old 07-26-2017, 01:34 AM
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I am not sure. I do know this is much better then the Haynes.. It says it includes the EVTM
FORD 1987 Bronco, Econoline E150-E350 & F150-F350 Pick Up Truck Shop Manual CD
FORD 1987 Bronco, Econoline E150-E350 & F150-F350 Pick Up Truck Shop Manual CD

I also have one of these for my 99 but have never really looked at it yet..
1987 FORD ECONOLINE VAN ORIGINAL FACTORY WIRING DIAGRAMS MANUAL SHEETS
1987 FORD ECONOLINE VAN ORIGINAL FACTORY WIRING DIAGRAMS MANUAL SHEETS
 
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Old 07-26-2017, 01:55 AM
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Here is an example of several that is in the cd manual. I believe the cd manual along with the electrical diagram would give you all you need to know to separate the wiring. My 1985 E150 has a a feedback carb but the ECM has a separate harness. On the 85 the oil pressure sending unit, temperature sending unit and other circuits going to the dash are in a seperate harness while it looks like the 88 combines them all into a main harness though those items are separate from the ECM
 
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Old 07-26-2017, 11:32 PM
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Yes the engine control harness is pretty much stand alone save for some power and ground connections and the vehicle speed input which I believe comes from the transmission.
 
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Old 07-27-2017, 07:17 PM
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The donor.

Getting access to engine.

The view from inside.

Things are happening, the van was hauled 200 km to the wrecker where I am located. Apparently it was quite a learning experience to the guy moving the van, it broke the winch on the trailer, the guy then went and bought a come-along that was way too short, had to hunt down some chain, and then the van tore up the fenders on the trailer when it backed off.

That being said, I think I will buy that DVD. The contents actually match the books that Ford was selling at the back of the owners manual when it was new so I guess that is as good as it is going to get.

So far the wiring has been stand alone as mentioned. There was some conversion van connections near the alternator but otherwise it's looking to be a splice-free operation.

Cheers, Steve
 
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Old 07-27-2017, 07:33 PM
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The destination. The 289 had a C3 attached to it...I think I have about 1/2" of length to spare with the 5.0 and AOD.
 
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Old 07-27-2017, 08:04 PM
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looks like a fun project and will be even more fun when you get it going! A lot of work there so keep us informed on your progress!
 
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Old 08-02-2017, 08:09 PM
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Photos of the engine, transmission, wiring.

 
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Old 08-02-2017, 08:17 PM
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Things worked out well other than the shifter shaft was broken off when removing the engine/trans using a towtruck. I suppose I needed to replace that when installing a custom shifter so no big deal.

The wiring basically has 4 looms in it which I'll explain in order of the photos in the post above.

#1, EEC, EEC relay, fuel pump relay, fuel pump inertia switch
#2, "in progress starting aid" device, EEC test connector, fuse links
#3, long loom with fuel pump wiring and fuel sender wiring
#4, loom attached to transmission for neutral and backup switches

Not seen in the photos are the intake, gas pedal assembly, transmission throttle linkage, the vacuum canister (coffee can), purge canister, high pressure fuel pump, fuel reservoir, and the low pressure pump (in tank).

Cheers, Steve
 
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Old 08-07-2017, 01:31 AM
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that 87 E150 looked pretty clean for an Ontario vehicle.

why wouldn't you just carb the 87 motor and find( or make) a cable for the trans from an earlier 5.0 that had an AOD. less complicated is better

oh yeah ,Nice roadtrek. parents had a 88 350 and now they have a 96 350 . very "versatile"
 
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Old 03-29-2020, 11:30 AM
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I'm still alive and have a bit of progress to report.

You will want to look at the links in that video if you have a 1987 Ford.
 
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